Fletcher Identification and Recommendations?

Hey folks,

Just spent a few hours scouring these forums and you seem like a very well informed bunch. Friend of mine just bought himself a Fletcher, he thinks it's an "Arrow". It's 14". Here's a picture:



As you can see, it looks to be in good condition, but has no windshield. So, my questions are:

• When was this boat made?
• Can we get a windshield anywhere?
• Can we get spare parts anywhere?
• Is there anything that might particularly need attention before it gets launched?
• If you'd just bought this, what would you do with it first?

Many thanks in advance for any help or advice you can offer.

Re: Fletcher Identification and Recommendations?

If you're in an area where it's not frozen, get a pair of muffs, some fresh fuel mix, and see what the outboard does. You may also need to charge the battery or get a new one if the old one won't take a charge. If there are problems, make necessary repairs. Unless you have a receipt showing that the impeller was changed in the last two years, you'll need to perform that maintenance. Drain and check the lower unit oil for water intrusion, and, if OK, refill with fresh oil and use new drain plug washers or o-rings.

Assuming the outboard runs fine, check the boat over carefully. Inspect the floors and transom for evidence of rot. Soft floors are a sign that you may have waterlogged foam and rot under them. Lock the outboard in the up position and put your weight on it. The transom should not flex at all. Then, take a rubber mallet and whack the transom from the outside. You should get a sharp rapping sound everywhere. A dull thud may indicate a rotten transom, which must be repaired.

Examine the entire hull for cracks, holes, spiderweb cracks, etc. Repair whatever you find.

Once all this stuff is cleared, take it to your lake and launch it and go for a ride. Note any performance problems with the engine. Check the bilge for water that has leaked into the boat. If all that's OK, polish up the boat and enjoy your boating season.

BTW, that's a nice-looking little boat. It oughta fly!

I don't know about the windshield. It doesn't look like it ever had one.

Re: Fletcher Identification and Recommendations?

ive just bought a fletcher arrow looks very simular to his apart from the rash top

you got any more pics of it?