Electric version, weight distribution issues

MikeDress

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Hi - I live on a lake that only allows electric engines. We are also limited to an 18' boat. I took delivery of an 18' SLX with a Torqeedo electric motor about a month ago. I love the boat but I am having an issue with passengers in the front. It seems that virtually any weight up front causes the nose to dip. Perhaps because the boat is designed for a heavy motor and I only have an 8 HP electric engine? Does anyone have a "fix" for this situation? Last week I had 6 people on the boat (3 in front and 3 in the rear) and the nose actually went completely underwater when an 80 pound dog went from the back of the boat to the front.
 
Sounds tippy.

Clearly something is wrong. First step IMO is to check the capacity rating decal next to the captains chair. If you are over the max then your fix is obvious.

Second I would make the dealer aware of the issue and see where they take it. It's still under warranty so there should be an obligation by the manufacturer's rep to see if there is something wrong with the boat. Could be water in the toons that slosh forward when the balance point is tipped and then adds even more weight to the bow.

If that goes nowhere maybe post some pictures and the braintrust here may have some additional suggestions.

Good luck!
 
Maybe mount a big generator on the back of your boat to power the electric motor. That should balance it out pretty good.
 
An 18’ twin tube boat doesn’t have the weight/fulcrum effect like a bigger boat. I see smaller rentals on our lake plowing water with 20hp and under so I think it’s just inherent of a smaller boat. With my 20hp and 2 people up front, even my 23’r gets nose heavy.
 
Where did they mount the batteries for that motor. I’m hoping in the rear of the boat.
 
My idea was removed. Sorry about that!!!
 
Ditto what Potomac said. Does it list to one side as well? Rare that both logs would leak, but it could happen.
It doesn't list side to side. One of these posts suggests that it's inherent in a shorter boat. Could well be the case but what a poor design.
 
I had a similar issue on my 2275 RCW - it's mostly a problem with twin-toons vs tritoons - in your case made worse by being so short. My old 2275 (which is 23 feet long) required strategic placement of folks when underway - not a comfortable conversation depending on who you're asking ("hey, I need to move some weight back to even out the boat"). :oops:

My new tritoon has no issues at all with weight distribution - it just floats, no drama.

If it's unbearable you can find third-toon kits online to add more floatation. Here's one for $2k-ish: https://www.pontoonwholesalers.com/...-115-HP-Boat-3TPK18-11-6-x25-8533045?ref=list
 
That problem is primarily geometry/physics. Designing a 18' pontoon multi passenger in multi locations is somewhat a losing battle.
 
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