j-craft

[marco84]

Hi,
I have just bought a j-craft 17 " of 1979, I look for any information about this boat, which I am soon going to restore. manual, brochure, photo, technical characteristic...many thans

 

[southkogs]

Welcome aboard:

Just "Googlin'" 'em real quick looks like they were a Canadian Outboard Ski Boat. Cool lookin' hulls from what I could see.

Manual for the hull would probably be pretty worthless. Several photos on the web that I ran across, but I couldn't find any company history. What type of technical stuff do you want to know?

You're probably off looking through the restoration forums in gettin' an idea of what you're up against.

 

[marco84]

I look for the usual details, for weight of the hull to find the good trailer, the maximal motorization there to find the good engine there...
But also on this boat there is a small skittle and I wanted to know how to restore it effectively.
I am French I live in the South of France, and the searches are sometimes faster by asking the questions on the forums as this one.
If you have links about this boat I am interested
Thank you for your answers

 

[marco84]

The good translation would be aileron instead of skittle

 

[southkogs]

Your translator worked very well in your first post. I thought you spoke English

Do a search for the name John Spaeth. I believe that he used to be the builder of those boats. There is another builder called J-Craft in Stockholm, but I do not think that is the one you are looking for.

Information on fixing the hull can be found searching in THIS forum.

I'm not sure about max horsepower or weight for that boat. I could only guess.

 

[marco84]

Are there other boats possessing skittles? I would want to have more information on the subject. Thank you

 

[southkogs]

I'm not sure what you're describing with the word "skittle" - I'm thinking perhaps you mean the paint style of the boat which probably has a metal flake look. You may also mean there is damage to the hull that needs to be repaired. Either could be answered in our restoration forums, I would suggest you post some pictures and ask in this forum : http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-repair-and-restoration/boat-restoration-building-and-hull-repair

 

[marco84]

No Title

I dont talk about paint style.
I talk about the aileron or skittle bellow the hull... thx

 

[southkogs]

Aha! A skeg - aileron now makes sense, but I can not figure out the term skittle.

The only boat that I can think of quickly that had skegs like that was the Supra Comp Ski boat, but I know others had them. The restoration forum will still be the best place to ask questions about it.

 

[skibrain]

A skeg or sometimes called "tracking fins" are pretty common on ski-focused boats. Inboard boats as well as older versions of those ski boat hulls running outboard motors. Their purpose is to give the boat better directional stability when towing a skier.

Hydrodyne
Correct Craft Ski nautique
Master craft
Malibu
Ski centurion
And many others

 

[bilge rat jim]

The skeg on the JCrafts served 2 purposes- tracking, as mentioned by Brain, and to assist in cornering. JCrafts are flatbottoms, and without the skeg, they drift severely when turning. I had a mid 70s Jboat with a 135 OMC, and even with the skeg, high speed cornering was sketchy at best. I tried adding another, smaller skeg just in front of the original to increase bite, properly installed and through-bolted, but it broke off the first hard turn. I never did replace it- just sold the boat and moved on. :lol:

 

[marco84]

Ok thank you so much. can you put this post to the good place ?

 

[marco84]

oh and there is no translation for "skeg" in french XD

 

[southkogs]

oh and there is no translation for "skeg" in french XD

I can imagine the translator was struggling with that ... it's also funny because a "skittle" here in America is a candy.

Ok thank you so much. can you put this post to the good place ?

It would probably be better for you to start a new topic in this forum: http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-repair-and-restoration/boat-restoration-building-and-hull-repair

Be very specific with your questions, and add some photographs of the parts you need to work on. That will help with the advice you receive.

 

[lovethoseJs]

If you require any information I may be able to assist as I own 3 of these boats currently 2 17 ft models and a 19 ft

 

[WIMUSKY]

If you require any information I may be able to assist as I own 3 of these boats currently 2 17 ft models and a 19 ft

Welcome to the forum. This thread is a year old and the OP hasn't been active since. Please refrain from digging up old threads......

Also, you may want to take a quick look at the forum rules.........Thanks....

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/forum-rules-and-guidelines/407734-forum-rules

WIMUSKY