TOPIC: Maiden voyage

Been meaning to post this for 2 weeks, but just haven't had the time. I finally got the 1960 Reinell Jetflite out to run under it's own power on June 11th. I have owned the boat for just under a year now. I forced myself to not fiddle around with the boat so it could remain as original as possible. It came fitted with a 75 horse Johnson that looked ungly and out of place on the boat. That motor got fired. I then dropped a nice 1963 Merc 650 on the boat just to see how it looked. Nice but just a bit out of place being an all black motor. I then found a 1961 Starflite III in very nice unrestored condition.. price: free. I knew this was the motor for the boat instantly when it was place on the transom.

I then spent a couple weeks doing a couple tweeks to the engine to make it perform a little better (Pertronix 50K volt coil, reeds & transfer port covers from a Starflite 100. I had to reinforce the rotted transom with polyester whool & poly resin that I cooked up myself. Stuff seems to work great.

Dropped the boat into the lake, hit the key & she instantly started. The last time she was on the water under her own power was 1987. Tried the shifting & throttle, all OK. Idled out past the no wake zone. I have a 2 blade speed prop on the boat that has a very steep pitch. Boat goes about 7-8 mph at idle!

I put it up on plane & checked the steering for a moment, got a feel for the boat & then buried the throttle. What a thrill. The faster the boat goes, the flatter it rides. Turns hard enough to break your neck. At 42 mph you can take your hands off the wheel & she stays dead on course. No torque steer at all, and that's with cable & pully steering. Engine is slightly over proped, only turning about 4,000 rpm at full speed. It loafs along at about 2,800rpm at 30mph. I don't care what anyone says, there is no substitute for cubic inches! That long bow rides nice in chop & boat is the most stable fiberglass classic I've ever owned. Makes a G3 and AM stardust feel like toys. Boy am I lucky! I'll never sell this one.

A boat dock with shade!? You ARE a lucky man. LOL What's the red bag hanging off the transom in the dock pic, BG? Glad it all went well, BTW.

just a float cushion - I like them for boats with short gunwalls better than bumpers

Those Reinell's are really sharp. Nice boat Bruce.

I like pictures of boats going rel fast Bruce. Post some pictures of her going real fast!!!!!!!! Man what a boat.

If you won't sell, please will it to me. I'm still young.
Seriously, you picked the right motor.
Very nice set up.

Boy, looks great Bruce, and what a deal, performing so well first time out. My experience has been somewhat different with my Power Cat... Still working on it.

Yeah, let's see some video!

Frank

Thanks everyone - I have to ask others from my shasta campout for some pix or video of her at speed. I may have to take it out to get some, since those of us at Shasta driving 40mph plus boats forgot to take photos. We were too busy having fun, and the slow boats couldn't keep up to get any shots. I'm shooting for this weekend to put it back in the water. I will have video of it.


Hey Frank - most of my 1st voyages in old glassics have been less than stellar. Often, the boat is a horrible performer, or there is a serious break down. I had mentally prepared for this boat to ride and perform like crap. When it turned out to be a hotdog, I was elated. What made it even better, is that I didn't restore the boat. When you restore a boat that you have never had on the water, you are sort of taking a crapshot at luck. It's so frustrating to spend hundreds of hours restoring something, only to find out that it's a poor performer. This is why I encourage everyone to research a boat & find one that you can drive - before taking the plunge in restoring it. Even patch one together to try it out before putting a lot of money and time into it.

The Reinell seriously needs a transom, but I didn't want to touch it 'till i knew if I wanted to keep the boat. that's why I decided to do a "repair" on the transom just to get a feel for the boat. Sure glad I did - because now I'm motivated to give here the resto she deserves.

That is my kind of Boat!!! what a beauty!!!

LOL! Like I wasn't nervous enough on getting the Missile AND the Power Cat 18DC wet shortly. Now I've got the jitters!

that boat looks great with that motor on it,i am also putting on an evinrude 63 starflite v,selectric shift,so if you have any info on yours i would love to know,i think they are a great looking motor,and your boat is a real head turner.