Formula bottom designs

[Jordan Rautiola]

I'm slowly making progress on the "renewing/upgrading" of my '81 Formula 255 Liberator, having removed every trace of fabric & material (headliner, walls, carpet, etc), cushions, and took out the "head compartment".  It's being updated with foam-backed vinyl on the walls, "hull-liner" fabric on the ceiling, plush marine carpet, new v-berth foam/upholstery, newly designed cabin seats with armrests (w/drink holders), new faucet, replace refrigerator with a cooler and storage shelving, new counter top, LED lighting, CD/DVD player w/19" LCD monitor, completely new sound system w/MB Quart speakers/subwoofer, Cadence equalizer and 5-channel amp, new water tank, etc.  The boat is totally solid and dry and has gorgeous Imron paint applied by the factory (it was a "warranty replacement hull").  Engines are twin 260 Mercs with stock Alpha drives.  The pics below were taken right after I bought it -- the cabin is pretty much stripped right now.

Here is the link to the 255 pics and the '81 Formula brochure.  Note that '82 was the final year for the 255 and as most of you know '83 was the swan song for the 233.  http://s1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff492/sideskraft/1981%20Formula...

http://www.formulaboats.com/documents/brochures/1981%20Formula%20Br...

There is one item that I need to keep the resto-mod process moving forward, and that's a port (side) window frame.  That's the thin black one-piece frame that is affixed to the outside of the boat.  It was damaged in a docking mishap by a previous owner.  The same windows were used from the mid-70s through the late 80s on all the F-Series (F3, 233, 242, 272, 302, etc) boats, so lots of boats were build using this design. 

The other reason for my posting is to pick the "technical minds" of the 233 Registry regarding the bottom design of this boat.  In all of the Formula literature I've seen from the 70s and 80s, the company promotes their 24-degree deadrise hull designs and the benefits in ride, handling and safety.  When you compare the 233 and 255 bottoms, I see some big differences, the most glaring being the front "attack angle".  The 233 is more vertical and rounded, whereas the 255 is more horizontal and straight.  Logic would dictate that in the same seas, the 255 will "bob" more with the bow point getting closer to the water than the 233.  Also the 255 has a very skinny nose, which makes the v-berth bed quite narrow, compared to the 233's wider v-berth (my F3 is wider too).  I think this means the 255 has less "bow flare".  I believe that many of the high-speed offshore boats (Cigarette, Fountain) and newer Formulas have this narrow nose/reduced bow flare design, probably to reduce drag and increase speed when cutting through a wave.  Then moving aft on the hull, the 233 is very unique in that the bottom appears to be convex in the last 5-6 feet -- the 255 looks relatively flat.  I think the 233 has a purposely designed "rocker".  And finally when you look at both of them from the rear, the 233 definitely has a steeper deadrise angle than the 255.  Frankly, the Formula 255 Liberator hull (bottom and top) looks very much like Four Winns' 260 Liberator, which was introduced a couple years after Formula stopped making the 255 (I'm guessing that Mr Porter sold the Liberator trademark to the Winn brothers).  Possibly the most unique feature of the 255 is the prodigious freeboard.  Even with the weight of twin engines/drives, the 255 owner will never have to worry about getting swamped by an errant swell from a a 300 foot super yacht or nasty storm.  With my wife being new to boating and since we will do almost all of our boating on the east shore of Lake Michigan (3-4 footers are normal), all that freeboard adds a nice buffer from the water.  Interestingly, I think my F3 has as much or more freeboard (in the back) than the 233 (single engine), but it has a "sharp-v" at the transom -- the 233 and 255 both have a "round-v" design.   

So, I'm hoping that someone out there might be able to offer some observations on the similarities and differences between the 233 and 255 hull and how they might affect the 255's performance, ride and big water capabilities.  I already asked Formula if they could provide any background on the what the 255 design parameters and objectives were, and why the key points of the 233 design were not carried over to the 255 (the 255 model came out in '76), but they have no information.  Is it safe to assume that Jim Wynne penned the 255 (I'm not sure when he joined Thunderbird)?  I would pay handsomely for the opportunity to spend a few hours with the 255 designer to learn all about it).  I'm totally fascinated with the 233 hull design, and it looks so "capable" of handling some serious waves as it rides across the water with it's "nose up" attitude (that rocker/convex bottom must contribute to that).  The 255 has its own unique hull design attributes, but not being an aqua-dynamic engineer, I am clueless as to what the differences and similarities to the 233 mean on the water in various sea conditions.   FYI - the Formula brochure claims the weight of the 255 Liberator is just over 5600lbs (with twin small blocks/Alphas).  

[Eric Uschold]

Jordan, 

Please be sure to document your work extensively.  I just picked up a 1981 233 here in Minnesota that I'm working on but am interested in seeing how and what you are doing differently before I begin my project.  My boat is 100% stock outside of trim tabs that were added by the second owner.  So far I have started on the stereo and added a Eclipse tuner, 2 Soundstream amps, and I'm going to add a 10" JL audio sub but have not decided on components yet but am leaning towards MTX or Soundstream.

You have a beautiful boat on your hands and thought you would like to know there is a '76 for sale at a dealer on Lake Minnetonka for $5,300 currently fully restored.  Initially I wanted to pick it up but it needed a trailer and I felt that it would be a bit to heavy for my D2 Land Rover to pull.  

Eric

[Jordan Rautiola]

Eric, it sounds like you have a good starting point with your '81 233.  I have been taking photos during my updating process.  Your sound system definitely will have some high quality music coming out!  I plan to sell my '84 F3LS either this year or in the spring (it came from MN).  Maybe someone on the 233 Registry would be interested in the '76 you found on Minnetonka.  If you have pics of your 233 or the one for sale, you should post them.  Have a good one!