FALCON - A 14ft Mahogany Jet Boat

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by nbehlman, Sep 8, 2019.

  1. nbehlman
    Joined: Aug 2011
    Posts: 63
    Likes: 3, Points: 8, Legacy Rep: 50
    Location: CT

    nbehlman Junior Member

    I have posted here on and off for the last several years over the course of this project. I never made a proper build thread, and I figured I should leave one here. I designed this boat to look like a 19ft 1936 Chris Craft special race boat (the painted ones) but I went down to 14ft. I was not able to get plans or offsets for the Chris Craft - not even the Mariner's Museum had them - so I did my best to approximate on my own. I used an old jet ski for propulsion so I could operate in shallow water without an outboard compromising the aesthetic. It does 35mph with two adults aboard. It's pretty fun ripping through shallow water at 30+ mph. I'm very pleased with the jet. Still needs a windshield, some detailing of the jet pump, and interior trimmings. It's in service though, and captain and crew are enjoying the ride.

    Take a look at this photo album: FALCON - A Custom Mahogany Jet Boat https://imgur.com/gallery/B7iV3cZ

    IMG_6510.jpeg

    Videos...
    Getting the boat out of the basement:

    Sea Trials #1 (1st launch):

    Sea Trials Day 2 (bugs worked out):

    Sea Trials Day 4 (slow motion of wake):
     
    alan craig likes this.
  2. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Impressive piece of work ! Have you had occasion to run across a few boat wakes, to see if she stays on course ?
     
  3. messabout
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    Location: Lakeland Fl USA

    messabout Senior Member

    That is a most impressive looking boat. It looks, sure enough, like a mini Chris-Century-Riva.
     
  4. nbehlman
    Joined: Aug 2011
    Posts: 63
    Likes: 3, Points: 8, Legacy Rep: 50
    Location: CT

    nbehlman Junior Member

    It goes over wakes pretty well around 15 mph. If I get going much faster, it’s leveled off too much and just slams. I don’t expect much from a 14ft boat. Just about everything else on the water is bigger.
     
  5. djamson
    Joined: Jun 2019
    Posts: 12
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Fl

    djamson Junior Member

    You did an awesome job. That's a nice looking boat!
     

  6. Ike
    Joined: Apr 2006
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    Location: Washington

    Ike Senior Member

    Very nice looking boat. Looks a lot like a model of a Chris Craft I built of a 1949 19 foot runabout. I think putting a jet in it was brilliant.
     
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