1958 8' Full Tunnel

[Backfire]

This was my first fiberglass boat in 1958. I believe it was made in Minnesota. The 10 Johnson pushed the speedo to 23 MPH. It had a full tunnel, the two air tanks were lower than the flat center by 2 or 3 inches. The sponsons were 90 deg. on the inside and flat bottomed with a rounded chine. Largest engine I ever saw was a 33 hp Scott-Attwater which was speedoed at 52 mph by a 21' Century with 325 hp. A Martin 200 with a quickie unit would be ideal. In new condition, the seat was a canvas sling that went from the gunnel on one side to the gunnel on the other side with slack so you sat half way from the top of the air tank to the floor. It had a drain plug in the back of each tank and a drain plug through the transom. You could pull the plug and let all the water that would come in flood the the inside-3-4 inches, then still take off. We would do this to people who thought we were sinking or sunk and come by to see what was wrong, then I/we would leave. This is a personal watercraft, note the shroud off for maximum performance and sound. Any body got one of these ? Cypress Gardens, in the early days, had a fleet of them for part of the ski show. Later models, probably another company, made a similar bottom but redesigned the top side with less "cup" in the front and I think flat top tanks. It's made with a three piece mold, the hull and a left and right top of the tank glassed to the hull. An important feature was an one inch diameter piece of hemp rope glassed in a loop in front the seat on the floor, right side next to the air tank. One hand on the tiller, one hand grabbing the rope loop to keep in the seat. Nutt'in but fun!
Backfire ;)

[Raceman]

Neat picture. I particularly like that racin' vest too. Is that an early Lifeline?

[omc-v4]

I had one to they were called flying flivers. Mine was yellow. Im thinking 1957? I saw them on the tonight show. They did a show in cypress gardens.

[delawarerick]

Im not sure but I think someone on the board is building those boats now. That picture reveals age. I ran all kinds of potato chips with small motors. Even tried to build one its probably still under the house we moved out of in the 60s. I still enjoy the old technology for its takes real skill to drive an older performance boat. Perhaps more insanity. Good picture! Rick

[LakeRacer99]

Hey Backfire, here is a picture of my Flying Flivver. It was redone by me and my dad. We even built a little trailer for it. The only motor I had on it was that 10hp merc.
The "sponsons" on mine were not airtanks but they were full of foam. We had to drill the drain holes to let the water out of the foam.
I remember, every time you run it it, you always seemed to get sprayed with water and the boat would have a few inches in the bottom. I had one of those "duckbill" drains like the tunnel boats had.
It was pretty fun though.

[LakeRacer99]

Here is a pic I got off the old screamandfly board...bet it flys with that 2.4 on there...

I think lightning powerboats has a mold for the hull and maybe some kind of deck, but I've never seen any pics of'em.

[Powercat]

Probably would do 30 mph on just the starter motor alone !!
:D

[Backfire]

Yes, the Flying Fliver, yellow was the only color far as I know. The two fins served a purpose, you could stand it straight up on flat spot. I think the styling is the best of all later copies.
Raceman, that ski belt was made out of (DowChemical) Styrofoam. We all know the differance between expanded polyester bead foam (coffee cups) and Styrofoam, right? Earlier models were kapock or cork. Then the yellow Super Soft belts, now that was comfort, don't think I ever used anything but a belt from the 50's, 60's, 70's, except for racing. LakeRacer99, yours looks like the ones Cypress Gardens (probably made for themselves) ran for a long time after they probably wore out the originals. They would run them off ski jumps and beach them on the sand every time they ran them. With todays prop rated engines, good props---anybody want to try a Mod 50 tiller? You could make it in Extreme Sports! Twin jet- 2 185HP supercharged Rotax- center steer, James Bond's next get-a-way! The mind does wander on a cold winter night, 10 deg. last night. Don't know if I would want to be 13 again, been there-done that!
Backfire ;)

[Kmilly]

Hey guys, next time your in Northern Wisconsin check out the Minocqua Bats Water Ski Show...Fliver always catches heck in the Clown Act! Show is north of Tomahawk about 30 minutes. Tomahawk hosts the Antique Outboard Meet every August. :cool:

[TeamSunset]

I just picked up a "Flying?Fliver" for my 11 year old son for his 1st boat. Its the EXACT SAME boat that is in your picture. Its COOL LOOKING!!! Found it behind an outhouse and its a late 50's / early 60's boat. I know this is an older post, but this is the only info that Iv'e found on one of these anywhere on the net. Nothing on the antique sites anywhere. This one is redish color and has the same rope hang-on thing that you described. I got a cherry old white 9.9 merc to hang on it. ...ANY INFO or PHOTOs that ANYONE can post is appreciated. Thanks -Tom.

