PLACE CRAFT OWNERS

[PLACECRAFT20]

HAS ANYBODY SEEN ONE OF THESE HULLS. I AM HAVING SOME SETUP PROBLEMS, AND WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO ANOTHER OWNER. I HAVE SEEN A BUNCH OF PLACECRAFT TUNNELS BUT NOT DAYCRUISERS. THIS IS A 1989 20 FOOTER. ANY INFO WOULD BE HELPFULL. THANKS MITCH http://free.***boat.net/gallery/Reader_Rides/Jet_Boats/PC7jpg.JPG http://free.***boat.net/gallery/Reader_Rides/Jet_Boats/PC6jpg.JPG http://free.***boat.net/gallery/Reader_Rides/Jet_Boats/PC4jpg.JPG http://free.***boat.net/gallery/Reader_Rides/Jet_Boats/PC2jpg.JPG

[DUCKY]

That is a beautiful boat!
I had a 19' tunnel, so not much help.
What kind of problems are you having?
The normal rules should still apply....

[PLACECRAFT20]

DUCKY,
THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENTS!
I HAVE A BAD PORPOISE PROBLEM OVER 50MPH. I HAVE ADJUSTED THE RIDE PLATE BUT I HAS NOT ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ALSO READ THE THREADS ON PORPOISING BUT EVERY ONE HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TRIM TABS. I WAS HOPING ANOTHER OWNER MITE SHED SOME LIGHT. I ALSO WANDERED IF THE SHOE OR LOADER GRATE COULD CAUSE THIS PROBLEM? THANKS MITCH

[old rigger]

PC20
my friend has one of those but it's set up as an outboard. His porpoised so bad his wife wouldn't ride in it. He called PC, and there fix to the solutation was to install belly tanks in the later boats.
He changed tanks as well as adding a delta and the problems gone.

[Hermosa]

old rigger:
PC20
my friend has one of those but it's set up as an outboard. His porpoised so bad his wife wouldn't ride in it. He called PC, and there fix to the solutation was to install belly tanks in the later boats.
He changed tanks as well as adding a delta and the problems gone.Sounds like someone I know in Downey, is his Placecraft Yellow? As far as I know, he built a delta pad on the bottom of the boat last winter, I think it's running out better now. He also has trim tabs.

[old rigger]

Hermosa,
same guy. Known him his whole life. His uncle Bob and my dad were friends from 3rd grade on.
He did the delta and the belly tank at the same time so it's hard to know which one fixed the problem.

[Bense468]

Call Tom Peterson at Rex Marine. He used to run placecraft for a while. Not sure if this is one of his hulls, but I know he knows his shit when it comes to them. He has built a few 135+ mph placecrafts as RIVER boats. So he knows how to make them ride. I think placecrafts are like that though. They really jump up and down till stab the throttle and get them to set. Its worth a shot.

[Hermosa]

old rigger:
Hermosa,
same guy. Known him his whole life. His uncle Bob and my dad were friends from 3rd grade on.
He did the delta and the belly tank at the same time so it's hard to know which one fixed the problem.Small world isn't it. I've done a few river trips with him a few years back before moving to Northern California. I had the Eliminator Daytona, stayed at his place at the river too many times to count. I think he is going up this weekend also with the family. I fly down from time to time just to go to the river with him and a few others that are always up there.

[PLACECRAFT20]

OK GUYS FILL ME IN, WHAT IS A DELTA? I SURE HATE TO INSTALL A BELLY TANK. I HAVE ADDED A 100HP SHOT OF NOS TO SEE IF I NEEDED MORE HP BUT, IT JUST JUMPS TO THE POINT OF CHINE WALK. THANKS MITCH

[old rigger]

Mitch,
a delta is a flat running surface on the bottom of a V hull. Usually about 8" wide or so at the rear and anywhere from 4 feet to 6 or 7 long, tapering to a point. Some boats come with a delta already in the mold, not removeable. At Advantage we had a 19 footer with one and it ran real well. Of course this meant it had to be rigged with a flat intake and not a rounded one. At Rogers we had one that we inserted into the mold when we were usning the 19 mold (different boat that the one at Advantage) to build an outboard. They worked very well, giving the boat a nice little pad to ride on.
When our friend asked for help from Place Craft about the problem with his outboard and was told to install a belly tank, that's about all they gave him. In other words they didn't want to be bothered with it. A belly tank is a band aid fix at best, in my lowly opinion. What happens when you are low on fuel, and all the weight's going away? It's gonna go back to its old habits, porpoising. Although both the delta and the tank was done at the same time on his boat, I think the delta was the key.
While he had to rip the floor out of the boat to measure for the belly tank, he went ahead and built up the inside of the bottom with another 1/2 or so of glass starting at the transom and going forward 5 or 6 feet. then when he got the boat all back together, he ground the delta into the bottom. Not really an option with your boat, the delta I mean, not the tank.

