2.1 Mechanical Installation Introduction

The Seakeeper 4.5 can produce loads up to 2989 lbs (13.30 kN) at each mount. These forces should be considered to be acting simultaneously, fully reversing, and will repeat an infinite number of times. Careful consideration should be given to foundation design to ensure it can transfer these loads into the hull. These loads do NOT include vessel motion accelerations, such as vertical slam loads, which can be significant for higher-speed vessels. The responsible party for designing the supporting structure (boatbuilder, installer, or hired sub-contractor) must accommodate the above forces plus a reasonable safety factor. Seakeeper recommends a minimum safety factor of 3.0 (yielding a Safety Margin of 2.0).

It is assumed that the installer is familiar with installations using mechanical fasteners to marine structures and has performed structural analysis to ensure the structure to which the Seakeeper mounts can adequately 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 do a structural analysis.

The installer should review the following list of reference drawings to ensure the installation procedure and structural requirements are fully understood.


Reference Documents: