FS18 on the double!

[lelandtampa]

No offense but it just looks odd seeing a flats boat and a pickup truck in Castle cooooom. That boat is a knockout.

[Jacky Chan]

Thanks Leland! Its a good point

Plenty of pickups round here but I doubt many flats boats have come within a 100mile radius, maybe some wildfowler's on the River Severn with a 50mm punt gun!

Flats boats don't seem to have really caught on in the whole of Europe for some reason TBH - we might not have flats like Florida and the caribbean, but estuaries provide shelter for fish and fishermen alike - plenty of sport on offer! I'm just waiting for global warming to bring all the GTs and mahi mahi in too

[Jacky Chan]

Good news, dear reader - after 7 months of messing about, Sweet Chariot has passed the float test!!

I was racking my brains as to what I had forgotten to do - transom drain plug, all straps removed etc, until there really was nothing for it but to reverse down that ramp and find out once and for all! To be honest I couldn't quite believe it as she gently slid over towards the side to get tied up - I was waiting for the bubbles/explosion/shark attack to happen!

Such an amazing feeling, must be right up there with childbirth for women, only a lot less painful haha.

I have to doff my cap again to the designers, as she really does perform beautifully on the water - handling some chop without any fuss, gliding around swan-like when its really glassy. I was having an absolute ball standing up holding the post (glad I put that in as I am a lanky git) and putting in some fast turns - i really am so grateful to everyone at Boat Builder Central for offering the design so affordably and everyone who has been so generous with the tips on this forum! It really is an amazing combination.

We went on a family trip the next day and the fish finder worked wonders in finding some shoals of baitfish getting hammered by mackerel - my 3yo son managed to "catch" his first fish, closely followed by my 1yo daughter taking her first steps!! She was obviously waiting for the boat to be ready - walking on land is lame haha

Went back and scoffed the mackerel to cap off undoubtedly one of the best days of my life, all thanks to this little boat!

The next day I had a go at standing on the platform, which actually felt surprisingly stable - much easier than a paddle board, and with a slower, steadier tip, if you tried to tip it. I just need to get myself a pole in time for the bass, mullet, bream etc to come into the estuary (the closest thing to a 'flat' around here, with plenty of untapped sport). I get the impression that a longer pole is the way to go as we have a lot of tide here and the bottom is muddy in places, maybe 20-22ft? Anyone got any recommendations? It will have to be shipped form America as for some reason this sort of fishing hasn't caught on yet here!

Anyway here are some pics, I'll keep them coming as more species get caught and the sun starts coming out!

[Jeff]

Congrats JC!!! Glad to see her in the water!!! Jeff

[Reid]

Jacky Chan,

Congrats on the completion of the FS18! She looks great! You also took some really nice pictures of the boat on the water. We will definitely add these photos to the FS18 gallery on our website.
Any idea what kind of speeds you were seeing with the 20HP Tohatsu?

Congrats again and I hope you enjoy it!!!
-Reid

[Dougster]

She's a stand out! Just can't beat that feeling, launching a boat you made yourself.

Dougster

[Fuzz]

Outstanding all the way around.

[cape man]

Beautiful! Nice job!

[Jacky Chan]

Cheers you guys for the kind comments!

Reid yes I do, the FF has a speedo that was clocking 21 knots but that was still rising when I eased off - it’s a new motor and the chap said not to go over 2/3rds throttle for long until it’s gone for 20hours to bed the engine in. I’ll do a proper speed check once she’s ready to rock and let you know.

To be honest 21kts felt pretty rapid at the time! That said, it would be rude not to find a bit of a tailwind and see if we can’t hit 30!

Well-chuffed to make the gallery!

[Crystal Craft]

Wow! What a boat! A great story and beautiful photos!
Enjoyed it with you very much. Thank you for sharing these moments! Wow!

Crystal Craft
NW Michigan
Overcast/10 in snow covers ground/33 degrees