Fletcher 199 bottom rear Chine removed

[Shelbysteve]

Ive only just noticed or should i say my brother pointed it out that the bottom chine at the rear has been removed on my fletcher 199. 4 foot to the rear has been removed and very professionally done.
My question is why modify it? is it to benefit waterskiing or using boat on lake, the boats history is that it spent 14 years on a loch in scotland.

[larby]

Not something I know a huge amount about but I believe it's done to help cornering. The same was done to my revenger (albeit badly).
Strakes are there to produce lift on the running surface to get the boat up out of the water but also add grip on corners. I believe removing these rear innermost ones allows the boat to 'slide' a bit more on corners, though I could be completely wrong. It could also be done to slightly reduce the amount of lift at high speed, keeping a touch more of the boat in the water to aid stability? As a ski boat, I guess this would also result in the boat staying in the water better and producing a flatter sea behind it?
I do know that a lot of more modern designs have no strakes here.

Hopefully Adam or Scand can chip in here and confirm if I'm full of rubbish!

Cheers, James

[Paul E]

The chines are the point where the 'v' section meets the side of the hull. I think you're referring to the strakes, also known as spray rails sometimes. Quite a lot of hulls have one or more of these stop before the transom, could have been from the factory like this?

[Shelbysteve]

Cheers Guys! ill up load a picture shortly. The 199s Have a very narrow hull and at speed they do chine ride and that theory you have james of having more hull in the water has stablized this 199 i have. I say this because i shared another 199 with my bro with that has them all the way to the back and the boat at speed can be a handfull at speed.

[silomon]

My information is that the 199 has two different versions of the hull.

1. generation: rails all the way to the transom, about 380 kgs hull weight.
2. generation: Slight rocker added to starbord, inner rails stops before the
transom, about 420 - 460 kgs hull weight.

regards
Andi

[Shelbysteve]

Hi Andi Is this andi from the german fletcher site. Ive heard you mention this before but it didnt sink in untill this year! Can you explain to me what the added rocker to starboard is please.

[Fletcher-Andi]

Hi!

In 1987 the hull desgin changed, the 199s after 1987 have no inner rails to the transom.

BR
Andi

[russ williams]

Originally Posted by Paul E

The chines are the point where the 'v' section meets the side of the hull. I think you're referring to the strakes, also known as spray rails sometimes. Quite a lot of hulls have one or more of these stop before the transom, could have been from the factory like this?

hi paul some info for you strakes are the timber planking used to form the skin on a traditional wooden hull first plank layed to keel is known as the garboad strake and last plank layed would be known as the sheer strake spray rails are spray rails and you are bang on with the chine where bottomsides meet topsides

russ

[Paul E]

Thanks Russ! I've definitely heard spray rails called strakes before, no doubt as a throwback to the days when overlapping planks created similar lines. Always good to learn something new