[Backfire]

I think that is the only picture I have. Sure had a lot of fun with it.
A ten horse-not prop rated is a pretty safe setup. I would love to run one with a tiller 35 Johnson and a decent prop, not for the kids though. A kill switch would be a mandatory add on for the kids in my opinion. That is the original, the others are copies. My dad bought 3 of them, I think from Minn. They were the only ones I ever saw, '57, '58. Post some pictures.
Backfire ;)

[PARKER RABE]

THATS MINE WITH THE 2.4 COWL .....I STILL GOT A HURST FLIVER WITH A 25 ON IT , ITS FUN .....JUST KILLS MY BACK

[LakeRacer99]

BadJonny posted this Flivver...one of my favorites.

[lilabner]

[QUNeat picture. I particularly like that racin' vest too. Is that an early Lifeline?

OTE]What's a Lifeline? I was thinking Gentex..

[TeamSunset]

XXXXXXXL Kotex???? just kiddin... I'ma smart azZ!!! Been out for a while- its my b-day. Thanks again for the pic & info, I really do appreciate it! -Tom

[Leezureking]

I'm from minnetonka Minn. I was 13 also for my first fliver ride,used the johnson 7.5 off the row boat. Had the time of my life,Then put the 20 Johnson on, used to look for the first curl off the biggest cruiser wave we could find to see how far it would fly! I saw one do a flip at the cypress gardens water show that way with a 35 merc! Got pulled over by the water patrol once for having 3 girls in it with me! GOOD OLD TIMES! Since then my friends have been very intrested in flivers. I met ,logon name "Fliverking" when he met another friend of mine on the lake in his fliver and was sent to me for fiberglass to repair his, 15 yrs ago. He tracked down the original molds from prior lake, where they were built. just built the second one last week. Thats a 40 tahotsu on the red one. But with vinyll resins, double bios glass, foamcore hull, I think we'll try one of those great big Mercs instead!:) Happy Flying!

[Backfire]

That mold is the real deal, I think. My memory is that the entire interior was somewhat rough, not slick like a mold surface. If this was true, the two outer air tank tops mold would be a "male". Like the hull mold, the tank tops would be the glass laid side and the slick side would be inside the tank. I also question if it had gelcoat or colored resin,? There would be no gelcoat on the backside of the mold unless it was topcoated. I remember the Fliver as being sort of translucent, a soft yellow. I managed to buckle the front to the point of needing some glass repairs on it a couple of times. Normal GP resin and glass mat, very new tech for the late '50's handled by our repair man just back from California who knew what to do with the new fiberglass.. No gelcoat or color so the repairs stood out. That front end takes some big licks when you go over the first wave and into the second wave. The canvas sling seat made for a little more comfort. Depending on the engine, the lower center of gravity might wise. I seem to remember the "original" weighed about 110 pounds. What is the going rate for one of these?$_________.
Backfire ;)

[gofish7070]

Many years ago while working for the black engine guys, many Merc dealers were recognized with outstanding sales achievementa were invited to a 3-day party called dealer congres,one of the many HiLites were the flivver races with 4HP engines,These guys would go Bonkers racing against one another with those things it was like bumper cars,all to win a free T-Shirt or something,,,,,,,,,It was great to watch But really Hell on the guys that had to catch these wild men as they were getting in & out of those things,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,But they were definitely the Damn fliing FLIVVERS Gofish7070

[Merc-Cruiser]

At Cypress Gardens with the clowns doing their acrobatics in the Flivvers! They did things in those boats that boats could'nt do. They pulled other clowns & girls on water skiis over the ramps, etc...I think they were all Johnson powered for years and years at the Gardens. I'm talking late sixties, early seventies. Those were the days. M/C :)

