Divider between the motor and V-drive space

[ers906]

Has anyone rebuild the dividers between the motor and the V-drive space in an older SAN (mine is an 02)? Mine has been bowing due to the V-drive sacs I am using (either 750 for wake boarding or 1100s for surfing). I was thinking about a single panel per side made with welded aluminum supports possibly covered by a thin aluminum skin or wood, then carpeted. My concern is the difficulty in removing these single panels to work on the motor, especially if it needs to be worked on while at the lake (either in the water or on the trailer).I guess I could make two panels for each side like the are currently, but not sure if that is needed. Anyone who has done this I would love to hear your thoughts/experiences
Eric

[core-rider]

I would thinkk something similar to the newer 210's made from Seaboard (HDPE) would be a good solution. I have a good source for HDPE online I used with all my stereo project. I think it could be done as a one piece per side panel, but wouldn't go quite as far back or forward as the stock panels do. If you could mount 2 pieces of "C" channel aluminum at either end of the compartment, maybe even a third at the bottom then the HDPE could slide down into the channels keeping it in place. The 1/2" HDPE I used was pretty strong against deflection when I tried to bend it. They also offer up to 1".

http://www.usplastic.com/

Just search for "HDPE sheet" and it will give you their HDPE and Seaboard offerings.

[ers906]

Starbord is a great idea. It should have pretty good heat resistance, although I worry that if it does bow it is going to touch the exhaust manifold and melt. I am sure that I can figure away to weld enough C channel braces to resist the force, but hundreds of pounds of ballast pushing on it may make that tough.

[98motorsport3]

This may seem "rigged" but I had good luck with some wire shelving I bought at lowes. Was already the right length and perfect height. It does bow some when I fill the 750 all the way for surfing but it doesn't melt and it keeps all our gear and stuff away from the motor and the sacs out of direct contact. Has worked great and cost me 30 dollars total and a few zip ties. You could fancy it up with some bracing which I will probably do at some point but it works well enough.

[wakedog01]

I did this on my 02 SAN. I used black Seaboard (HDPE) and cut them to the exact shape and size as the 2 piece. It is a little bit of a stuggle to wrangle it in and out as it is 1 piece instead 2. Also it is a much heavier. It slides into the channel on the floor, but as soon as the fatsacs are filled, it pops out of the channel and the dividers rest against the risers. It has not been an issue and was thinking about supporting the divider but I might just remove the channel instead.

[crobi2]

I used the original panels (2 per side) with 750's on the floor (tanks removed). The bottom panel has an angle plate that is screwed to the floor, and the upper panel rests against the manifold and the muffler which keeps it out of the fan belts even with the 750s full up.

If I understand correctly, you have a C channel on bottom and on top (to support the hatch). The 2000 and earlier just had the panels screwed to the floor with no channel and no channel on top. If the panel is popping out of the lower channel, (or both), you could drill holes through the channel and secure the boards with screws.

The sides of the manifold should not get hot enough to affect the panels I think.

[ers906]

Mine has the channel on the top and the bottom with the two panels. I am thinking I may use the starboard in a single sheet, but cut it in such a way that it can be removed by just angling diagonally instead of having to bend like the current panels. I will probably also fabricate an aluminum brace system using welded C- channel that can be bolted to the starboard to resist the bending forces placed on it and keep it from coming in contact with the risers. If I get super creative, I may also use a thin piece of aluminum on the manifold/riser side and use the injectable foam in-between the two panels for added stability and thermal resistance (not needed but I love to tinker with things). As far as extra weight, since we already ride with about 2500+ ballast and usually some extra 50# lead sacks to fine tune the wake, I can't imagine it will make much of a difference. Any thoughts?

[crobi2]

Sorry man, I completely missed your reply. Have you decided what you are going to do?

[ers906]

No worries, I am finishing up a lake vacation right now, getting ready to tow home today. This is going to likely be a winter project, so just trying to design and brainstorm for now.

[crobi2]

Oh good, I hope you had a great vacation. Is it the 1000# surf sac that's giving the problem? I guess if you cut HDPE or starbord to the same shape as the panels but just thicker to be more stiff, you could still get them out easy for engine maintenance. I was so happy when I got rid of the factory tanks and went to sacs. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about the manifold temps. They should not get hot enough to cause problems.

[C.A.]

Here's a picture of what I did-

It's a 2004 210 Super Sport (no factory ballast) that I've been running 750s in for about a year now. They bowed the dividers to the point of resting against the manifolds, which didn't seem to hurt anything. I did have one bolt on the right divider in the rear that was beginning to chaf into the fiberglass muffler, so I decided to add some support.

I had some 1.5" x 1.5" square aluminum tubing left over from another project. I "notched" one end to straddle the rear upright aluminum support and the angled the other end to match the pylon support. I drilled a single thru-bolt to secure it on each end. They are just below the muffler which is a little lower than where the joint between the two dividers. I haven't tried it yet, but it appears to be enough to keep the from bowing.....

[mnwakerider]

Where did you get the square aluminum? I had some HDPE supports but those would never stay in place so I am on to stronger ideas and I really like the look of this.

[C.A.]

I happen to have access to a machine shop (work), so it was scrap from another job. I believe our local ACE hardware has it though....

[intrlaz]

I made new dividers for my 02 out of 3/4 hdpe. The channels are a little narrower than 3/4, so I had to notch a little out.

[mnwakerider]

Just picked up the aluminum channel from Lowe's. Hopefully will have time to work it in today. I will try to post up pics as well.