Gas shocks too strong?

[IDBoating]

Quick question on the gas shocks used to hold the front locker doors open.

The engine hatch and the rear door to the port locker work the way I expected: You must lift them, then they stay open on their own. But the front doors to the front lockers (which are also the seat backs for the bow area) snap open all by themselves. There's barely enough friction with the seat cushions to hold them closed, and the slightest touch of a hand or foot snaps the door up.

Now that we finally have the boat on the lake after a long and wet spring, we've found that the front doors open by themselves regularly while driving around on the lake. No one in the bow area, just normal jostling, and POP - a door snaps up with a bang. This is kinda dangerous, as it obstructs the driver's view.

These shocks are STRONG. This behavior does not seem right. I think the factory may have simply installed the wrong shocks by mistake. Does anyone else's front locker doors behave like this?

Thanks!

[R&T Babich]

If yours still uses the SPD-GNSI style gas springs, what are the last digits in the part no. on the gas springs? (ex. SPD-GSNI-5250-60 is 60 lb force)
The 2 engine cover gas springs and the side locker cover single gas springs in our 2001 are 60 lb.
Here's a chart: http://www.spdhardware.com/catalog/l...52741324413%7D

[IDBoating]

I just checked and the number is "40", presumably 40 pounds. I also checked the shock on the rear door for the front port locker - which is a MUCH smaller/lighter door - and it also has a "40" shock. When you lift that rear door, it has to be lifted past midpoint before it smoothly and slowly rises to the fully open position. The front doors, on the other hand, slam open if you just push on the surrounding seat cushions (to remove their friction). And I do mean "slam"... they fly up to fully open and bang on the hinges. It's nothing like the rear door on the port locker.

To be clear: The front doors will not stay closed on their own. If the front seat cushions are removed, the locker doors slam open and cannot be made to stay down.

[IDBoating]

Quick update: As usual, Tige (and Harvey Smith there) have come through again! They agree that the doors should stay down of their own accord. They are sending me a new set of shocks with a lower pressure rating. I'll see if those solve the problem and return whichever ones work more poorly.

In case there are any newbies reading this thread: This is just another example of how well Tige takes care of its customers. You won't find customer service like this anywhere else in the boating industry. If you're visiting this site to help you choose your next boat, give customer service a lot of consideration - you'll own that boat for a long time and having a solid, helpful company backing you up is worth a LOT!

[IDBoating]

Solved!

As usual, Tige came through with the 20 pound gas shocks they promised. Installing them in place of the 40's did fix the "pop open" problem but the shocks weren't strong enough to hold the doors completely open.

That got me thinking about changing the pivot locations, to change the leverage the door has against the shock. I started experimenting with various combinations of position and shock strength. The best results were obtained with the 40 pound shocks and the door pivot point repositioned about an inch closer to the door hinge. That arrangement stops the "pop open" behavior but also permits the door to be held completely open on demand.

The 20 pound gas shocks are on their way back to Tige. Again, kudos to Tige and Harvey for being willing to provide parts to research and resolve this problem.

Hope this helps someone!

[carcrz]

Good to know. Mine pop up too. I also noticed Saturday that I have a gap on the seat back in front of the driver. Not sure how the heck that can be fixed. You can see right around the side of the seat into the compartment a good 1/2".

[IDBoating]

Good to know. Mine pop up too.

If I get a chance, I'll take a photo showing how far I moved the pivot point. It's held in place by two screws, very easy to move.

I also noticed Saturday that I have a gap on the seat back in front of the driver. Not sure how the heck that can be fixed. You can see right around the side of the seat into the compartment a good 1/2".

Mine are the same way. I think it's the nature of the beast. When it rains my compartments get water in them, which is annoying, but I agree there's no obvious way to fix it.