Sea Sled madness. It’s in my brain.

Here's hoping that's the end of your moisture struggles!

 

Fingers crossed. Months lost.

 

Superstructure. 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. Like dancing but with less expensive shoes.

 

Hi Dog Cavalry - Built two inverted vees (19' and 27' in the 1990s. Have some Hickman materials and some pics/videos of my boats. Email me at airflite44@aol.com for details if you like. Air Flite

 

Jiminy crickets! You bet I will!

 

Air Flite, could you possibly post some photos / videos of your boats on here please?
I am sure that we would all be very keen on seeing them.
Or, you could start a new thread if you think it might hijack DC's thread?

 

I've got the first of Air Flites generous gifts. If he has no objections, it would be worthwhile to start a thread for sea sleds. There's enough significant history there to justify it's own category.

 

I've asked the moderator. It's a big ask, to put a new category between powerboats and multihulls. So probably not. But maybe.

 

​

The Air Ride 188 was a highly modified Hickman 20', original plans from Mystic Seaport. The Air Flite 270 was our design . The 188 had a top end of 54 mph with an old 185 HP Johnson and the 270 hit 56 MPH at a total weight of 8000 lbs with new twin 225 HP Mercurys, spinning 15.75"/19" 4 bladed props.

 

So what was the result, Air Flite, of all this work ? Did anyone take up the idea as a production boat ?

 

No - The final modifications to the 188 made it a great little boat. Then my engineer and I made some assumptive changes to the 270 that turned out to be counter productive. So while we had a good, visually attractive, boat on our hands. it wasn't ready for prime time . We had also finished off the 270 to a fairly high level for marketing purposes and for me to use as a personal boat (marine a/c, etc.), so that added to expenditures.

I was funding the project myself and taking about 3 days a week away from my real estate brokerage to perform semi-skilled labor on her. Outside of some temporary labor, the bulk of the building was totally handled by my engineer, who was multi-talented but up in age. In consideration of a third prototype, there were several logistical/administrative issues to be solved. My engineer did not want to do much physical labor, especially in the warmer months. I could not continue to be away from my business nearly as much. And, to greatly improve the speed and productivity of the design process, I wanted to switch from hand drawn prints to CAD and he did not. So the cost of a third prototype was going to be quite a bit higher and we were at an impasse regarding the CAD issue.

Then I had some issues pop up in my personal life. In 1999 I sold my business and moved from a waterfront home in Punta Gorda on Florida's Gulf Coast to a wooded location in St. Augustine in NE Florida.
The 270 went to a charity boat auction and the 188 was gifted. I also sold a 34' sedan flybridge and have not boated since. Bottom line, the finish was in sight, but right or wrong, I didn't stick it out. Why am I coming out of the woodwork now? I'm not well and would hate to see the record of our experience go to waste. I'm looking for a financially capable, sincere, motivated player to pick-up where we left off. I've got a serious job ahead, I have to find and choose the right person to accept the gift of these materials.

 

Sorry about your health issues, hope there is light at the end of the tunnel there. How would you describe the ride of these boats in rough water. it is widely regarded as the snag ?

 

Parkkinson's Dis ase....ttoo toughh to type nnoew - finiash laterr..

 

Air Flite
I am sorry to hear about your health issues and wish you well.
I have gotten to know DogCavalry ( aka John ) since the start of this thread.
If there is one guy who is dedicated to Sea Sleds, it is him.
I would not hesitate to recommend him as the recipient of your valuable material.
However, that is something you and he should work out.
Godspeed Air Flite.

 

The 270 had a lot of power and went fast. How'd she do on fuel and what was the speed over the hump? I have this vision of 15mph and 1 gallon per mile, bit want to be wrong.