About Fletcher Boat Company

Works of art float out of shop

Simon Fletcher started building wooden boats in Virginia in 1987¹, inspired by the Speedliner runabouts of the 1940s and 50s.

“14′ Speedliner Trophy replica built by Simon Fletcher, Lancaster VA. This lightweight runabout retains the happy combination of simple construction and efficient use of power that made the original boats hot performers in the years following World War II.” *Wooden Boat Magazine* #93, March/April 1990, p 124, 126.

In 1990, Simon moved his family and the boat building to Port Angeles, WA, where he also began expanding his lineup, adding a 16′ model, and eventually an 18′ and 19′.

Fletcher boats were originally all powered by outboard motors, but in 1993 Simon began building inboard boats, with hull #23 being the second inboard model completed in 1993.² Wooden Boat Magazine indicates that the second inboard was powered by a 4-cylinder Volvo engine, but the likely first model ran a Volvo 230 6 cylinder. Fletcher also installed at least one 4-cylinder Kodiak engine (2.3L 4-cylinder Ford block) in a 1993 18′ (Encore). By 1997 Simon had added jet drives to his propulsion options, and in 2008 advertising he included an “economical diesel power option” as well. Later-model 19′ boats seem to be primarily powered by the Volvo Penta 4.3 6-cylinder

This web page capture (presumably from 2012) is the latest menu of models and options this site has located to date.

Fletcher boats can be found throughout the US and Canada, and as far overseas as Australia (see Noosa Dream) and Poland (Rose, Wooden Boat #208, May /June 2009, p90).

Manufacturers Identification , search MIC “YRD” ↩︎
Wooden Boat Magazine #110, Jan/Feb 1993, Pg 26 ↩︎