1977 Fiberform Sedan Bridge Specs?

I just purchased a 1977 Fiberform Sedan Bridge 28'. It has twin 351's in it one of which was rebuilt the other seems strong . My concern is that I don't know anything concerning the capacity of this craft nor the range of travel. For those that say run it till it stops no thanks I've been towed before when my fuel gauge failed on my Bayliner Victoria and it was not a nice bill. I know bayliner bought the company in 1983 but of course they have refused to acknowledge this or any information on the vessel. Google is just about as useful as Bayliner co was. I have even searched others for sale and they didn't reveal anything I didn't already know. I have read some of the forums here only to be led to members that were last active 6-8 years ago. Can anyone help?

 

There isn't really much to know, it's a boat, it has engines, the engines will have manuals, the rest of the mechanical pieces will either need replacing or fixing, but none are made by Fiberform, just more after market stuff. Fuel tanks should be inspected, you'll find out the capacity at that time, range will have more to do with the current motors, and if they're still original they'll need rebuilding, plus maybe upgrading.

All of the old records and specs on the boat are 40 years old and were on paper, and that's if they were ever written down in the first place, plus could change from day to day depending on what was available during that shift. Bayliner probably didn't get or want any of that old info, and wouldn't have kept it if they did get it.

What all this means is you'll just need to dive in and figure it all out on your own for the most part.

 

I gathered this already.......this isnt my first boat or cabin cruiser at that. As far as the mechanical side of it is concerned I have that covered. I simply posted this in hopes that someone that also HAD a fiberform like mine would have some information that I didn't. As far as the info from companies go yes I already figured out that they obviously didn't have nor want the information. Could it be possible some of this information is out there somewhere? Yes I most definitely think so I mean look at sea ray they still have brochures from the fricken early 60's for the consumer online! Not trying to be offensive but your response didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know nor instruct me to do something I am already going to do haha. On the other hand I do thank you for taking the time to provide your input.

 

I didn't mean to offend, but this question comes up often, and while people want to know things about their old boats, there just isn't much out there, and really, there just isn't much to know. Old fiberglass boats are all built about the same way, and everything other than the fiberglass was mostly third party off the shelf stuff. Once running you can figure out the range pretty fast, and if in doubt carry some extra fuel at first.

Have you checked to see if all the wood in the transom and other places is in good shape?

 

Ditto what has been said. The basic information about nearly a half a century old design, will be sketchy at best and will not include the information you need like actual, full up weight, CG, fuel consumption, etc. This said, estimates can be made from the engine(s) and her approximate weight, which will likely be about 3 tons, maybe a little more and her tankage.

The 351 is a common engine and given its configuration (induction, cam, HP/torque output, etc.) some assumptions can be made and with some rudimentary math, balanced out against her tankage (range). How big are the tank(s)? What year are the engines? I'll assume they're carbureted, likely with a MotorCraft 2150 or 4300. Typically these have an output in the 220 HP range, though can vary by manufacture and configuration (again; cam, timing, carberation, etc.), some as much as 260, while others as low as 200.

Does the engine(s) have a manufacture (Crusader, etc.) badge on it? How about an inspection plate that identifies the year, possibly output? Drive information, like year, make, model and gear ratio?

With most of this information in hand, you can deduct her top speed (to a degree), general fuel use at WOT and at cruise speeds, plus a few other things that are also available with empirical observation, though maybe not practical at the moment, (on the hard, not running, etc.)

 

https://www.boatexportusa.com/usa-b...83&length_min=26&length_max=30 &stock=&today=

one shows 75 gallon tanks
Are the tanks not open enough to measure the dimensions?

Re Range
Measure your deadrise and look through the net for equivalent powered boats with weight and deadrise. This will give you an indication of what mpg for your boat. Re the mpg,
if you have gps, set up a track, fill the boat with fuel take it for a couple hour run at your desired cruising speed, and refill,