[iwanajohnson]

my 13 year old brother just built a boat kind of like these. It's built out of 1/8 inch plywood. It's about 12" tall on the transon and wedges down. it's powered by a 6hp merc. I'll post some pics whenever he gets it painted. it's really sweet though, it will run about 20mph. I want to build one like this out of aluminum and put a 25-40 hp motor on it for the river. I run a shallow river so we have to run jet motors. I would like to get a 2cylinder johnson short shaft and have an 8' aluminum boat like this. Anyone think it would work, if it did it would be a lota fun. tell me what you all think.

[Scream And Fly]

Cool boat, and welcome to the forums!

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/3341/fliverlaunch7ww.jpg

[iwanajohnson]

I'm from minnetonka Minn. I was 13 also for my first fliver ride,used the johnson 7.5 off the row boat. Had the time of my life,Then put the 20 Johnson on, used to look for the first curl off the biggest cruiser wave we could find to see how far it would fly! I saw one do a flip at the cypress gardens water show that way with a 35 merc! Got pulled over by the water patrol once for having 3 girls in it with me! GOOD OLD TIMES! Since then my friends have been very intrested in flivers. I met ,logon name "Fliverking" when he met another friend of mine on the lake in his fliver and was sent to me for fiberglass to repair his, 15 yrs ago. He tracked down the original molds from prior lake, where they were built. just built the second one last week. Thats a 40 tahotsu on the red one. But with vinyll resins, double bios glass, foamcore hull, I think we'll try one of those great big Mercs instead!:) Happy Flying!

how fast would one of these boats run? I think it would be freaking awseome to have one of these. Put a 70 hp motor on it, see I say 70 because the river I run has a 40hp limit, and so if you put a 70hp motor with a jet pump on it it's labeled at about 45 hp which will pass, how fast do you think that one of these boats will run like that? the boats that usually run on that river are aluminum john boats that measure about 16-18' and have 42-56" botoms. the fastest boat on the river will run 48mph and it's freakin flyin, that's the guy that owns it's ridin boat and his race boat is a 16' bye 48" and it runs 56mph. He took it to the races on the river and beat 7 out of 8 225 motors. it'd be awseome to have a lil bitty boat that would run somethinl ike that, i should say scary not awseome haha, gime a mail and tell me what you all think about this though. i've got another idea, build an 8' boat and put a jet ski motor in it, i'll post pics of my brothers boat and you all will be able to see what i'm talkin about though. tell me what ya think

[Backfire]

While doing a slow shoreline cruise a couple of days ago I spotted an ORIGINAL FLYING FLIVER. Since my dad only bought 3 and sold them in this area, one of them was mine for a year,1958. The picture is as close as I've gotten. I'll get up close and personal tomorrow and check it out and try to find the owner. It is upside down,to be continued......
Backfire ;)

[LakeRacer99]

Since this boat had a big part in alot of members past, I will post the link to a cool website I found by "googling" the other day. Obviously some of you may already know who runs the site.
I am just glad to see it on the web...it was my first tunnel boat...

http://www.creekrat.com/fliverboat.htm

.

[Scream And Fly]

What amazed me about mine is how incredibly mild mannered it is considering its size. Wide open, it tracks perfectly straight with no hopping or anything. It literally begs for more horsepower. I got 25.4 MPH with a Merc 9.9, so soon I'm giving it a run with the Merc 25.

Greg

[LakeRacer99]

Greg, we need some action shots with the 25.

Is this how you drive it? (click on video)

http://darlingskishow.chamberlin.ca/video.html

[jgass01]

Just ordered mine from Lightning Power Boats. The prices have really gone up. I have a 1990 25hp Evinrude for it. Any idea on the top speed and which prop should I run.

[PARKER RABE]

If That Guy Went Over The Front Of That Thing In The Video , Hed Be ...

