Build Your Own Boat
Don't let the $25 price tag fool you. This sleek one-man skimmer is a rugged boat built for speed.
Republished from the POPULAR MECHANICS 1965 issue, by popular reader demand.
DESIGNER: Glen L. WittTYPE OF HULL: Three-Point HydroplaneLENGTH: 8 ft. 2 in. Over-allBEAM: 54 in.WEIGHT: 74 lbs.COST TO CONSTRUCT: $25MAXIMUM HP: 20SPEED: 33 m.p.h. with 14-hp. McCulloch motorturning 7-1/2 x 10 two-blade prop; load included 175-lb. driver and 5 gal. gasCONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS: George Blow, PM Art Dept.
WHILE NOT INTENDED for an assault on world speed records, Saucy Shingle is basically the same breed as those big record boats. Three-point hydroplanes hold all major water speed records, and though her points may be smaller, she's a miniature thoroughbred.
Small enough to fit inside a station wagon or on top of a compact car, the bare hull weighs only 74 lbs. It's an easy construction job that can be accomplished in a corner of your garage or basement.
Study the drawings and photos carefully before starting to build. No building jig is required, but the steps must be carried out in order.
Click above for high-resolution image.
BILL OF MATERIALS
Item
Material
No. Pcs.
Size
Bottom, Side & Runner Planking
DF PW Exterior AB
1
1/4" x 4' x 8'
Bow Lamination, Frame Gussets & Floorboards
1/4" x 4' x 4'
Bow Piece No. 3, Dash Beam No. 7, Transom and motor boards
1/2" x 4' x 4'
Decking and Cowling Cover
1/8" x 4' x 8'
Bottom Battens
Spruce or Mahogany
3
1/2" x 2' x 6'
Anti-Trip Chine
2
1/2" x 1-3/4" x 4' 6"
Frames
1/2" x 6' x 9'
Cross Pawl at Frames 1 & 2
3/4" x 1-1/4" x 4'
Transom Cap
3/4" x 1-3/4" x 3'
Sheer Clamp & Carlings
4
3/4" x 3/4" x 8'
Deck Batten
1/2" x 1" x 4'
Coaming
1/2" x 7" (net) x 14' (makes two)
GLUE: Resorcinol or Plastic Resin, Approx. 3 lbs.
FASTENINGS:Nails: Ring-type boat nails, bronze or monel. 3/4" #14--1 lb., 1-1/4" #12--1/2 lb.Screws: Flathead wood type, hot dipped galvanized iron. 1-1/2" #8--22 only, 3" #14--3 only
STEP 1. Cut the bottom planking sheet from 1/4-in. plywood, and mark the positions of the two frames, the transom and the battens. The runner chines are cut from 1/2-in. spruce and extend from Frame 1 forward on both of the outer edges of the bottom panel. Nail from the inside of the planking with 3/4-in. nails spaced 2 in. apart, after coating the contacting surfaces liberally with glue.
STEP 2. The frames are cut from 1/2-in. spruce assembled over 1/4-in. plywood gussets. On Frame 1, notches for the non-trip chine and the bow piece are cut into the frame only; on the balance of the longitudinals and also on Frame 2, the notches are cut into both the framework and the plywood gussets. Coat contacting surfaces with glue and assemble the framework to the 1/4-in. plywood with 3/4-in. nails. After the two half assemblies are made, they are mounted over the 3/4 x 1-1/4-in. crossmember so that the inside distance that will contact the runner chines is accurately spaced at 16 in. on either side of the center line.
STEP 3. Tack Frame 2 in place on the bottom planking, then permanently fasten it by driving nails through the underside into the cross member and through the runner chines into the side frame member. The three 1/2 x 2-in. bottom battens are nailed from the underneath side with 3/4-in. nails spaced about 3 in. apart. Note that at the aft end these members are bevelled to accommodate the 15-deg. angle of the transom and aligned to the inside of the transom surface.
STEP 4....
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