TOPIC: My FLeetcraft Finished and launched

Finally completed the Fleetcraft!!

All wood was replaced except the seats and top deck.

I put a new Merc on the boat as I just mated to be able to start it and drive it... without having to doink around with an old motor.

Outstanding work ! Absolutely beautiful !!!!
I'm sure you will get stopped a lot to talk about it !

Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob

Very nice work. Strangely enough, my Fleetcraft was just the opposite and I only replaced the deck. I am impressed because I know just how much wood is in these things. You asked in a PM about the Fleetcraft boat company. If you have not seen it, check out this link in Library additions. I was hoping the moderator would put some of the earlier brochures I sent into the library, but it is there in the pre-library archive. the brochures I sent that are about your boats era are in the Glassics library already.

www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/home/library-additions/fleetcraft-boats-3#120101

Please fill in any details and post more pictures of before and after. Perhaps I can help point out any differences or similarities to mine. I know of two other ones belonging to regular contributors, and have seen or heard of a couple of others finned Fleetcraft, but they are sure not common.

You will love the boat, and the new outboard size is perfect. I hope you added flotation, mine had none, and no splash well.

Ron

LOOKS very good, Mine is done except the deck striping and I farmed it out to a guy smarter than me,,told him no rush,,wrong, some day enjoy it Bill

Fabulous looking boat just in time to enjoy the summer.

Looks like she and the kids are ready to go!!
Post more pics when you splash her.
Very nice.

Ron

As you seem to know things....

I have an issue with water pouring over the transom when the boat is at any real speed. I have not looked closely at it yet. Have you had any issues like this.

also I built a new wood floor upfront and cut it to store the battery. This little boat is way to tail heavy, Just about sank when the 4th person stepped in... Battery up front helps

Is it possible to angle the engine sharper (toward the transom) so that the prop gives a slight upward thrust? Worth a try?

thepogopapers wrote:

Ron

As you seem to know things....

I have an issue with water pouring over the transom when the boat is at any real speed. I have not looked closely at it yet. Have you had any issues like this.

also I built a new wood floor upfront and cut it to store the battery. This little boat is way to tail heavy, Just about sank when the 4th person stepped in... Battery up front helps

Issues:

First ride: The boat is very tail heavy. I have moved the battery to the front just ahead of the foot rest. ( kept to original floor piece and made a custom floor with battery compartment)

The ride is very harsh in any kind of chop. I think it's the nature of light, thin glass hulls...

Stability. This is not a stable boat right now. I do not have a lot of experience with little outboards, At speed when I turned, the boat went into a back and forth wip. Yanked the power and she straightened out. Could the steering cables be too loose?
The stability issue is significant and potentially very dangerous, any help here would be greatly appreciated.


Water: at moderate or faster straight line cruising, water
"flows" over the transom. It's splashing from the lower engine shaft. Is the motor too low in the water? It is a short shaft Merc 40. It may be trimmed a bit nose down. any ideas would be appreciated.
I am get back there a fabricate some sort of baffle if there are no other solution.

Thanks in advance to all.

I included your text from the other forum so I can get it all together here. Anyway, I know what you mean by tail heavy. My uncle put a fat fifty on it and sitting at rest it had about 2-3 inches of freeboard at the transom cutout. If he parked it at his dock tail out and there was any wave action the boat would fill up. It was like this for the many years he had it and for most of the time I have had it. Still, he used it every summer weekend pulling skiers, (up to 5!) and never had any serious problem while it was underway, and at speed it would not ship any water that I remember or have experienced unless it came to a sudden stop, when a little might come in over the transom. we did not have many rear passengers, mostly. One thing different with mine is that I have a rear deck and it covers most of the transom except for a smaller motor cutout. That probably makes a difference, and if you are handy with wood (as you seem to be), you might want to copy that. I always wanted to fabricate a splash well, but never did. My long ago conversation with the designer/builder and owner of Fleetcraft indicated that the boat was designed with a bias of bouyancy to the bow, so that passengers could be up front and dry. He said the boat was designed for the then popular Mercury 20-30-40 HP motors, and they do not weigh much. That, plus the poor condition of the Evinrude fifty on mine, is why I am going with a smaller and lighter Mark 55 40 horse. I also kept the two tanks of gas necessary to keep up with the thirsty fifty up front, though the battery box was in the rear.

I never had any stability problem and the boat rode straight and true and was not scary in turns. All the time it has been in the family we never had any mishaps and sometimes when my uncle owned it it was driven by sub teenagers who liked to show off...(me and my brother). Do you have springs on the cables? Mine did have a wicked torque steer due to the feedback from the big prop and the cable system. You did not want to let go. A NFB system would be nice but the original steering is just too cool to change for me, and we will see what the smaller OB does when I get it in the water again. What does your OB weigh and how much gas are you carrying in the back? My Evinrude fifty weighed 230 or so, so if your 40 is close to that, you are going to see the same type of freeboard problem.

The thin 'glas hull was prone to bang and pound in wakes and chop. I am attempting to make this less this time around by bonding the interior and exterior keels, wood stringers and keelson to the hull with 3M 4200. When I did it last time I only sealed these junctions at the fastener locations and the hull would flex and bang against the wood in between these locations when I hit a wave. Another factor of course is the hull design is pretty flat and broad at the bow and it will pound more than what people who have only ridden in more modern semi-V hulls will appreciate. Again, the designer built it for most weight up front and the ability to ride over big waves in New Jersey ocean water.

I think you will find the solutions, and if you want a few pictures of the rear deck I'll trade them for what ideas you come up with if you do a splash well.

BTW, love the car project. My first vehicle was a '59 Austin Healey 100-6. It kind of reminds me of that.

Ron

Thanks Ron

According to Mercury to engine weighs 250lbs.

The Battery move seams to have helped I may move the gas tank up there as well.

I will take a hard look at the transom and possible splash guard ideas next weekend.

As to building the rear deck.... I looked at that online a few years ago, it was probably a picture of your boat. I am done with this project.... I love the rear deck but for right now I have mentally checked out.... Gotta get the Sabre built.

I'll post a bunch of images and ideas in a few weeks.