THE OFFICIAL ACE-CRAFT FAN PAGE

dettmes

New member
This is my latest project. Bought it from a colleague at work for R12 000. ( was just standing getting messed up).
15 foot Ace Craft, 2 x 40 HP Mariners.
 

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dettmes

New member
Smoe more pics.
The trailer was very badly rusted, sanded it down and re-painted it.
The deck had a few "spongy" spots, so I am nearly finished replacing those. Then it is just to get it inspected and should be ready before December Holidays ::S

I see it has a "plaque " saying Acecraft Seaglyder custom built for S.Hyde.
The papers I have give the owner as D Pennington from Fishoek.

Can't wait to get it on the water and try it out.
 

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Drop_shot

Senior Member
Hi Guys,

Here is a picture of my Ace Craft...after spending a couple of months fixing her up.

 
 

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shagnrelease

Sealiner
The same ace which Thika showed earlier, only just managed to dodge this coconut tree in Guinjata, thankfully the trailer took the damage.....

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she really was a great boat, in a big weather and rough sea, you always knew she would get you home,she used to love running with all the new cats into a sea, as she used to give them there heads and leave them behind, it was a sad day when I sold her. She went to a guy in secunda/trichardt I think, but I believe he has since sold her on.

It was a bit of a funny story when I bought her she was called "naughty lass" and used to belong to a great marlin angler called Pierre De villiers, she was bought buy my father for R30 000.00,we then used her for 16 years and I replaced the decking re-sprayed her again,furuno electronics, carpets as well as some new axles and I put her into the Ski boat Magazine in December 2006, she was sold verbally 3 times in the same day as the magazine went to the shelves and I was getting calls for her months afterwards. It was on a first come first served basis and I had the cash notes before I left to come home from my december holiday I could not believe the response, she sold for 85K.

One of the calls I took was from a guy who used to own one of these crafts and really wanted this boat back as he had never seen a boat this old in such good condition, his name was Pierre De Villiers, her previous owner I was pretty sad that I had let her go to someone else and not her original owner, but maybe they are re-united again who knows....

we caught 42 sailfish and 29 marlin from this boat while I skipped her and I know the previous owner also caught a lot of billfish of her, so I guess there are some boats that just raise more fish....maybe it was her day-glow orange props!!!

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MOGGY

Senior Member
There are two wooden kit built ace crafts still running in PE and my neighbour has one.

There is also a complete kit in a garage in Redhouse, in P.E.
 

thika

Sealiner
Lovely tribute to great boat Greg!

Come on guys, where are your old AND new Ace Pics and stories?

Gooi!
 

Breads

Senior Member
Story still being written!

Here's another angle of the AceCraft lines
 

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thika

Sealiner
Just to show all the kittens out there that ACE CRAFT also built that (unspeakable name) hull  

 :)

This was the ACE CAT 555

Lightyears ahead of it's time and forerunner of the Cobra's that followed in it's steps!

Look at the finish and the innovation

Brian Hart owned a boat like this and taught me how to tie knots on it!

Men and woman...yous'e just GOTTA love these boats!
 

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thika

Sealiner
Check the nifty door for the ladies   :)

PS:

I have only recently found out that this is in fact an Ace Cat 550

It was the first Ace Craft catamaran

It preceeded the Ace Cat 555 and had a different hull with a wide square tunnel
 

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Decker

Senior Member
Tail-Time Ace-Craft 660DV, waiting to be put in the water at Millers (3 hour wait thx to snoek brigade)
 

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thika

Sealiner
Thanks to all you guys who have posted so far

 

@ thanks Decker,

She is beautiful!!!!

The 660 DV is the nicest looking boat on the ocean AND one of the safest!

Where else can you find a boat with that fishing space and a cabin where you can lie down streched out, unless you lay out major R's?

That pic of Tail-Time in full flight and leaning hard is the nicest of all I have seen on Sealine

You guys seem like a great team and I look forward to meeting you

 

Jeepers!..what happened with the jacknife?   :(
 

miles

Sealiner
Hiya

Let me start off by saying that ACECRAFTS were indeed very fine vessels in their heyday. Nobody could possibly dispute that.

HOWEVER, there are certain statements made here that are woefully inaccurate:

 
Just to show all the kittens out there that ACE CRAFT also built that (unspeakable name) hull  

 :)

This was the ACE CAT 555

Lightyears ahead of it's time and forerunner of the Cobra's that followed in it's steps!
The ACECAT 555 has got to be one of THE WORSE riding cats i've ever been on!! It banged the living daylights out of its crew. Seriously, one of THE worse designed cats i've been on. One of my buddy's tested a 555 Acecat and almost immediately after the test, i sent him to test a buttcat. He LOVED the ride so much, he bought the buttcat, before the test was even over.........

The Cobra cats are MAGNIFICENTLY finished, but also "bang" considerabily. Not a pleasant experience on a 40nm trip out to the fishin' grounds......

 

The 660 DV is the nicest looking boat on the ocean AND one of the safest!

I don't know so well about the SAFEST!! I PERSONALLY watched and was part of the guys who tried to stop a 30' ACECRAFT from sinking on its mooring. This boat had had its engines removed, and was awaiting its new engines when the hull took on water and sank!! We couldn't get the water out of her in time and when the entire rear of the boat was submerged, we had to use the yacht club's tender to tow her into the shallows and pretty much run her aground. The guys waited for low tide and then pumped all the water out of the hull and waited for the next high tide to float her off the shallows and take her out of the water............

Doesn't inspire any confidence in terms of bouyancy when a 30' ACECRAFT, WITH-OUT the additional weight of its engines, sinks........

Regards

miles
 

leroyd

New member
Hi Miles, I don'tt know if an Ace craft is öne of the safest"" boats around or not, but seeing 1 boat sink , does not suddenly make it "not safe".

Without knowing the details of why that boat sank - no real conclusions can be made.

Maybe it was very old, with lot's of water already in it's hull, or whatever other reason (there could be many) it had water in it's hull, and this was just the day that the weight of the water got to much for it ?

I'm sure even a Butt cat has sank somewhere - does that not make it safe ?

Anyway, not to belabour the point - I'm not speaking about the merits or demerits of any of these craft, all I'm saying is that seeing 1 sink, without all the facts of why it sank - does not make a whole "range of boats"unsafe.

Just my 2c - from someone who's fairly neutral - even though I do like big V's.

All the best

Leroy

 
 
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