Weight of Atomic 4

[triton318]

Does anyone know the approximate weight of the Atomic 4 that came with the Triton? And the weight of the transmission? And...if you have an idea of the weight of the propeller and propeller shaft, that would be great too!

Also, does anyone know the capacity in gallons of the water tank that came with the Triton and was located under the V-berth?

Thanks!

[triton #227]

The A-4 weighs about 350 pounds with the trany. I just riped mine out, it made a nice thud on the ground when I pushed it off the deck. I don't know what the prop shaft weighs I'd guess about 20 pounds. The water tank is about 22 gallons.

[jollyboat]

Hello Jay,

Triton 227 is correct in that the weight of the Atomic Four is 350 pounds including the transmission, which is integral, however, completely assembled with exhaust, batteries, starter, alternator or generator, fuel tank, blower, shift linkage, throttle control and finally shaft the weight is closer to 510 pounds. The shaft, coupler and propeller weigh about 23 pounds combined. If saving weight is a concern here are some ideas that I am following through with on my own Triton #466. Firstly, the original copper exhaust system has been removed and replaced with a water lift type system. The original monel fuel tank that was installed under the starboard cockpit bench seat, with a whopping 25 gallon capacity (I guess gas docks were hard to come by in the early 60's) is a bit over kill. A smaller, 10 gallon fuel tank made of plastic is half the weight, saves space and allows the weight of the fuel to be centrallized by installing the tank further foward . In the battery department, I am going to use two 750 amp hour, deep cycle batteries. With these changes I estimate a weight savings of about 30 pounds. This may seem like a lot of effort for 30 pounds and I agree, however, Tritons are very weight sensitive and every pound reduced allows for significant performance gains. Typical to all designs similar to that of the Triton, those with narrow bilges and long overhangs, weight in the ends of the hull has the most negative effects on performance as well as the most dramatic in improved performance when reduced. Reducing overall weight with attention to reducing end weight and a focus on mass centralization all aid releasing the pent up wild Mustang living inside all of our Tritons.

[triton318]

Thanks for the replies! I should have indicated in my post the reason for asking about the weight. I'm planning on building an integral water tank in the space formally occupied by the A-4. That was pulled seven years ago. In its place, I put a 28 gallon plywood/epoxy water tank that I built. The tank worked great, but I need to increase capacity. I just didn't want to increase the capacity so much that the weight would be more than what was designed to be there.

The plan is for a tank that holds about 50 gallons (which would be approximately 400 pounds, plus the weight of the tank materials). This is below the 510 pounds combined weight of the engine and engine-related components.

I'm planning to build in a 30-40 gallon water tank in the area under the v-berth (in the area between where the original water tank was -- which has been removed -- and the bulkhead that separates the head from the v-berth).

Ninety gallons of water?! Yes, because eventually I will be sailing around the world on my Triton.

Thanks for the figures!

[bcooke]

I would check with James Baldwin about your tank ideas. He did something similar and then sailed around the world so he might have an opinion worth listening to.

www.atomvoyages.com/

-Britton

[triton318]

Thanks Britton. That's actually where I got the idea from, and I've exchanged a few emails with him on the subject.