2022 FlightCraft Barefooter

LoopSki

Excited to start a new thread about this new boat coming out. The title of the other one was a little bit misleading as this boat is being manufactured in California not Australia.

I’ll be posting more sneak pics of this new boat in the weeks to come. Reason it’s taking so long to complete the first unit as it is being designed and built at the same time old-school style not by computers.

The first six I think have already been spoken for but I’m hoping to get to play around with the first one before it gets sent off to the buyer

LoopSki

LoopSki

GregHind

@LoopSki any updates? How many horsepower will it be rated for? Who gets the first one?

LoopSki

Testing it with a 250 mercury first. They have a 225 and a 300 to try as well. Boat can be purchased without power plant and customer can supply their own.

6balls

Small market hope it goes well.

LoopSki

@6balls of course but also neglected market. They have wake barges too though. I’m more interested in the Barefooter and hoping to see an inboard out of them soon.

DW

🤞 and hope they do well. Hoping there is a pent up demand for some new barefoot boats.

6balls

I think Sanger still makes the inboard DX II--tough bogey for footing. I came up footing in the heyday of the outboards--been behind Flighty's, Sanger OB and inboard, all of the Centurions, the Mastercraft. The outboards are fun, and they have their place--I owned one for 20 years--but if I were a footer today looking new I'd get a DX II inboard. Looking used then a used DXII, a Flighty or Sanger outboard well maintained--love those boats. As much as I owned 2 Centurions--the wakes and build quality were not Sanger or Flighty--particularly the Malibu-Flighty.

I hope the new venture goes great, that it knocks it out of the park, and sells well to the barefoot market in sufficient numbers to keep going.

LoopSki

DW

I don't mean dislike in a mean way, I mean it in a very sad way. The one in the picture is very nice looking. At least there is a new alternative available in the market. Probably like many lake communities, the footing population has dwindled over the years, we use to have 5-6 footers on our little lake, only myself still active. Can't seem to get the younger generation interested in even trying it. When you pop on a footing site, the talent level is amazing for those still engaged.

bananaron

@DW Same here in northern MN. No one foots anymore Iam still going at 74yrs and still enjoy it....

VONMAN

@DW Don't understand the thinking with Sanger, like you said it's a beautiful boat, a proven design in a small market that it now owns outright. I ski with a group of Footers, to them the Sanger's are the top of the heap. One of the big problems with the outboard market is the size/taller and the weight/100lbs plus heavier. Older designed outboard boats were never designed for the new 4-stroke outboards of today. The market for 2-stroke, light weight motors is gone.
I am surprised that new boat hulls are not being designed like the new Flightcraft. I was lucky enough to repower my boat in late 2015 with the last of the Mercury 2-strokes. But there is no way I could hang a 4-stroke on my Warrior.

swc5150

31 year run is pretty awesome and a testament to great hull design. Just think, Nautique could've been building and selling TSC hulls with no additional R&D all these years too;)

LoopSki

GregHind

@LoopSki we’ve been teased about this thing for years…. How about clear pictures and video? Wakes at 46kph, 55kph, 66kph and 72kph? (28-46mph)

LoopSki

Whats really nice is the lack of chine spray. This FlightCraft is so close to go into production. Can’t wait to play with it at my lake in a few weeks once all the finishing touches are done.

GregHind

@LoopSki i noticed that. Did they modify the hull to make the chine spray better or was it always like that?

6balls

Looks like no spray and very flat wake from that angle. Tracking fins? Center pylon? Speed control?

LoopSki

#2

wettek69

Any reports on #1 yet or are we still in the dark?

Sethro

Looks like a pretty substantial freeboard, at least from that angle.

GregHind

Any photos or video yet?

wettek69

Seems a bit like Theranos, a lot of hype and promise, but no proof yet.

LoopSki

I stopped by the factory yesterday and unfortunately they have some huge delays with parts , engines and labor shortage. As a really small manufacturer they don’t get priority on a lot of the needed parts. It will be done it’ just take time. I snapped a few pics of this one looks really slick I like it.

LoopSki

wettek69

Is there actually a complete boat on the water and running yet? All we have seen is photos of parts of various boats, (going by the different colors) and a photo of the aft 10 feet of some boat on the water, which could be anything. What is the secrecy?

6balls

Hope the project turns out well. Small market.

The classic foot boats are the outboard sanger and flighty, and the inboard sanger. Surprisingly good though are the 'Bu Response (LX) and the Sportster--which also have the advantage of throwing a killer slalom wake. I don't like how the inboard Sanger drives. Tracks great, great barefoot wake but turns like the QEII.

A nice Sportster LX with EFI is pretty sweet for a footer who slaloms. For a slalom skier who foots a Bu Response LX.

Having said all of that I hope the new flighty is a big success in the barefoot market--I still love my outboards (2 centurion barefoot boats in my past)

DW

@6balls - +1 on the RLX for a slalom / b-foot combo.

Kenboat

The J-Craft 21 ss from Canada will be USCG approved in early 23. Great looking barefoot or ski boat that is well built and coming with Yamaha motors tied to Perfect Pass.
They price out around 100K with trailer.

May make a trip to the factory to inspect in person this winter.

LoopSki