Boat Builder Central

For what it is worth, I purchased and installed a Suzuki DF30A on the FS17 I completed in 2016 and have been delighted with the performance. This is the max HP that includes remote with trim and tilt that I found available online. Delivery and installation was seamless and Suzuki's 6 year extended w...

I live in the NC Triad and while building my FS17 I bought all of my marine plywood at considerable savings from The Hardwood Store of North Carolina which is located in Gibsonville NC. Just google the name and their website should appear. Enjoy your build!

When building my FS17 I found that fabricating a prototype from cardboard was the most effective way to ensure that the center console met my needs for size and dimension as well as appearance. This is especially helpful when determining the location and size of casting platforms, fuel tank placemen...

As one who completed an FS17 last fall I totally agree with Tom. This is one fantastic skiff and I would not recommend any changes from the standard design. It's seaworthiness,overall handling and "look" in the water is exceptional.

I absolutely love this boat and will be more than happy to share my experience as I fine tune the engine position, prop and anything else that may be helpful to the future builders of the FS 17.

Thanks Tom for you helpful advice as I shop for an additional prop. The physics of your recommendation makes sense to me.

The prop that is on now came with the engine 10.5 X 12". Any help will certainly be appreciated.

Installed the new tach today and took her out to confirm that it was,in fact, the tach that had been giving me readings that made no sense based based on the way the engine was performing. My new Suzuki DF30A is rated at a max 6200 RPMS and with the boat fully loaded today with two adults and gear a...

It was the Tack. Reset Tack to the pole # that corresponds with the setting chart and WOW. Started engine and RPM went from 2000 to 8000 with acceleration and then off the dial. Ok, all I need to do now is adjust the setting and everything should be fine since I had been getting low readings and now...

Thanks again guys for your recommendations, I removed my Tack today and reread the installation instructions and realized that I used the number of poles that correspond to my engine alternator and set the dial accordingly which I thought would be 6. Unfortunately, that was way off and the correct d...