Bryan, thanks for adding me to the group.
I am obviously new to this group.
I am starting my first SevTec build, a Surveryor, with hard deck, 40hp and we may make a quick change power plant to meet certain river rules here in Montana.
Have been taking it slow, reviewing the plans, over and over, making my own sketches, chatting with Bryan and starting to talk to other builders. Have not had a chance to read the forum in detail, but plan to do so as I tackle certain issues.
I am an experience flyer and currently own a Coastal Pro 2 by British Hovercraft Company, has had an Air Commander 3, three Neoteric 65 hp craft including a rescue craft, and a Hoverstar I used for teaching kids how to fly on dry land here in the Bitterroot Valley. I live in Stevensville, Montana.
I have several friends who own Sev's so I thought it was time for me to give on a try. Did not plan on building one from the ground up, but here we are and it looks like a bit of good serious work, which will provide a good education to this old guy.
Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks for putting up with me. Feel free to call for a chat, 406-546-1102. I am usually up around and about 10-10 7/24.
By the way, if anyone has a nice little Scout for sale, less than 20 hp, I might be interested as I have a need for a craft 20 hp or less that is in good condition.
Jim Crews
New to the group, starting my first SevTec Build, Surveyor with 40hp
Re: New to the group, starting my first SevTec Build, Surveyor with 40hp
Welcome to Sevtec land 
Best bit of advice I could give is stick to the plans, except for one change if using a 40hp powerplant. If going for the bigger engine then it's a good idea to scale the Surveyor up from 7 foot wide to 7.5 ft wide and either 15 or 16 foot long. The scaled up version gives bigger air tanks, so offers more floatation in the area where the most weight is. There is plenty of advice on here regarding scaling up the Surveyor. The hull & skirt is scaled up by 1.0714285 to produce a hull 7.5ft x 15ft & you could if you wanted to add another 12" through the hull & skirt where all parts are straight to make a 16ft x 7.5ft Surveyor. The only part of the hull that is not scaled up is the lift duct, which remains the same.
Best bit of advice I could give is stick to the plans, except for one change if using a 40hp powerplant. If going for the bigger engine then it's a good idea to scale the Surveyor up from 7 foot wide to 7.5 ft wide and either 15 or 16 foot long. The scaled up version gives bigger air tanks, so offers more floatation in the area where the most weight is. There is plenty of advice on here regarding scaling up the Surveyor. The hull & skirt is scaled up by 1.0714285 to produce a hull 7.5ft x 15ft & you could if you wanted to add another 12" through the hull & skirt where all parts are straight to make a 16ft x 7.5ft Surveyor. The only part of the hull that is not scaled up is the lift duct, which remains the same.
Re: New to the group, starting my first SevTec Build, Surveyor with 40hp
what "river rules" do you have to contend with?