1972 Aquasport 22 Specs

[walloceans]

HI Guys-  I have been running an old Aquasport 22 from 1972 , all original and in good shape.  It came with an Evinrude 150 2 stroke which I have kept as long as its running.  BUt it's heavy and the transome was strengthened a long timnne ago with a full width aluminum plate about 1/2" thick which is not weightless either.   I use the boat to commute to my island house, about a 10-15 minute trip at 6 knots.  Elswhere the boat will get up and go to 25 kts on good water.  HOwever-the engine is failing, I think, so am interested to know minimum horsepower to get the weaight down.  THe weight of present motor and re-enforcement puts the cockpit drain under water.  THe space under the deck insert is clear and free of water.  Great old boat and looks like a boat should. I want to keep it.
What is minimum HP to get up and go, say, 20Kts?  Cheers/  Bob on Cape Cod

[RickK]

Hi Bob and welcome aboard.
Is your boat a flatback hull or the "new" 12 degree hull they came out with in '72. You can tell by looking at the bottom of the transom from the rear. Either it's nearly flat across the bottom or has a 12 degree slant from the garboard plug up to the hull sides.
Reason I ask is because the FBs were designed for 150 hp or less, usually a 70 or 90 hp. The 12 degree hulls were designed for 140 hp or so. People now a days that have refurbed FBs run 150s (2Stroke) on them.
Here is data from both eras - 1971 - https://classicaquasport.com/gallery/data/570/68AS_all_models_price_options1_1971.jpg

1972 - https://classicaquasport.com/gallery/data/555/68AS_22-2_brochure2_c1970s.jpg

[walloceans]

Hi Rick- thanks for the note.  I think the boat is the old flatback. WAs just hauled the other day here but not in my yard to look at.  Will check ASAP.  Would be happy to run and lighter motor. Currently will run at 25kts in flat water but I do that seldomly.  More later/  Many thanks/ Bob

[Ulysses485]

As Rickk indicated, once we know which of the 222s it is, we will know your situation. Do you have the drain trough with 2 scuppers at the center going through the transom? Do you have storage boxes on the face of the forward raised deck that give you storage all the way underneath the casting deck?

[walloceans]

Hi Guys-  I did find a photo of the transom and it shows "Flatback" (no V)  I would say slightly rounded at transom but not the V.  Small sump on Centerline at transom with 2 through drainholes. Storage under aft end of fwd deck which opens up and out, large enough for spar 6 gallon tank and hoses, etc.  Foredeck opens to anchor and line storage with through hull drain.  Very Tough workable boat,  I like it.  I like that it is way less than $10K.  Amazing that it is 50 years old. 
   So what does that leave me for best power? (Present is 150 hp Evinrude 2 stroke)  Would like to shed some weight aft so the scuppers work.  Many thanks/ Bob

[walloceans]

HI Guys- further to above:  I wanted to add to my profile- I have the 1972ish Aquasport 22 (Flatback) with the Evinrude 150 2 stroke.  I also have  1972 (ish?) Aquasport 240 with the side console and small cuddy cabin forward. I swapped out a 4 cyll. 135 hp engine and outdrive for unused replacement, all together now running in N. Florida.  Both useful boats and simple, bullet-proof, decent looking.  How can I add those to a profile? Cheers/  Bob

[RickK]

Along the upper part of the site, below the Logo, you see a blue line going across. Find Profile and click on it. Along the upper part of the Profile section you'll find "Modify Profile" - in the modify section you'll find a "Signature" section that you can add your info to.

[RickK]

Your foam inside the stringers may be saturated with water. That will require some major surgery to repair. Not hard but major.

[walloceans]

Thanks Rikk-  I know what you are talking about- I have a friend with a saturated Aquasport 22.  Mine shows none of those symptoms. The present engine is 450 # plus 100# of aluminum transom stiffener so, doing the math, that extra weight seems to account for it in the 22.  The 240 I had opened the bilge up pretty much last winter and cleaned and checked everything I could get at. That boat had a good life with good maintenance until it sat a bit uncover through covid on a trailer.  I got it pretty cheap becsude the engine was stuck. I had a replacement engine with the whole works, transom mount and outdrive so swapped them out.  In doing so I discovered that the original engine was not stack but stuck in the outdrive transom bearing. So I have 2 small time good engines. I don't seem to have a waterlog issue.Many thanks/ Bob

[RickK]

The only way to get the scuppers out of the water in the aft is to shed some weight back there. You can step down to a 2 stroke 90 hp, which will push the boat fine. The FBs don't jump up on plane like a V hull with strakes, they just start cutting through the water and start rising up toward the surface, going faster as they rise up. The hull is also known for "bow steering" - you're cruising along and hit a wave at the wrong angle and all of a sudden you've changed course 90 degrees. People have added a keel from about the 1/2 way point all the way aft to help the sliding that can happen when turning.
You can also cover the scuppers on the aft side of the transom with ping pong ball covers.

[Ulysses485]

Nice Rides! Lets see some photos!! Regarding the flatback, I would be curious if you have some moisture saturation of the foam in the stringers. I found that my 70' sat pretty good with the trough only holding water with a 455lb motor and 30-35 gallons of fuel in the original console. See my photos in my flatback thread. As it turned out, the foam was pretty dry from the stringers.

I am in the middle of the rebuild and will be raising the deck a few inches but most of the time, these older flatbacks are saturated with moisture and that alone is the problem. However, the motor bracket setup drives the deck height.

I think like Rickk said, a 90-140hp motor would suit you well. Its nice to have a 4stroke so if budget allows, a 115 or 140hp Suzuki would suit the hull well. A 90 2 stroke would work well as well.