Flats Flyer 25 website is up

We have posted some videos about our new boat design, ballast system, and more. Take a look: www.flatsflyer.com
Tight lines and good fishing.
Dave

 

Thanks for the input. FlatsFlyer.com is developing. We will break that first long video into parts, and will be adding other videos, still photos, fact sheets, line drawings and artist renderings over the next couple of weeks.
Dave

 

Fernandina Josh and Captain Bob -
Super tanker?  Hmmm, that gets me thinking . . . . I'm going to need an extra long roll of drafting paper for that one.
As for stopping, Power Pole has that covered.
Turning was the one thing we didn't think it would do well.  If you take a look at one of those 3 photos at the 4:40 mark of that first long video, one boat is an earlier prototype with no forward keel, and another has the keel added. It originally turned too easily!!! Now it tracks and turns fine.  Because the bow is so sharp and the bow keel is down there all by itself, we will be fastening a custom cast bronze stem and keel shoe on them for long term durability (that's an old-fashion solution.)
In that no-keel bow photo you will also see a tall stack of waterline stripes. Each one marks one inch of draft.  We thought we might need that many to see the draft with 3 big people on the bow, but we didn't. Mostly the boat just draws 5 - 6 inches.  We will show more of that as the website develops.
Thanks for the comment.
Attached is a photo of draft lines -- red is 6" draft.
It may be long, but the finished boat before hardware should be less than 1200 lbs. Originally we did some engineering for a high percentage of carbon fiber which would have made a 700 lb thin skin boat, but that added $20,000+ to the cost. Anyway, the 1600 lb prototype works fine and 1200 or less will be even better.
Dave