# Gheenoe LT 25 with Tunnel



## Viking1 (May 23, 2010)

This hull was the original LT 25 hull that was sent to the Coast Guard for certification testing. I am the third owner of it. The second owner was a fiberglass fabricator and he modified the boat with a open layout and a raised back deck. The other major modification that he made was adding a tunnel to the hull. I have owned the boat for 5 years and of the 4 watercraft that I own this one gets the most use. This boat has seen it all in Florida from fresh water lakes to offshore (on calm days).

The most unique part of this boat is the tunnel. After the tunnel was added the sitting draft increased by a quarter inch. I have never measured how shallow it will run but I have run next to other LT 25s without a tunnel and they were hitting bottom when I was not. My best guess on the draft of my boat would be around 5 inches. This boat also has a Bob's Trim & Tilt which helps in getting to the sweet spot of performance.

The other thing that I like about having a tunnel on this hull is that it helps in tracking when I am poling the boat.

This is what the tunnel on my LT 25 looks like:

























I love going on camping/fishing trips with this boat. One of my favorite trips was going from Everglades City to Flamingo on the Wilderness Waterway. Even with the boat fully loaded the boat had no trouble navigating shallow water found along the route. The most memorable part of the trip was going through the "Nightmare." The Nightmare is a very tight section of the Waterway where you will find yourself pulling your boat between and over mangroves and timing of the tide is critical in not getting stuck. This picture shows the boat loaded before the Wilderness Waterway trip.









The boat grounded at low tide at Hog Key on another camping trip. Here you can get a better idea of the interior layout of the boat.









Even in rough water this tunnel does a good job of feeding water to the prop so I don't get blow out. This video shows the performance of the boat on an offshore fishing trip when the water was not completely smooth.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

That trailer has seen better days, take a look at the leaf springs next time the boat is off, I just replaced mine - $70 for the springs and ~ $15 for the hardened steel hardware. The old springs crumbled as I took the u shaped bolt off... It was completely worth the $85


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## Viking1 (May 23, 2010)

yobata said:


> That trailer has seen better days, take a look at the leaf springs next time the boat is off, I just replaced mine - $70 for the springs and ~ $15 for the hardened steel hardware. The old springs crumbled as I took the u shaped bolt off... It was completely worth the $85


The trailer is a 10 year veteran and salt water has put a few wrinkles on its complexion.  Each year usually in February when we have our bad weather here in NE Fl I dedicate a weekend to trailer maintenance. This includes repacking or replacing the bearings. I use Bearing Buddies and usually I can get 4 years on a set of bearings on a trailer this size. Whenever I replace my springs I coat them with axle grease and I retreat 2 or 3 times a year. Putting the grease on helps keep the salt and air out that causes the springs to rust. My record for a set of springs was 15 years on one of my trailers using this method. Plus I always wash off the springs with fresh water at the end of each trip.


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Great write-up John !

I see my little "9.9" on the back of "Sofa King III" 
that is causing such a stir over on CG ...
LoL


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Very Nice! Enjoyed the video


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Viking1 said:


> The trailer is a 10 year veteran and salt water has put a few wrinkles on its complexion.  Each year usually in February when we have our bad weather here in NE Fl I dedicate to trailer maintenance. This includes repacking or replacing the bearings. I use Bearing Buddies and usually I can get 4 years on a set of bearings on a trailer this size. Whenever I replace my springs I coat them with axle grease and I retreat 2 or 3 times a year. Putting the grease on helps keep the salt and air out that causes the springs to rust. My record for a set of springs was 15 years on one of my trailers using this method. Plus I always wash off the springs with fresh water at the end of each trip.


Thanks for the tip!! I replaced my springs recently but have yet to get them close to salt water, so I will grease them up before hand. I suppose I can do the same with the hardware


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## Viking1 (May 23, 2010)

yobata said:


> Thanks for the tip!! I replaced my springs recently but have yet to get them close to salt water, so I will grease them up before hand. I suppose I can do the same with the hardware


I have not greased the hardware but you could. What I did on my other trailer was spray the hardware with galvanized spray paint once a year. Our local Ace hardware carried the paint. My hardware was already rusting when I got the trailer so I skipped painting on this trailer. Springs move so the rubbing will scrap off the paint. The hardware should not move so the paint should work and be cleaner than grease. Rinsing with fresh water after each trip helps a lot too in making a trailer last. If you don't shrink wrap your electrical connections by your lights put silicone on them to keep the water out. The final trailer tip I have to pass along from a friend is to put dielectric grease on the light bulb sockets and bulbs. This cuts down on corrosion and makes changing bulbs out easier. Don't use regular grease on electrical connections because it conducts electricity. Dielectric grease does not conduct electricity. One last warning don't get grease on the glass part of the bulb. If you have led lights you don't have to worry about greasing.


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