Bearcat power

[Helmar]

Steve, I know you had a bearcat on your Seafair Sedan but changed it out.
Was it not quite enough power to push up on plane or just not fast enough?

I might be able to do one last restoration and if I do, its Stringer, Floor, Transom, Cabin, and Bulkhead on the Dorsett Catalina that I got from Chuck. I mean she needs it all too.
The plan is that because she is a Short shaft hull is to change that back to being able take the long shaft.
The plan is to push it with the Bearcat engine.
Oh, and the rear splashwell tub, Way Too Big. I have looked it over and over and can see how to make it much smaller. Its like yours, so big you can set a lawn chair back there for a extra person to ride

Any one else power boats with the Bearcat only to find not enough power or speed ?
I don't need to be a hot rod (had that in the drag boat drinking days, no thanks, made it out alive!!) and all I care about is up on plane and maybe 15 or so mph...

[Super Sportster]

Is the Dorsett heavier than your Uniflite? Your Bearcat seemed to push the Uniflite quite well. So now you're going to set the Dorsett up for a longshaft? Hell I thought you were going to use these short shaft parts I have. Been doing so serious thinking about the short shaft engine I have here, maybe it needs to be on your Dorsett. I doubt I'll ever have a need for it.

[Helmar]

Is the Dorsett heavier than your Uniflite? Your Bearcat seemed to push the Uniflite quite well. So now you're going to set the Dorsett up for a longshaft? Hell I thought you were going to use these short shaft parts I have. Been doing so serious thinking about the short shaft engine I have here, maybe it needs to be on your Dorsett. I doubt I'll ever have a need for it.

That is what is needed on that boat too, short shaft... What do I do if I can't get those parts again.....That is the reason I though of going long shaft as parts are more plentiful.
You know, I don't know how much those weight. Never could get enough information to figure out what they were supposed to weigh.
One stupid thing on my part, I drove by the Scales on I-5 Several times and never drove in to compare, I mean whats with that...
It would be one way to know for sure..
I think its going to be a tad heavy as I don't have anything in the cabin of the Uniflite. Oh wait....I had tools, extra battery, extra anchors up there so, might be the same as the cushions....

I have been thinking about that foam board that John Nelson uses. You can bend that stuff around a gallon paint can, use the fiberglass resin on it and it will keep that shape. I am thinking of replacing the stringers with putting those right next to the plywood stringers...

On that short shaft......I will look and see if I can patch the Dorsett up for a few years. If I think I can get 5 years out of the stringers, I will put a floor over them.
I will have to cut the rear of the upper half off to get to the transom. Might look at the stringers at that time and see what can be done...

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I really want to get a school going on this restoration stuff or we are going to loose it.
They only teach the Wooden boat stuff, which I have learned but no one is doing the Glass boat restoration. I mean there is allot of things you have to make sure is OK before you start glassing things in.

[Helmar]

Oh. You can upload a better Avatar of your boat motor now. I think it will go up to 800 x 600 which you can really see the details.
Try it...

[Bflaherty]

I really want to get a school going on this restoration stuff or we are going to loose it.
They only teach the Wooden boat stuff, which I have learned but no one is doing the Glass boat restoration. I mean there is allot of things you have to make sure is OK before you start glassing things in.

Joe, that sounds like an awesome idea!! I have a buddy from ACBS that is currently restoring a 1967 Century Fibersport (basically Century's version of our Chris Craft but it has wood stringers, transom and deck, which are all rotten) and he has been talking about trying to document the whole process so it can be an educational tool to hopefully get more people in ACBS to start restoring the "plastic" boats as well as the woodies. Right now, most of the wood guys are scared of the thought of restoring a fiberglass boat because they don't understand fiberglass and how to work with it...

[Helmar]

Joe, that sounds like an awesome idea!! I have a buddy from ACBS that is currently restoring a 1967 Century Fibersport (basically Century's version of our Chris Craft but it has wood stringers, transom and deck, which are all rotten) and he has been talking about trying to document the whole process so it can be an educational tool to hopefully get more people in ACBS to start restoring the "plastic" boats as well as the woodies. Right now, most of the wood guys are scared of the thought of restoring a fiberglass boat because they don't understand fiberglass and how to work with it...

I have been in enough of them to get a good understanding of what failed and what needs to happen to keep them light in weight, strong for safety and structure.
Also with the new power, most of the weight can go forward to the balance point for better fuel economy to boot.
Got a good bead on this one