[iwanajohnson]

how fast would one of these boats run? I think it would be freaking awseome to have one of these. Put a 70 hp motor on it, see I say 70 because the river I run has a 40hp limit, and so if you put a 70hp motor with a jet pump on it it's labeled at about 45 hp which will pass, how fast do you think that one of these boats will run like that? the boats that usually run on that river are aluminum john boats that measure about 16-18' and have 42-56" botoms. the fastest boat on the river will run 48mph and it's freakin flyin, that's the guy that owns it's ridin boat and his race boat is a 16' bye 48" and it runs 56mph. He took it to the races on the river and beat 7 out of 8 225 motors. it'd be awseome to have a lil bitty boat that would run somethinl ike that, i should say scary not awseome haha, gime a mail and tell me what you all think about this though. i've got another idea, build an 8' boat and put a jet ski motor in it, i'll post pics of my brothers boat and you all will be able to see what i'm talkin about though. tell me what ya think

anyone got any ideas on what a jetski motor would do in a small hydro like this?

[LakeRacer99]

Well...I am missing my little boat these days. I may have to track it down I think.
So, I see they have added a ton of pics on the Flivver lover site.
I just have to ask...which one of you guys is this? Parker, this gets my vote for the "wheelie king"

[LakeRacer99]

anutha...hehe

[Dave Morris]

I'm from minnetonka Minn. I was 13 also for my first fliver ride,used the johnson 7.5 off the row boat. Had the time of my life,Then put the 20 Johnson on, used to look for the first curl off the biggest cruiser wave we could find to see how far it would fly! I saw one do a flip at the cypress gardens water show that way with a 35 merc! Got pulled over by the water patrol once for having 3 girls in it with me! GOOD OLD TIMES! Since then my friends have been very intrested in flivers. I met ,logon name "Fliverking" when he met another friend of mine on the lake in his fliver and was sent to me for fiberglass to repair his, 15 yrs ago. He tracked down the original molds from prior lake, where they were built. just built the second one last week. Thats a 40 tahotsu on the red one. But with vinyll resins, double bios glass, foamcore hull, I think we'll try one of those great big Mercs instead!:) Happy Flying!
I would like to get in touch with the guy who has the fliver molds. Can you help? dmorris@bellerive.net

[drdale]

I had one back in the early 60's as my first boat. We have been looking for one since, and earlier in this thread it was mentioned that the Flivver in the Minocqua bats ski show really took a beating. They discarded it last year, and it wound up in the hands of my son. We have done the extensive hull repairs and are going to use a 59 Mark 28 on it since this was the motor that we used when I was a kid. Mine was the earlier model with the fins, this one has the flat top tanks. I am looking for a more suitable prop for the Mark 28 if soemone can help. Thanks, Dale

[tinker060]

Backfire, Get that thing ready for SMITC. That would be a hoot to see it run with a hot motor,,,,say a 75 Stinger. Come on by and we will put a shot or two of Nitrous for S&Gs and to get it really cooking....

Jon Wright

[Boz]

Very cool thread. I too had a Fliver back in the very early 80's. These photos bring back some very neat memories.
Ours had a roped loop glassed into the floor. I assume now, that it was a foot hold.

[xr1million]

Anyone know of any forums or good websites having to do with flivers??

[beej1010]

I'm from minnetonka Minn. I was 13 also for my first fliver ride,used the johnson 7.5 off the row boat. Had the time of my life,Then put the 20 Johnson on, used to look for the first curl off the biggest cruiser wave we could find to see how far it would fly! I saw one do a flip at the cypress gardens water show that way with a 35 merc! Got pulled over by the water patrol once for having 3 girls in it with me! GOOD OLD TIMES! Since then my friends have been very intrested in flivers. I met ,logon name "Fliverking" when he met another friend of mine on the lake in his fliver and was sent to me for fiberglass to repair his, 15 yrs ago. He tracked down the original molds from prior lake, where they were built. just built the second one last week. Thats a 40 tahotsu on the red one. But with vinyll resins, double bios glass, foamcore hull, I think we'll try one of those great big Mercs instead!:) Happy Flying!



any chance i could get one made
let me know e mail beej5040@yahoo.com

[seeroy]

http://i26.tinypic.com/2u7q6on.jpg

[seeroy]

CHARLIE RUSH &FLIVVER

http://i25.tinypic.com/rh3kvt.jpg

[seeroy]

http://i26.tinypic.com/2epobhw.jpg