TOPIC: Officially becoming a Glassic!

So, I had been speaking to a gentleman in Idaho for the past 5 months regarding a 1963 Aristocraft Funliner that appears in pristine condition. Unfortunately, after all the hurdles of buying it site unseen, transporting it here, storage and not having a tow vehicle, I decided to move on.

THEN----I went to the awesome Fall Classic Cruise that Eduardo of Golden State Glassics planned and it reignited my fortitude to tackle the hurdles of becoming a boat owner. I contacted the gentleman in Idaho again and lo and behold, he still had the boat.

I purchased the boat and am in the process of finalizing transportation plans. Hopefully, by Thanksgiving it will be in my garage.

I'm hopeful that the 1966 Johnson 100 HP Golden Meteor will be easy to get going. It was last fogged when they put it away 5 years ago.

Today, I traded in my old SUV for a new SUV that will have towing capacity.

Thanks again for everyone's kindness and support! Especially thanks to Fiberglassic member Jim Lowe who posted the CL listing all the months back!

Sincerely,
David

P.S. I know nothing about engines, so I am sure I will be seeking advice often!

Hi David,

Welcome, nice looking rig. Before you try to start your Johnson post here and I or someone else can walk you through do's and don'ts. There are many helpful people here.

Post more pics when you get a chance, Gene

Glad I was able to help you out,David. I think you will enjoy the boat.

Excellent David, as we discussed Wednesday on the chat, those motors aren't that hard to work on. When you ready to fire it up as Gene said, let us know and we can walk you through what to do and check, congrats!

Bob

Most excellent choice in motors.
Being a 100hp Golden Meteor owner myself I can vouch for the dependability. The 1967 I have was first gen CDI ignition and not reliable. Converted it to a point/coil setup scavenaged from a 1966 Meteor. Bruce on this site is the go-to guru and can help in all possible ways.
Hope things work out for you.

Thanks for everyone's help. I appreciate it. I also have heard that Bruce is only about 4 hours from me. So at least if things get horrendous, I can probably pay him to solve my problems. HAHAHA!

David, I think you made the right decision. David and I have been in communication the last couple of weeks and during the Fall Glassics Cruise last weekend. And from his description of this boat and pictures that he had shared with me, she looks pretty darn good. Really good matter of fact. And if it's any indication of how Jim L's Aritocraft runs on the water with that Meteor, you will be flying right by our little twin motors. You will also love the extra room of this 17' glassic. I hope everything works out; we look forward to seeing her in person. Nice Holsclaw trailer too David.

Eduardo

Thanks Eduardo. Your experience and insight certainly helped to give me the confidence to pull the trigger.

I already have 1 question.

This boat is being brought atop a small flatbed trailer. There isn't a transom saver. Which is the least amount of stress on the transom to go the 700 miles?

1. Motor in upright position?
2. Motor in down position(water)?
3. A more intelligent answer from of one of you that knows better.


Thanks,
David

David,IMHO as long as there is good clearance between the skeg and the trailer bed, I'd haul it with the motor in the down position. I'd be more worried about the motor falling down from the raised position from hitting a bump in the road than there being too much stress on the transom in lower position. I can stand on the back of my engine's lower unit and bounce up and down with no issues.

Ditto,...motor down position. I would also take a rope and tie the lower unit to the trailer. Somehow rope the lower unit to the back cross member of the trailer. Even in the down position there is some bounce.

Eduardo wrote:

David, I think you made the right decision. David and I have been in communication the last couple of weeks and during the Fall Glassics Cruise last weekend. And from his description of this boat and pictures that he had shared with me, she looks pretty darn good. Really good matter of fact. And if it's any indication of how Jim L's Aritocraft runs on the water with that Meteor, you will be flying right by our little twin motors. You will also love the extra room of this 17' glassic. I hope everything works out; we look forward to seeing her in person. Nice Holsclaw trailer too David.

Eduardo

That's what I'm thinking ,Eduardo. If a 75hp with a 10 x12 prop will push mine 36 mph with just me in it, David's 100 should push his 43-45 mph?? These old boats were called 17s,but actually measure 16' straight down the middle from bow tip to stern.One thing that helps in the room department is the wide passenger area.

Jim- I'm just hoping to get it running. If I see 40mph I will be ecstatic!

Thanks,
David

David,
Welcome to the Funliner owners club! Looks like a nice one you got there. I have a Mercury 65 on mine and I'm lucky if I make it to 25mph. However, these boats don't need to go fast to get attention. Congrats on your purchase.
-Brian

Thanks, I can't wait to get it. Figuring out the transporting from Idaho has been a challenge. Hopefully I'll have that solved by this weekend.

I tried U-ship , got a couple hits. I googled there name then delth with them direct. I shipped from Utah to Nebraska took 4 days was in the driveway. cut out the middle man saved $600. good luck

when I was running mine, I only had a Gale 40hp on it and it was still pretty fun - they only weigh around 500 lbs, so they can get going quickly.

One thing I noticed is that it ran way better with 2 guys up front as opposed to me alone, so I put my 2 6 gal tanks under the bow and wow, what a difference. I imagine it will fly with 100hp!

I did the opposite putting my batteries up front and 2 6-gal tanks under the rear seats, but same weight distribution. I'm also running a dole-fin on the motor which helps a lot in my opinion. On plane the hull hits the water just behind the front seats and the ride is super smooth, even in semi-chop.

Two 6 gal tanks,one battery under motor well. Six life jackets,2 square throw cushions and two 24" fenders under front deck and a Tupperware box with a couple spare props, small toolbox etc under driver seat and an anchor under the passenger seat with a paddle laying beside the passenger seat. It balances pretty good with my wife and I in the boat.