INSTALLATION
MANUAL
Product:
Document #:
Rev:
Page:
SEAKEEPER 9 / 7HD
90222
6
12 of 20
Section 1: MECHANICAL INSTALLATION
1.6 Saddle Installation
Seakeeper recommends a slow curing, non-sagging structural adhesive for bonding the saddles
to the GRP hull structure. Such an adhesive is Plexus MA590 which is a two-part methacrylate
adhesive. Details of the bonding procedure in this manual will involve the Plexus MA590
product, but that should not exclude other suitable adhesives the installer chooses to use.
See
Sheet 6 of Seakeeper drawing no. 90226 for loads information and recommended
adhesive properties.
1.6.1 Initial Check and Preparation of Hull Structure
Refer to Seakeeper
Drawing No. 90226, Seakeeper 9/7HD Installation Details
– Bond In
Method
. Important dimensional and load information is given in this drawing that will impact the
design details of the structure that will receive the Seakeeper as well as selection of the
adhesive to bond the Seakeeper into the hull.
The foundation “saddles” of the Seakeeper are designed to be bonded directly to the composite
hull structure of the vessel to effectively distribute Seakeeper loads.
A complete bond is
required between the inside surface of the saddles and the hull structure
. An estimate of
adhesive volume required should be calculated for each installation based on gaps between
saddles and structural members. There is some adhesive waste as a part of the process so a
good rule of thumb is to purchase 50% more adhesive than estimated volume to bond.
Depending on conditions and adhesive used, two workers may be required to apply the
adhesive at the same time to finish the installation before the adhesive starts to cure. To aid in
determining the quantity of adhesive required, the interior surface area (bonding surfaces) of
each
saddle is 106 in
2
(684 cm
2
) for a total bonded surface area for all four saddles of 424 in
2
(2,736 cm
2
).
The hull structure supporting the Seakeeper should be installed so the Seakeeper is parallel to
the waterline.
The four areas on top of the beams that the saddles will bond to need to be
co-planar within .13
” inches (3 mm) for consistent adhesive bond gap. In addition, the
four areas on top of the saddles on which the feet of the Seakeeper foundation will rest
need to be co-planar within .06
” inches (1.5 mm) to minimize potential distortion of
Seakeeper support frame when installed.
Note that any paint or gel-coat present in bond area should be removed so that adhesive
will bond directly to laminate fibers and resin
.
Seakeeper provides an installation fixture template, P/N 90253 that locates the saddles at the
proper spacing both in the fore-aft direction and the port-starboard direction. See Figures 6, 7 &
8 below. Once assembled with the provided saddle fittings, the fixture can be used to check
clearances and alignment of the hull structure. The fixture will allow the builder / installer to lay-
up and adjust the foundation dimensions to create a low-clearance fit between the Seakeeper
