The Fletcher 140 Arrowflyte was the boat to bring hig performance motor boating to the masses, a very affordable runaround to both buy and own
An old 14ft speedboat might seem an odd choice for a Cool Boat, but dig a little into the history of these great little runabouts and you soon uncover a wealth of coolness, starting with Norman Fletcher – the man who founded Fletcher International Sportsboats.
His background was powerboat racing, so when he built his first boat out of cold-moulded mahogany in the late 1950s, it was absolutely a performance machine. And when he formed Fletcher International in 1963 and started building boats out of fibreglass, so was every model that followed. But crucially, these brilliant little boats were designed to bring performance boating to the masses.
Whilst the range quickly grew, topping out at a 27ft Zingaro, Fletcher never let go of those smaller boats, and the 14ft Arrowflyte remained in production almost throughout, even after the company was sold to the Hornby Group (yes, that Hornby) in 1988.
The 140 Arrowflyte was aimed very much at the first-time buyer. With a recommended engine power band of 35-70hp, it was light enough to be towed behind a normal car on an unbraked trailer (the boat on its own weighed just 230kg) and yet it was fast and powerful enough to pull a waterskier. And rated, in those pre-RCD days as ‘Coastal Approved’, it was a surprisingly tough and capable little sea boat.
The term ‘punching above its weight’ could almost have been invented with it in mind. I drove one fitted with a 90hp two-stroke Mercury – it was hilariously fast (zero to fully on the plane took just two seconds) and felt like driving a very fast aquatic go-kart (in a good way), but it was also tremendously capable for its size.
The Fletcher Arrowflyte 14 was surprisingly quick, capable and affordable – the boat world’s answer to the original Mini Cooper
Most were fitted with back-to-back seats, although two bucket seats and a forward-facing bench seat was an option. There was even a genuine race boat derivative! In conjunction with Yamaha, who supplied the 40hp outboards, and the RYA, it was conceived as a one-make race series, creating a cheap and easy way to introduce people to powerboat racing.
But what the Arrowflyte did best of all was introduce a whole army of people to the joy of boating. Over 10,000 were built and sold the world over, and the marine industry as a whole owes a debt of thanks to Norman Fletcher and this brilliant, and brilliantly cool, little boat.
See our full coolest boat hall of fame
Fletcher 140 Arrowflyte specifications
Year: 1970 – 2009
LOA: 14ft 2in (4.3m)
Beam: 5ft 3in (1.6m)
Power: 35-70hp outboard engine
Speed: 30+ knots
Price: Not a lot
If you enjoyed this….
If you enjoyed this….Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.
Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.
Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.
Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
