J-craft

[ROLF]

Anybody have or had a J-Craft ski boat? Thinking of buying one but have only seen one via internet pics.But it looks like a great boat for calm water sking. Thanks for any help.
Rolf

[bulldogdaddy]

never heard of a j-craft,but ost a few pics anyway so we all can see!

[ShipBear]

They have a WebSite.. Here's the LINK...

J-Craft Link (http://www.jcraftboats.com/)


Later Larry

[Boz]

I have never owned one but almost purchased one because of their reputation for building a great ski boat. I think they are built in or near Toronto. A friend of mine had one years ago and loved it. Just my two cents.

[woodco]

Rolf ..... Never ran one or seen one in person but from the looks of
the asking price on that 1979 they hold thier value. I'll ask around
and see if I can gather some other info on them.

Did you get the pics of the GrandSport ????????

[Ilovespeed]

Hey guys i cant beleive u havent seen a j-craft,,, up here in canada they are ALL over the place..i know of at least 6 on my lake if not more...they are sold out of sutton ontario ...theres a dealer tehre who sells j-crafts and a tunnel boat somewhat like a talon i think but not sure...they arent real fast i dont think ... great ski boat one of teh ebst out there for slaloms i think...well tahts all i know of if u want numbers to teh dealer here i can get them..

Tyler

[Boz]

w/ a 220 hp, they said to expect speeds of anywhere from 85 to 95 mph. that was with my described 29 round eared prop. I spoke to Jackie at J-Craft about 2 months ago.

[mxz]

What size of J-Craft are you looking at? There are a couple on my lake. The 17' is a pretty hairy ride in any kind of chop over 60mph. The 19' on the other hand rides a lot smoother. Flatout from this board has a 19' with I think a 200 Johnson and he regularly sees 80+mph and sure does look smooth when he is flying!. He is very knowledgable about J-Craft boats, hopefully he sees this post and can give you more info on these boats.

[David]

J Craft made more or less the same flatbottom boat in different lengths for 30 years. They moved around a bit in Ontario and were in Pefferlaw when they went broke.

At the departure time (mid 90's) they made a 17 foot step bottom, a 19 footer, and a 20' tunnel that didn't really go that well. In the past there were 16 foot boats, short and long deck 19's, and briefly an 18 foot pad V bottom. Almost all outboards.

The definitive J is the flat bottom water ski boat. It isn't truly flat, it has a wide flat pad and around a 10 degree V to the sides. There are a ton of these around Ontario and they do hold their value. They are reputed to be great for skiing. And they move pretty well if set up to go fast.

When J craft went down (ill advised expansion into trailers) the molds went to a guy in Quebec. My understanding is that he died.

Now there are two places to buy J crafts. As noted, someone has re-formed the company in the Pefferlaw location. I don't know if they have the molds from Quebec or if they made a mold themselves. The Pefferlaw guys have the 19' flatty and a bigger tunnel that is not the old J craft tunnel.

John Spaith also has a 19' mold and sells a few J crafts. I'm biased but I would recommend John.

If I ever saw a nice step bottom 17 I would be interested myself. The idea of a step on an old flatty appeals and I like the look.

David

[Flat Out]

We have 3. I've owned my 19 for 15 years and my brother has had his 16 for 16 years.
Great ski boats, not super fast great on a calm lake. They will shake your fillings loose if you run in real rough water. I've run in 3 footers. The boats if in good solid condition will take a beating.
Like any old boat the rot in the usual places, transoms and floors are a weak spot. If they are really bad you may have to recore the hull as I am doing to one now.
Most have been used as ski boats and are usually full of water from skiers getting in the boat all wet. The rounded back corners take a beating from docks as well.
Most have been well used. Finding an older one in good condition is difficult. Be aware of shoddy repair work as well.
Any questions, let me know if I can help.
John Spaeth can build you a beautiful new one if you want. I am biased of course.

[jcraftjet]

just scored a 19 J-craft with matching trailer and a 454 hooked up to a Mercruiser 400 jet drive . I have never seen one before and it is truly unique !

Wondering if anyone has experienced this particular set up as I am starting to restore it , also have a message in to John Spaeth as well. thanks for any info ......

[David]

Very cool. I've seen the jet in an old brochure, but all the J's I've seen in person have been outboards. John's pretty busy, so it might take a few calls to get through.