[old rigger]

Hermosa,
did you go on the trip to Powell with him about 8 years back, the one where everything went wrong for them? I'm the one that put the new bottom in his jet ski and repaired the big hole in the transom of his dads boat.
[ November 07, 2002, 09:57 AM: Message edited by: old rigger ]

[Hermosa]

old rigger:
Hermosa,
did you go on the trip to Powell with him about 8 years back, the one where everything went wrong for them? I'm the one that put the new bottom in his jet ski and repaired the big hole in the transom of his dads boat.No, I wasn't there, haven't been to Powell yet. I did go with them to Mead in 2001, and will go next summer also. Kind of a long haul with the boat, but if I make a week trip out of it between Mead and the river, I think it will be well worth it. Not even sure how I get there from San Francisco area, guess I would take the 5 south to Bakersfield, then go East. Man, I need to look at a map...

[DUCKY]

Placecraft has always built their hulls to run. What that means for you is the boat is lifting too much for your application. It doesn't look like you have a diverter on there, do you? If not, you need one. And make sure you don't have a "wedge" or something like it on the pump. What does your rooster tail look like at wot? If it is more that 2-3 feet, you need to do something about it and if you have any rooster at cruise speed, it either means that you have a wedge, or the pump was installed wrong. Something else that might help is a "top-loader" or ramp style intake grate.

[Hermosa]

old rigger:
Hermosa,
did you go on the trip to Powell with him about 8 years back, the one where everything went wrong for them? I'm the one that put the new bottom in his jet ski and repaired the big hole in the transom of his dads boat.Hey Old Rigger, since you are in the LA area, have you seen that Sleekcraft jet that is for sale? Someone started a post in the Jet forum a few weeks back, I think it was "Possible Project... Is this jet boat worth it" I think the guy who was looking at it couldn't find enough change in his couch to get it purchase. I would love to get my hands on it if possible, just don't know where in LA it is... Just what I need, another boat. I did find another project boat (old wooden Chris Craft), but would rather do the Sleek tunnel jet. Any leads appreciated. I will go back to that post and bring it to the top again...

[mustangdug]

I have a 17' Placecraft and had a porpose problem at about 100mph. I added a droop, decreased the ride plate angle and added some more shoe depth and mine went away and It got faster. Here's the boat http://free.***boat.net/gallery/Raceboat_Arenas/Drag_Boats/D.Young_2.JPG
[ November 07, 2002, 01:37 PM: Message edited by: mustangdug ]

[PLACECRAFT20]

HEY GUYS
TO ANSWER YOUR QUEASTIONS AND TO GIVE YOU MY RESULT, HERE IT GOES.
1. THE BOAT HAS A PLACE DIVERTER, A 4DEGREE WEDGE, A RAMP LOADER GRATE, SHOE AND RIDE PLATE.
2. THERE IS NO ROOSTER AT WOT UNLESS DIVERTER IS TURNED UP.
3. THE BOAT RIDES AND HANDLES BEUTIFULLY BELOW 50 MPH.
4. I CALLED TOM PETERSON AT REX MARINE WHO USED TO OWN PART OF PLACECRAFT HE TOLD ME. HE REMEMBERED MY BOAT BEING SOLD TO EARL MCCOY OF E.J. ENTERPRISES TO BE RIGGED. HE NEW OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE HULL. THE QUICK FIX, WHICH WAS A PLACECRAFT RECALL BACK THEN WAS, TO ADD ADJUSTABLE 9 X 12 PLANES TO THE BACK OF THE BOAT. THE PLACE CRAFT FIX LATER IN PRODUCTION WAS TO INSTALL A BELLY TANK INSTEAD OF SIDE TANKS.
TOM SAID THE PROBLEM WITH THIS HULL IS TO MUCH WEIGHT TO THE REAR. I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE INSTALLED THE SUB BOX IN THE FRONT WITH MY NOS BOTTLE.
ANY WAY, TOM WAS VERY NICE AND HELPFULL AND HE WILL BE GETTING MY ORDER FOR THE TABS. I WILL POST THE RESULT IN THE SPRING WHEN I CAN GET BACK ON THE LAKE.
THANKS EVERYONE, MITCH
P.S. TOM SAID HE HAD A 19FT PLACE CRAFT BLOWN ALCOHOL TUNNEL FOR SALE. REXMARINE'S NUMBER IS 909-392-7300

[DUCKY]

There should be no reason to put more weight in the front of a 20' Boat. Add the plates as they will help, but get rid of the wedge. There is no reason for a wedge with a diverter, except for a really tall and useless rooster tail.
Just my $.02

[Bense468]

Hey now... Don't go telling everyone that my boat is for sale. LOL. That boat is a 135mph river boat. I told you that Tom would get you all set up. He is the shit when it comes down to that. Good luck with the placecraft.