Retro Crestliner Discussion Forum

lvflyncrest · Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Dubuque, Iowa

On my '59 Flying Crest that I recently restored, got it out on the water and noticed that it didn't plane off real good, so I moved the pin on the motor back another hole to pull it out and with the first wave it started to
race, and blow air thru the prop... so I moved pin back to where it was, the motor is a 1961 Mercury Kiekhafer 50 h.p. short shaft and it has a
cavitation plate on it already... any ideas on what I can do besides changing motors?
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pj

'59 Flying Crest

OutBdNut · Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 593 Location: Minnesota

The Flying Crest was available with both short and long transoms. Short were special order so most are long. Measure the height of your transom from bottom to top outside the boat. It will be either 16 1/2 inches or 20 inches.
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If it is 20 inches, it needs a long shaft motor.....or.... Assuming you have this 20 inch transom, you can cut the transom down. I'm assuming it's about the same dimensions as Dad had in 1958 on a Voyager a dealer cut down for him. I still remember watching as they cut (I was 11 at the time). First be sure there is still room inside for the transom clamps after cutting it down - there should be - if there isn't measure again! Use a good hacksaw or a power "sawsall" type saw with a metal cutting blade, and cut the wood/metal at the same time. First unscrew the aluminum piece on top of the transom that the motor sits on - this can be re-installed after cutting it down. After cutting it down to 16 1/2 inches, cut angles sideways outward at on each side as necessary to allow clearance for turning and clearance for remote control cable hookup. A dealer did this for my Dad on a 1958 Voyager 14 that he bought new, as he already had a short-shaft motor and it worked fine - we had short shaft motors from 20 to 60 HP on it over the years. Your boat has the aft deck and motor-well, so any additional water occasionally splashed or taken over the back when coming off plane will be caught and drained out the back. If the boat did not have this feature, I would not recommend cutting it down.
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Some motors from that era can be converted to long shaft by getting a longer driveshaft, cooling water tube, shift rod, and an exhaust housing extension. Most Johnsons and Evinrudes from the 50's and 60's could all be altered this way - not sure if the 5 inch exhaust housing extension was available for a Mercury. You could also look for a junk longshaft motor like yours to get the parts from and swap parts.
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There are aftermartket motor mounts called "transom jacks" that can be bolted to the outside of the transom and then the motor sits on the jack that can be adjusted up or down with bolts - there was a photo of one installed in a post here sometime in the last month or two. These are costly, add a big chuck of hardware, and move the motor about 6 inches away from the boat, but they do work. Personally, I don't like them, especially if you have to work on the motor from inside the boat. If you buy one, be sure it is made for a motor to clamp onto - some are for bigger motors that bolt to the transom. Here'a a link to some:
http://search.overtons.com/?D=transom%20jack&Nty=1&N=0&Dk=0&Ntt=transom%20jack
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I'd think a bit before cutting the transom, as you can't easily build the transom up again if you ever want to go back. If your motor is in great running condition, then go for it. If you think you will be getting a different motor anytime soon, get a long shaft motor now. Cutting the transom on your model is just altering it to the dimensions of the special order version, so it's a tried and proven geometry!
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Let us know what you decide!
Dave
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57 Commander 12 Custom Deluxe 550
58 Commodore 14 Speedster (modified)
58 Cadillac Riviera 14 split deck
Dozens of old outboards

OutBdNut · Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 593 Location: Minnesota

After reading your post again, I'd like to clarify just how you moved the trim pin - you said you moved the pin "back to pull it out"? I may be mis-interpreting that.
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The pin must be moved closer in to the transom to aid planeing, not farther back from the boat.
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If the motor shaft length is correct for the transom height, the cavitation plate will be an inch or two below the bottom of the hull.

Dave
_________________
57 Commander 12 Custom Deluxe 550
58 Commodore 14 Speedster (modified)
58 Cadillac Riviera 14 split deck
Dozens of old outboards

lvflyncrest · Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Dubuque, Iowa

Hey Dave!! Thanks for your input!! I think I'll respond to your second post first.... what I did was I moved the trim pin 1 hole out( or away from
the transom) in order to get the bow out of the water and to get it planing better......but if I understand you correctly, I should move it in (towards the transom) instead. I'm thinking that since this looks like the only motor thats ever been on this boat I assuming (which is dangerous) that they got the motor length right. I would never cut up the transom though to make it work.... I want to keep it all original....i think what I'll do is move in the pin and see what happens!!! Thanks, Pat
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pj

'59 Flying Crest

OutBdNut · Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 593 Location: Minnesota

OK - yeah - sounds like if you move the pin down it should take care of the problem. Moving it down tends to push the bow back down to get you planed off. Moving it even one notch can be like shifting to a lower gear. With the pin down farther, more of the length of the boat will be in the water when planed off, so top speed will drop a couple of MPH, but it will plane faster. Have to find the setting with the best of all tradeoffs for how you have the boat loaded and what you are doing with it. On Dad's Voyager14, with a 40 HP on it, I used to drop the pin down a notch for pulling up skiers, and raise it back up for cruising.
That's where power trim found on newer motors is nice - you can lower it way down to get planed off, then raise it up to get optimum crusing angle for the way the boat is loaded on that particular day
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Here's a good site that shows the effect of trim angle - be sure to scroll down through all 3 pages. Note too the discussion of trim on steering wheel torque that you may or may not notice:
http://www.leisureboating.co.za/files/file_174.pdf
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One inch difference in propeller pitch can make a big difference in planeing and speed too.
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More propeller pitch=more speed, but more difficulty planeing.
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Dave
_________________
57 Commander 12 Custom Deluxe 550
58 Commodore 14 Speedster (modified)
58 Cadillac Riviera 14 split deck
Dozens of old outboards