Project#1 complete...10" jackplate on Vegas.

[imq707s]

Well, I got my first big project done on my Vegas today. It flys really well with one person in the boat, but with a passenger I had to trim the motor out all the way to keep the nose out of the water and that sure didn't help with the chinewalk.

So I decided to go from my CMC 5.5" plate to a new R&R slidemaster 10" jackplate. (Anyone want a perfectly good CMC lift?)

I also decided to install tie bars (I know, some people won't like this) to brace up the tansom from the extra load that the 10" setback will be putting on it.

Here is a before shot.:D

[imq707s]

I had to pull the tank, battery, and oil tank out to get to the lower engine mounting bolts. I was surprised that the floor back behind the tank was still extremely solid. I've heard that alot of Vegas floors in the back get rotted out. Mine is as solid as when it came out of the factory, I'm very surprised. :eek:

[imq707s]

After I pulled the motor off of the boat, I removed the CMC jackplate and installed the brackets for the tie bars.

[imq707s]

Here is the new R&R slidemaster jackplate.

[imq707s]

After I got the motor all bolted back on to the boat, I drilled the holes for where the other brackets are going to go.

[imq707s]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also installed a 3" wide , 1/4" thick piece of SS across the lower mounting bolts to help spread out the load of that big looper.:D

[imq707s]

Here is a picture of how the tie rods will hook up. I still have to do some machine work on the rods before they will be ready to install, but everything else is done. The transom is already very solid, but I thought that the tie rods would only help. I watched the back of the transom as I lowered the motor back down and let all of it's weight be help up by the new plate, I didn't notice the transom flex one bit. I very very surprised.

[imq707s]

Well, there is. My next project is going to be finishing the graphics on the cowl that I painted.

[imq707s]

Well now that I've got everything put back together, it's time for me to clean up the aftermath :D

I'll have to get the boat out next weekend and see how it runs. I think I'm going to set the propshaft height 1" below the pad and see how it does.

Hopefully the transom doesn't rip off of the boat :eek: :D

[Jay R.]

looks awesome! great job on all of it!

[GelcoatJoe]

who makes those tiebars?...i got a friend that could use a set. price? thanx gelcoat joe

[imq707s]

Actually, I made everything my self. I cut the brackets out of 10ga mild steel, and had a buddy of mine tig weld them up. The actual tie rods were easy to make also. I just bought some 1/2" rod ends from Grainger (about $8 each). Make sure that you get one left hand thread and one right hand thread rod end for each bar, that way when you twist the bar you make it shorter or longer. Then I got some solid 1" OD aluminum bar and drilled and tapped the ends for the 1/2-20 rod ends. Then I took the aluminum bar and turned them down on a lathe just enough to get a good shiney finish. I was thinking of polishing them up to a mirror finish after I get them finished. I still have to drill and tap the other ends of the rods for the left hand threads.

I've seen some circle track race car shops that sell tie rods like the ones I built, but they want $30-$40 each, then you still have to buy the expensive end links for them. I think I've got around $40 in mine for the entire set.

I think they should be plenty strong enough, and they look cool to. I'm not really sure if I need them or not (the transom seems fine), but I figure a little extra insurance can't hurt.

[imq707s]

I forgot to post a pic of the brackets that go up on the front side of the splaswell.

[GelcoatJoe]

thanx....nice job , by the way..!!!! ps my viper has the prop shaft 1 inch below the pad...handles pretty nice...but it can stand to go up for more speed....

[imq707s]

For some reason the pic of the front brackets didn't come through very well. Here is another.:confused:

[pyro]

I got some 1/4" X 3" just like your piece a couple days ago. I polished the hell out of the top side piece

Are you going to put some small knees in there?

[imq707s]

I think I'm going to polish the top support piece also. It's kind of dull looking.

As far as the small knees go, I think I'm going to fix those little spiderweb cracks in the gel back in the corners of the splashwell first. If they come back after the tie bars have been set up, I'll probably glass in some small knees from the floor to the transom. I just don't know where I'm going to put the tank. I can't reallly move the ski pole forward any more. The floor in the back it still very solid, sounds hard as a rock if I tap on it with a hammer. It wasn't as tough as I though getting the tank out. If the spider cracks don't come back, I'm not going to mess with the knees. I figure if the cracks don't come back, the transom is pretty solid.

[imq707s]

Well I installed the tie bars today. Here is what they look like.

[imq707s]

I also fabbed up this plate that covers the bottom of the jackplate to keep water from getting sucked up in there when takeing off and comming off of plane. It should also help the boat get out of the hole a little faster.

[imq707s]

Fogot the pic

[wing nut]

nice and clean, looks nice:)

scott

[pyro]

The cracks in the corners aren't due to a weak transom, they're a result of the boat's design, and hanging a a big, set-back motor off the back and whooping on it in heavy water. Pretty much all of the older ones have the cracks.

The new ones have knees.

[rev.ronnie]

Great looking tie bars. One thing you may wany to do is put in an "X" brace to tie the two bars together, like a wheelie bar. It will help stop any twist in the splashwell to transom area. Triangulating it will yeild better strength.


One last thing.....get those tools off the pretty gelcoat!!!! :D

[imq707s]

X brace. That's a good idea. Now I just have to figure out a nice clean way to do it. I guess I could run another tie rod in there from the front left bracket to the right rear bracket (or vise-versa). I'm not really sure if my brackets are wide enough to accept another tie rod though. I'll have to check it out some time. Thanks for the tips.

