Forum Please click on Forum Submission to post or reply to questions, comments, stories or anything else regarding Elite Craft. 1 « 2 « 3 « 4 « Page 5 » 6 » 7 » 8 » 9 Forum ID #: 200 1986 Elite Craft Riviera 6-14-06 I just purchased a 1986 Riviera and agree with your readers it is a 'real looker' I had my last boat 27 yrs. and although it was fiberglass along the way I restored a1958 Lyman and a 1957 Correct Craft so I'm glad my beauty isn't wood. This boat sat for 5 yrs so I'm still having problems getting it to run right. Its a 302 ford with a Holly 4 barrel. I had the carb rebuilt but am having float problems. A boat mechanic told me he thinks it needs a wedge under the carb because of the angle of the motor. I could only find one boat with a clear picture of the motor and it definitely had a wedge. The boat was a Riviera named 'Katilicious' but the motor did not look original. Could you tell me how the originals are set up? I have read all 4 pages of your forum and it has answered most of my other questions except one. How do you make a repair when the damage is INTO the wood grain, I paint custom autos so I know how to sand and buff as well as paint clear coat or Gelcoat, But how do you duplicate the pecan wood grain?? Thanks I'll wait for your reply. Gordon Smith. Portage Lakes Ohio Forum ID #: 201 1986 Elite Craft Riviera 6-14-06 Congratulations, is this the 1986 Elite Craft Riviera that Bob Zeiger owned? Thanks, Eric Forum ID #: 202 1986 Elite Craft Riviera 6-14-06 The question regarding the float sticking in the carb after being rebuilt could be that the engine is not the original and the new one was not set in correctly. The maximum angle an inboard engine can sit in a boat is 17 degrees. If it is more than that the fuel flow through the carb can be obstructed by the float. The best is 15 to 17 degrees. Second, on the repair of the gel coat I would recommend getting a very good fiberglass man to touch up the wood grain by hand with colored gel then cover it with clear gel. We had to do this on a couple of boats that were deeply gouged. It takes a good fiberglass man to do it, but our repairs were just about perfect. Hope this helps. Dave Smith Forum ID #: 203 1986 Elite Craft Riviera 6-15-06 Yes. It was Bob Zeiger's boat. Its in great shape with 135 hrs. just needs a little attention since it sat so long. I assume that Elite Craft did not use a wedge plate?. You'll be proud to know as was I, that the antique boat association ask me to enter my boat in there annual boat show, July 1 2006.there will be over 100 wood classics in the show. I was a little taken back that they would want a fiberglass replica around there "classics" but they insisted, saying they had a class called Fiber classics, and my boat would be an asset to show. You don't get a better compliment than that. I'll send some pictures. Gordon Forum ID #: 204 1986 Elite Craft Riviera 6-16-06 Actually the wedge plate would work and was tried in the past. The problem for the Elite Craft is that the wedge plate raises the height of the flame arrestor to where it hits on the bottom of the engine hatch cover most of the time. The clearance is very close. The Elite Craft was designed to be as low as possible in order to create the "look" everyone likes so much. That is why every 1/4 inch was critical. Some people, when they repowered, would cut into the engine hatch just enough for clearance. Some would cut a hole in the hatch and put a vent scoop over it. Hope this helps. Dave Smith Forum ID #: 205 Windshield 87 Ski Elite I just bought a 1987 Elite Craft Ski Elite that needs a windshield. Does anyone know where I can get a windshield? Thanks, Scott Happy new owner of an Elite Craft. Forum ID #: 206 Windshield 87 Ski Elite Congratulations, do you have any pictures of your new purchase? I would recommend getting a replacement made in Lexan polycarbonate or Polymethyl methacrylate and qualified shop can use your windshield as a template to copy. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you. Thank you, Eric Forum ID #: 207 Steering Cable 6-28-06 I have a 1988 20ft.Rivera Serial# CQAMR0009H788. I have owned the boat since 1998 and enjoy using it on Lake Raystown in Huntingdon County Pennsylvania. Recently the steering cable broke at the rudder end. Does anyone know what brand of the single rotary steering used by Elite Craft in 1988? Thanks for any information. Carl Baxter Forum ID #: 208 Steering Cable 6-29-06 I am happy to hear you enjoy the boat. You can order a Teleflex 20' Safe-T-Quick Steering System ordered through West Marine or a local marine shop which should be a qualified replacement. Eric Smith Forum ID #: 209 Rear Bilge 7-5-06 I am a little embarrassed to say that I have had my boat for 5.5 years and only had it in the water one time. When I received the boat it needed some TLC and this was a back burner project. So water time came after a couple of years. My first time out had its issues and I have worked though some of them. Which leads me