As far as I’m concerned the Feather Craft Vagabond is pretty well finished. I’ve taken it out on a shake down cruise and it leaked a bit. Added a bilge pump and other necessary electrical equipment.
I was somewhat disappointed that it rode like a stagecoach. A little chop goes a long way with this boat. However, while at the AMOCI Constantine Swap meet this past weekend, a fellow was kind enough to set my carb needles on the Johnson Javelin while I drove. He also decided to trim the motor a bit. this made a big difference. The carb was just barely off the “sweet spot”, so correcting this added some extra rpm’s and a bit more speed for planning off. The trim on the motor also helped add some speed and made the boat ride better.
On Saturday evening my fellow Feather Craft owner Kokoken and I went to his cottage on Klinger Lake and ran our respective boats through the paces. Ken and I chased each other around the lake for a while, and even snapped a few photos of each other while zipping by one another. Ken also changed my opinion on this boat.
While we were out “playing”, I realized how fast and responsive these Vagabond’s are. Very agile!
Here are a few photos from our water ballet.
Boys and their toys.
Our aluminum beauties basking in the sun at Klinger Lake.
Kokoken's Evinrude Lark had just a little more speed than my Johnson Javelin. Ken is taking the lead.
As Ken made a nice tight turn Many of the other boaters looked a bit nervous. Some had expressions on their faces like a bubble dancer with a slow leak.
I loved this photo, Ken didn't care for it much. I love the color with the sun, man and machine, and the water.
My turn to give'er a shot. The old Vagabond looks like she's ready to take flight here. (Photo courtesy of Ken Humphries.)
Speeding over the water feels grand.(Photo courtesy of Ken Humphries.)
Gliding to a stop, the smile says it all. A Feather Craft Vagabond will float for another day.
I’d like to thank the folks at http://www.feathercraft.net/ for providing insight and advice, as well as their great knowledge to help me complete the project. Thanks to Ken for the great action photos and his hospitality at Klinger Lake, as well as his kindness in providing a windshield template and for being a good audience and host.
That’s enough about this old bucket of rivets. I’ll be doing something about the AMOCI Super Swap Meet at Constantine, Michigan soon. Lots of great old boats and motors.
In the meantime, we return your to our regular programming…
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