[imq707s]

Well I finally had a chance to get the boat on the water and test out my new 10" jackplate and tie bar setup.

WOW....that think wants to really fly the bow, even with a little negative trim. It seems like it's easier to drive than with the 5.5" plate I had on there. I can cruise along at 40 and trim the motor way up and just fly the nose like I'm going 75...it's pretty cool.

And with a passenger it really helped a bunch. I only have to give it just a few clicks past even to really get the boat flying good.

The tie bar setup seems to work great. Randy (AQUAHollic) sat in the back and checked different spots on the transom to see if there was any flexing or movement. We were running about 70 through some big chop and he said that the transom was solid as a rock, he couldn't feel it budge at all.

Oh, I think I finally learned how to balance the boat up on the pad now. I got it running 76.6 on the GPS and still had a bunch of pedal left. But my tach is still causing me fits and I didn't want to sling the flywheel off of the slow-MC :eek:

I'm sure it could run low-80's with the right prop pretty easily.

[baja200merk]

the hammer on the gel!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :(

good job nice work:D

[imq707s]

I know...I know.....:rolleyes:

It just seemed like a handy spot to set my tools. But like I said, I just sat them there, I didn't throw them there. I was very carefull not to scratch anything up. It all cleaned up really nice :D

[imq707s]

Here is a pic of the boat flying with the new 10" R&R jackplate. :D

[baja200merk]

lookin good man!

[B.Mac]

Nice clean work!!!
She's flyin' nice too........watch that trim button over 80,
that baby's gonna get mighty flighty if you get too trim happy with 10"SB :p
The Vegas has an "acceleration zone" somewhere around 77-80
where she really packs air, lifts and accelerates 5+ mph in a split second.....
Looks sweet Ian......Nice work :cool:
B.MAC:D

[imq707s]

I've wondered about that....having the boat take off on me that is. I've allways wondered if there is a chance that it might pack to much air and go air born.

I've been setting the trim neutral, and that seems like it gives plenty of bow lift. If I'm heading into a strong headwind, I'll even trim it in a bit just so it doens't get to " flighty" on me.

I think that 10" jackplate was a good investment. As soon as I get my tach problem fixed, I'll start trying some different props and seeing what kind of top speed I can get out of the boat. I think it will run low 80's easy, maybe even mid 80's. When I was running 77, there was a bunch of pedal left. :eek:

[heath brinkley]

Nice job !!! looks good.
Screw the tach, put the hammer down on that bitch and let us know what it runs !!!:D :D :D
mine runs about the same with a 200 merc. and 5" setback. now you got me thinkin' 10.
what was it runnin' before ?

[imq707s]

Well, when I first got the boat, Randy (AQUAhollic) got it running 77-78 mph with the 27" SRX and 5.5" setback. This was with a near full tank of gas, and two people on board. Last weekend after I installed the new 10" jackplate I took it out with just myself driving, and ran it up to about 77mph, and it had a bunch of pedal left. Right before I got out of the gas I mashed the pedal for a split second and it really pulled hard. But I'm still getting used to the boat so I didn't feel safe running it over 77, plus my tach isn't working and it sounded like the motor was really screaming. Not sure if the limiter is hooked up or not, and I still have the stock VRO oil injection system. I'm sure once I get used to driving the boat, it will run mid-80's or more. I really like that DAH worked SRX prop.

[voo-doo_child]

Your boat looks great i am a big fan of the vegas style. The cowl looks great i saw it in another post and that 10 incher looks uniform and obviously is beneficial to the boat. Now you gotta get after all the wood accents. pull the swim platforms and make them shine lik new.

I love your boat.

Pete

[imq707s]

Thanks for the compliments on the Vegas. I think I'm going to really have to do some work to those swim platforms. I tried giving them a really good soaking of teak oil, but they just dried out again a few days afterwards. I was thinking about taking them off for good, but I haven't ever seen another Vegas with them so I thought I would leave them on. Plus it helps with getting out of the water and into the boat :)

[pyro]

I will buy them from you if you decide to remove them. I've really been wanting a pair...

-Chad

[baja200merk]

from what i understand although more reliable then mercs oil injection i wouldnt trust vro in ur motor man.. go wit mixin it ur self! its soo comforting on the water...

just my .02
kevin

[heath brinkley]

I've only seen a couple with the platforms. I wouldn't add them to mine but if I had them I wouldn't take them off. It's a bitch getting into without them. except for my wife and kids, cause I have to lift them in.

[heath brinkley]

I'm with baja, I'd lose the vro and mix it myself. I dont trust any mixing system. even with my pwc, I yanked all that stuff.

[AnthonySS]

NICE Work IAN,

Enjoy:D

[imq707s]

Thanks for the compliments. I've had the boat out several times since I installed the jackplate and the tie bars, and everything still seems solid as a rock. I went out with Randy (AquaHollic) for a ride and he set in the back feeling different spots on the transom while I was running around 70 through some rough water and he said that the transom felt solid as a rock....no flexing at all.

I think it helps that my transom was fine in the first place. But I figured that it sure wouldn't hurt to add some more support with that big looper hanging 10" off of the transom.....and I think the tie bars look cool anyway :D

[heath brinkley]

cool indeed !!!