to my first question, the rear bilge pump had been working fine in both the manual and automatic modes. After returning from the first trip out the pump has stopped working in both modes. I feel it was a vibration issues and I need to make repairs to the wire connections between the bilge pump and the boat wiring, but we will see. I'm not the smallest person and see pump access as an issue. I have noticed that the wires for the pump run through a conduit with the discharge hose from the front bilge pump. I was thinking of disconnecting the wires automatic +12v, manual +12v and the ground from under the dash and try pulling them back through the conduit into the engine compartment and make any necessary repairs, or prepare to wire the new pump if necessary. Hope this almost make sense to you. Any suggestions? Regards, Ernie Pauliny Forum ID #: 210 Rear Bilge 7-8-06 My first thought would be that the contacts at both ends need to be cleaned and checked for corrosion. If that does not do it then I would look at replacing the pump. Is the bilge pump the original one? All electrical systems in a marine atmosphere, lots of moisture, fail faster then if it were in a car...If I understand correctly on pulling the two lead wires through the conduit to check for damage then I would agree that would be a good start after checking the contacts on both ends. You should tag the ends of wires with white tape and write what it went to before you pull it thru the conduit so when you replace with a new wire you can know what to hook it up to. I would also recommended connecting a string or similar to the end of of the wires so when you want to pull it back thru the conduit you can. Hope this helps. Dave Forum ID #: 211 Wanted: Elite Craft at or near Georgia area...ready for immediate purchase 8-3-06 Preferably a Riviera but am interested in anything for now. Geven L. Aston; Off. 678-893-3552; Geven.Aston@Cingular.com Forum ID #: 212 Luckiest guy on the West Coast 8-3-06 Yes, I am the luckiest guy on the west coast! I just purchased a 1990 20ft Elite Craft. It has 105hrs on the 5.7L MerCruiser. This boat was well kept by the first owner. The motor was well maintained by a friend/marine-mechanics. I do custom car and boat interior and exterior upholstery and I can't wait to do the interior. I have a few questions and there probably be more. The boat sat in a private dock in Huntington Harbor the majority of the time. But it was maintained with bottom paint. I had it cleaned and checked. they said it is all good, but it needs a new coat. I also plan to pull it out of the sea water after the summer to go completely through the whole boat inside and out. How do these boats hold up in sea water? As far as trailers go, what is the best for my boat. Single or tandem, weight factor, brakes, etc. Also, where can I find owners manual. If any, what are the negatives about these boats? I want to make sure I take care and maintain my investment. Except for a bit fading on the finish, small corrosion on some of the metal parts, this boat is a "GEM"! especially for the price. It sounds and runs great! I am looking forward on collaborating with the great of thee "ELITE" owners! THANX, M.F.C. H.B., SoCal. Forum ID #: 213 Luckiest guy on the West Coast 8-5-06 Congratulations, Could you send me your phone number, I will give you a call and go over everything your are asking. Thank You, Eric Forum ID #: 214 Any info regarding fuel tank replacement? 9-5-06 Ken Knatz Service Manager Strong's Marine, LLC PO Box 1409 Mattituck, NY 11952 631-298-4770 ext. 17 Forum ID #: 215 Any info regarding fuel tank replacement? 9-6-06 Unfortunately there are only three ways to replace the fuel tank on an Elite Craft. The original boats that were made prior to 1985 had smaller gas tanks and were able to be pulled out with less trouble. However 1985 and later models were all made with the 40 gallon fuel tank, which is much larger. This was done to give longer cruising range. The first way is to take the engine out and remove the lifting eye rod and then take the tank out. The second is to take off the carburetor and wiggle the tank out. This will work for some engines but not all as some sit higher than others. The third is to take the deck off and replace the tank and then put the deck back on. I do not recommend this as aligning the deck with the hull is not as easy at it may sound. I recommend number one as the easiest and most logical. Hope this helps. Dave Smith Forum ID #: 216 Tank replacement 9-13-06 Our Elite Craft is one of the two Elite Crafts in Finland, Riviera from year 1989. We tried pulling out the fuel tank according to the instructions we found from the Forum, took the engine out and removed the lifting eye rod. Still there wasn't enough space to take the tank out, some half an inch were missing. I wonder what are we doing wrong? The tank in this boat has following markings on top of the tank: AFB 345-39. I wonder if this is some kind of special tank? I also would like