2.1 Introduction

This document is intended to give details and guidance to a boat builder or equipment installer to install the Seakeeper 18.  The Seakeeper 18 can produce vertical loads up to 5,965 lbs (26.5 kN), longitudinal loads up to 3,509 lbs (15.61 kN), and transverse loads of 500 lbs (2.22 kN) at each of the four mounts. Careful consideration should be given to foundation design to ensure it is capable of transferring these loads into the hull. These loads do NOT include vessel motion accelerations, such as vertical slam loads which can be significant for high speed vessels and vary based upon the longitudinal location. The responsible party for designing the supporting structure (boat builder, installer, or hired sub-contractor) must accommodate the above forces plus a reasonable factor of safety. Seakeeper recommends a minimum safety factor of 3.0 (yielding a Safety Margin of 2.0).

There are two methods of installing the Seakeeper 18:

1. Bolt-In Installation: the Seakeeper 18 is bolted directly to a metal structure or embedded tapping plate.
2. Bond-In Installation: Seakeeper 18 is bolted to Seakeeper supplied saddles which are bonded to the vessels FRP Structure using a high strength structural adhesive.

It is assumed that the installer is familiar with installing mechanical fasteners in marine structures or using high strength adhesives on aluminum and fiberglass (FRP), and has performed structural analysis to assure the structure to which the Seakeeper mounts can properly transfer the loads the Seakeeper creates into the hull structure.  If the installer has any doubt about the ability of the structure to transfer the loads to the hull, then a licensed naval architect or marine engineer should be contacted to perform a structural analysis.

The installer should review the following list of reference drawings to ensure the mechanical installation procedure is fully understood.

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Reference Drawings

• 90544  – Seakeeper 18 Bolt-In Installation Guide
• 90545  – Seakeeper 18 Bond-In Installation Guide
• 90282  – Seakeeper 16/12HD/18 Installation Template Kit
• 90679  – Seakeeper 18 Cable Block Diagram
• 90542  – Seakeeper 18 Bolt-In Clearances
• 90547 – Seakeeper 18 Bond-In Saddle Kit
• 90548 – Seakeeper 18 Bolt-In Kit
• 90648 – Seakeeper 18 Thru-Bolt Kit