Any advice please?

W

Whitee78

New Member
Joined
26 Dec 2019
Messages
3
Location
Bedford
Visit site
Hello all. I am a complete newbie and novice to boating. This Christmas some incredibly kind neighbours have given us a Fletcher Arrow boat (17ft) with a trailer for my son and I to to do up. The inboard engine has been removed and I have no idea what to replace it with. Once we have got all of the work done, we'd like to use it for river trips and possibly a few jaunts out of Brightlingsea to Clacton to fish, but within a mile of the shore.
Could any of you offer any advice which might help us get started? What would be a suitable engine? Should we convert it to an outboard? Etc....
Many thanks in advance.
 
Welcome to the Forum Whitee - that is a nice Christmas present for sure! However be aware that the cost of getting her on the water could still prove to be rather expensive, re sourcing and installing a suitable propulsion system.

Re how the inboard engine has been removed, is the outdrive propulsion leg missing as well?
If it is, you could see if you can buy a suitable second hand inboard petrol engine and outdrive leg, however this could be rather expensive.
'Here is a Fletcher Arrow with a Mercruiser 4.3 litre V-6 inboard engine and outdrive leg for sale for GBP 5,750.
1998 Fletcher 19GTS Arrowhawk Power New and Used Boats for Sale
However she seems to be a bit bigger than your boat.

Here is a reconditioned Mercruiser 4.3L engine for GBP 1,850 - but you would still need an outdrive leg.
MERCRUISER 4.3 V6 MARINE ENGINE FACTORY RECON LONG MOTOR | eBay
A new engine (without a leg) is almost GBP 4,000 -
New 4.3L V6 Marine Engine, Repower Mercruiser, Volvo Penta, OMC | eBay

Lots of bits of legs mentioned for sale here - would yourselves be able to put one together?
Products | pricecat

Here is a 17' Fletcher for sale for GBP 4,950 - she has a 140 hp Suzuki outboard motor.
1984 Fletcher 17 Power New and Used Boats for Sale - www.yachtworld.co.uk

It would be a big job to convert your boat into one with an outboard well like the boat in the link above - if you did decide on an O/B motor, it might be easier to fit the engine on to a bracket bolted to the transom. The transom would probably have to be beefed up a fair bit for this though.
 
Thank you very much for your help. It still has the outdrive leg attached with the prop etc. I have to admit to being a little alarmed at the potential prices. I had allowed around £1500 for a new engine but that now seems very unrealistic. As I said, I know very little about boats but I'm very quickly realising that we may have been given a poisoned chalice as a restoration will likely cost a lot of money given that I need to build a new interior etc.
 
I would think you are correct. Engines are expensive. If second hand do they run and what accessories are they missing? Once it runs is the out drive Ok? Do the instruments work , throttle cables etc.
Boats without engines rarely make viable restoration projects unless money is no object
 
There is a Fletcher group on Facebook which is a good source of information.

If you have little knowledge of boats then you should discreetly dispose of your "present" and look for a working boat ready to do some boating.....

You are buying an engine attached to a hull and as you don't have an engine then there is a problem!!

Look on eBay, boats and outboards and your local boatyard for inspiration. Good luck.
 
I think it likely had a 3.0 or 3.7 in her, being the 17ft model.
most simple replacement would be putting a 3.0 mercruiser back in with alpha drive. You’d do well to get both in any good condition for £1500 I’d think.
anything else like a 4.3 etc etc and you will need new engine mounts glasses in and all that goes with.
outboard conversion isn’t possible but will be expensive done right. Never mind the cost of a good outboard. You’d be well over budget at that.
Amateur attempts at outboard conversions rarely end well. There is a science behind these things with height alignment etc. Not to mention how ugly it will make her, in my opinion.
good luck all the same and love to hear how you get on. Big fletcher fan.
 
Boat restoration is a bit like gambling - once you get in to it, you can't stop.
Not necessarily because it is addictive, or that you are enjoying it immensely - rather, by the time you realise that it will probably cost 2 or 3 times your initial estimate to complete the job, you are too far in to the project
And it will effectively still be worth not much more then compared to when you started.
And you do not want to 'lose face', so you keep going.

I have seen some people who have achieved fine restorations, but at huge (relatively) cost - and they admit that if they had known beforehand that it would have cost that much, they would have simply gone and bought a boat in 'sailaway' condition instead.
They thought they could save money by doing a restoration instead :)
I have also seen various restorations that have been abandoned halfway through, and then the owners had to sell (or even give away) the boats.
I have a friend who used to earn a decent living in the Caribbean by buying project boats, doing them up and then selling them on - but he stopped doing this almost 20 years ago when he realised that it just was not economic anymore for him to do this. Unless he was happy with his labour being effectively charged out at 50 p an hour (or less).....
 
Last edited:
Whitee78 said:
Thank you very much for your help. It still has the outdrive leg attached with the prop etc. I have to admit to being a little alarmed at the potential prices. I had allowed around £1500 for a new engine but that now seems very unrealistic. As I said, I know very little about boats but I'm very quickly realising that we may have been given a poisoned chalice as a restoration will likely cost a lot of money given that I need to build a new interior etc.
Click to expand...

I am afraid you have been given a Poison chalice. That boat would most likely have had a Mercruiser 3 ltr in it and it will go well with such an engine. Repower marine would have one but to be honest you can buy a complete boat cheaper than you would manage to reengine the one you have been given.

I would buy a complete second hand boat with an outboard and then use the one you have for spares or sell bits from it.
 
If you really want a boat to go fishing in then I would say a fletcher is not suitable. You really would be better off getting rid and spending your hard earned cash on something that is up to the job and works already !!

Bring
Out
Another
Thousand
 
If you have not taken possession yet best to let him know it is now too much of an undertaking and suggest he puts it on ebay.
If you have taken delivery get it on ebay and give him a share of the proceeds.
Should sell reasonably easy if trailer ok.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top