to know what would be the ideal propeller for this boat (Ford 220 hp engine)? Currently we have 13R13 prop. Regards Aki Latvanne Forum ID #: 217 Tank replacement 9-14-06 Have you taken the sending unit off the top of the tank? That may be just enough to clear the tank. I don't recommend stretching the deck as that could crack the gel coat. Do you have any pictures you could send? Many different prop sizes were tested but the 13X13 prop is the recommended one. Eric Forum ID #: 218 Tank replacement 9-19-06 Here are some pictures of the tank and the label details. Aki Forum ID #: 219 Tank replacement 9-20-06 From the pictures it appears the two square or rectangular boxes coming down from the bottom of the deck could be cut (one or both if necessary) to allow the removal of the tank. Those should be white gel coat on the outside with foam on the inside. You should not have to cut much to allow the removal of the tank and hopefully only one. When complete you could re-attach the cut out area and have a qualified gel coat repair shop color match the white gel coat, fill, blend and buff out and you should not be able to tell the difference. Please let us know if there is anything else I can do for you. Take Care, Eric Forum ID #: 220 Tank replacement 9-25-06 Thanks, cutting one side should work. Let's try. I am looking for a trailer and a hood that could be used while driving (in colder weather). Do you have any recommendations of the manufacturer or where to buy? A.k.i. Forum ID #: 221 Tank replacement 9-28-06 Just checking on the progress on the tank removal. I have not found any manufacturers of trailers in your area, but I would look for an all aluminum tandem axel trailer from a distributor or manufacturer that will custom fit the Elite Craft to the trailer for both weight distribution and for the best support of the boat. Take Care, Eric Forum ID #: 222 Tank replacement 9-28-06 Trailer manufacturer does not have to be a European company, US manufacturers are just fine. I can import the trailer from there. A.k.i. Forum ID #: 223 Tank replacement 9-28-06 I have a dealer here that I have used for my Elite Craft's. If you would like I can send you some pictures of my Elite Craft on one of there aluminum trailers. How did the tank work out by the way? Thank you, Eric Forum ID #: 224 Tank replacement 9-28-06 Cutting one side is enough to get it removed. So that works fine. Please send some pics of the trailer. A.k.i. Forum ID #: 225 Elite Craft Trim tab(s) 9-15-06 I have fallen in love with my Fathers EliteCraft, but I have a question. It rides bow high and I am wondering if this is simply a characteristic of this boat? Is there a stationary trim tab I may install to bring the bow down a bit. I have a concern about adjustable trim tabs and I’ll have to explain why. The previous owner of this boat also loved it. So, he had a custom 24’ replica build for him. As he was outing with a group of friends the boat rolled during a turn. So, his wife would never ride in the original Elite Craft as well. That is how my father acquired the boat. He is now passing it along to me. However, I get a little tired stretching my neck up or sitting on the seat back in order to comfortably see beyond the bow. Any suggestions for me would be appreciated. Regards, Scott Inslee Forum ID #: 226 Elite Craft Trim tab(s) 9-15-06 The bow will ride high depending on the cruising speed but will lower when fully plained out. We have had members put trim tabs on there Elite Craft with much success and has been very helpful for rough water and to adjust the bow height. If you would like we can send you some pictures of Elite Craft's with trim tabs. The biggest hesitation usually is deviation from the "classic look" but some feel benefits outweigh the change in look. I would truly love to see pictures of the 24' replica (as many as you can spare), do you know if they made it out of wood? Could you please send pictures of your boat too? Thank you, Eric Forum ID #: 227 Elite Craft Trim tab(s) 9-19-06 Thanks for your response! My father has corresponded with you as well and will send pictures of his 94’ Elite Craft. We’ll see what photos are available from the other gentleman’s boat he had built. I believe it was designed to resemble/replicate the Elite Craft. I would appreciate any pictures with Elite Craft Riviera with the trim tabs. I too would prefer to maintain the classic look. The performance is not why I truly enjoy the boat! I took the boat on a ride this weekend in smooth water and the boat planed very well. All previous outings were in rough water where I was probably not at full plane. The engine is a 350? And it max’s out at 35mph in smooth water which I was fairly surprised at as well. Both my father and I are pleased to have located this website and will maintain contact. I’ll have him forward pictures. Regards, Scott Inslee Please click on Forum Submission to post or reply to questions, comments, stories or anything else regarding Elite Craft. |
|---|
