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Post by mackhax0r on Jul 25, 2016 14:53:15 GMT
Hello. I have a Polar Kraft 1578WB, the performance of the boat is great. The bought was bought new, and my father recently gave it to me. He always had issues getting on plane, and had to use a low end prop. We also had to put a fin on the motor. To use our Mercury Vengeance prop, there must be two people because the boat never gets on plane. Or, the driver has to jump in the front. Not really ideal. I do, however, found one major issue. The foam in the "pods" on the back of the boat are completely waterlogged causing the stern of the boat sit so low that my motor's exhaust goes underwater. In order for the engine to start, someone has to sit on the bow of the boat to bring my exhaust out of the water (the V on the hull is completely out of water). I have to slow down slowly while watching my wave because it comes very close to coming over my stern. Yesterday, I spent over 2 hours cutting and removing the foam from the pods. The pods are not waterproofed at all. Since the drain plugs for the pods sit above the floor, I found a lot of water laying in the pod. Oh, and lots of mold. I attached a picture below.  You can actually see sitting water. This is only about 2 inches down if that. It got worse the more I got out.   I am not sure why the drain plugs sit above the floor. This seems like a poor design issue, but I constantly have water laying in the boat as a result. I love this boat, but it seems like once I am done this season I need to sell this boat. To make things worse, it appears (I did not check thoroughly) that transom wood is rotting away. I say in 2-3 years I'll be replacing that. This is unacceptable for a fairly new boat. It sat under a carport for 90% of its life. |
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Post by mackhax0r on Jul 25, 2016 14:55:28 GMT
One thing I'd like to add. A walmart bag full of foam (2-3 chunks) weighed 15 lbs. A 5 gallon bucket weighed 30lbs. A trashbag full weighed around 40lbs (small chunks).
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ondonzboat
New Member
2004 PK Kodiak 165sc Yamaha 50hp 2stk
Posts: 48 
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Post by ondonzboat on Jul 25, 2016 20:30:53 GMT
If you think the transom is rotting that should be investigated further. Fresh water or salt ? Don't know where you live; does it ever come out of the water ? Almost sounds like you've got a leak.. Now that you;ve cleared out all that old wet foam do you still have water? If it's still in the water can you still store it with the stern down so any water will drain toward the stern and is it still coming ? I don't have a boat like this so can't give direct advice just general ideas. How much gas do you carry [ gas weighs over 6lb / gal ]. Any weighty items in those aft compartments [ anchor ? ]. Batteries ? If that's your better prop in the picture it doesn't look to be in the best of shape. If worn it could be part of your plane issues. A correctly formed prop gives best performance / any wear starts detracting from ideal. See this for some prop info : www.boatus.com/magazine/archives/how-to-fix-boat-propeller-problems.aspWorn props can be repaired. Here's a quick excerpt from that page :
Worn Won't Work - All the blades look the same, so what's the problem? Often, they're all worn evenly. Look for blades that aren't naturally rounded at the tip or are worn to a point. Feel the edges, but be careful. Wear makes them sharp. On the other hand, the tips may be particularly blunt on the leading edge, where the prop makes first contact. Paint worn evenly is also a clue.
If you know the design diameter of your propeller, you can eyeball its actual dimension by measuring from the center of the hub to the tip of one blade (the radius) and multiply by two to get the approximate diameter. Diameter and blade area are two of the most critical aspects of propeller design. Missing material causes higher rpm and diminished efficiency, potentially damaging the engine at worst, and slowing the boat and using more fuel at best. A prop shop can build up diameter and blade area to original specs. If too much is gone, especially on aluminum props, it's often best to buy a new one.
From your statements it sounds like you're happy with the general performance of you motor. Does it run near the ideal rpm re. specs. ? Also check your sacrificial anodes to help keep metal deterioration focused on them. I think all that foam is there to keep your boat from sinking if it should get a major leak. It does sound strange that you don't have a drain plug close to the very bottom of hull. Good luck with this project. Let us know if you find some solid answers. |
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Post by mackhax0r on Jul 26, 2016 0:35:12 GMT
Hi! Thanks for the response. The boat is used in saltwater. I did check the transom wood, it is OK. But in the pod, it has been soaked in wet foam for a pretty long time. But it doesn't really hold anything important aside the side rail, so it's likely OK. It has awhile before it falls apart. I checked for leaks, the boat is solid. No leaks anywhere, I've leaked tested multiple times. The gas tank is only 6 gallons. There is a marine battery in the battery compartment, but nothing else. I'm only using that prop because I sent my stainless steal prop in the shop to get cleaned up (it's the same prop as this - premierboatzone.com/shop/images/112/IMG_5740.JPG). The motor just recently was cleaned up, rebuilt carbs, and all that fun stuff. It gets on plane, but it takes a really long time and requires someone to sit in the front. I don't have a picture, but the drain plug isn't flush with the hull, so a decent amount of water sits in the boat all the time. This is the same for the pods, they have a decent amount of water sitting in them. I finished the removal of foam from both of them today (just now, actually). Now that I am finished, I can say this. The foam in both pods were fully soaked in water. I put the foam in my trash can, and I could barely move the trash can. It weighs over 100+ lbs, easily. Of course it's storming out now, but I'll be able to check it tomorrow to see the results. I'll report back. |
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Post by mackhax0r on Jul 28, 2016 2:18:45 GMT
So, with the foam out, I gained 4 MPH, the boat planes in about 2-5 seconds depending on conditions, and it does not sit low anymore. All of the foam was waterlogged, and had mildew growing in the box. Now, I have to take the fin off the motor because the boat planes too low (the bow doesn't go up at all). I would love to hear back from Polar Kraft to see what they think of this.
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buster
New Member
2006 V150 SC, 40 hp Yamaha
Posts: 5
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Post by buster on Oct 21, 2017 21:13:44 GMT
I have a 2006 V150SC that is similar to your boat. I think it sits maybe a few inches too low in the back. I have a 40 hp-4 strocke, 2 batteries and a 6 gal gas tank in the back.
I notice I get some water out of the drains when I open the valves on the pods, but not a lot. I trailer my boat so I put it low in the front to drain. That bottom inch or two of foam does retain some water. Those pods are not water proof so rain can get in there. The foam is dry along way down but I am somewhat concerned with the back part of the pods, particularly toward the center of the boat.
Where did you find most of your water? Did you refill the pods with foam as required by Coast Guard? I have a square cut out on the inside port side pod, any idea what that is for?
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