1964 Dorsett Fleetwood performance expectation

AK64Dorsett

Recruit
Joined
Oct 20, 2014
Messages
2
Hello all,
I have been restoring a 17ft Dorsett Fleetwood. For now new floors, new foam, some minor work inside the cabin, new control cables for steering, shift/fuel. Engine, out-drive and prop are all solid. Chevy straight 6 hooked up to a Mercruiser out-drive. So far everything is coming together very nice. The question is what should this boat be capable of power wise? On the assumption that the engine/prop/drive drain have no issues should this boat jump up on plane and really fly across the water on a good day? Are these older boats more sluggish ? Were they build with enough power to get the job done? I have made one test drive and it did not plane very well at all, but without knowing what to expect I cannot pass much judgement. All of my past experience has come on 14-18 ft boats with outboards, and as this one is pretty old so are there few people to compare notes with. Any comment or pointers to more info on how to know Im getting all it has to offer would be appreciated.
dorsett.jpg
 

Chinewalker

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Aug 19, 2001
Messages
8,902
It should perform nicely, but likely won't be a rocket ship. Acceleration issues are often misattributed to various factors, when often the motor is not propped correctly. Take the time to get a propeller of correct diameter and pitch to allow the motor to peak within it's recommended RPM range.
 

robert graham

Admiral
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
6,908
I'd expect it's performance to be smooth, adequate and comfortable but no neck-snapping hole shots or screaming top end speeds.....should be a darn nice boat for doing what it was built to do....top speed in the 30MPH range and darn good cruising fuel efficiency compared to an outboard....
 
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