I'm trying to figure out which of the currently available outboards I could use to push a 115 lb. 3-point hydroplane, the Scat Cat. I would even be interested in an antiqu-ish engine like an older Merc Hurricane or Champion 6N-HR or something smaller. I'm a senior trying to recapture the thrills of running the Scat Cat which I built and raced back in the late '50s and '60s. I have obtained the original plans and am now putting together a build and run budget. I am currently a boater but not a racer, I just want to motor around the lake in Scat Cat at a reasonable speed! Thanks for any info you can provide. Michael B.
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Mark 15 Mercury
Hello Michael B,
A Mark 15 Mercury would do nicely. Wayne Seeberg has a nice Mark 15 on the Q length quicksilver lower unit..... I think $1100. Wayne has all excellent equipment. I don't think you could do much better than that.
Call Wayne at 925-229-0414. He lives in the northern California Bay area.
Dean
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Dean F. Hobart
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Scat Cat Engines
Originally posted by agnewwaterway View PostI'm trying to figure out which of the currently available outboards I could use to push a 115 lb. 3-point hydroplane, the Scat Cat. I would even be interested in an antiqu-ish engine like an older Merc Hurricane or Champion 6N-HR or something smaller. I'm a senior trying to recapture the thrills of running the Scat Cat which I built and raced back in the late '50s and '60s. I have obtained the original plans and am now putting together a build and run budget. I am currently a boater but not a racer, I just want to motor around the lake in Scat Cat at a reasonable speed! Thanks for any info you can provide. Michael B.
I built that very hydro back in the mid 1950's. I used several engines on it for boating in the bays in Miami Beach. One was the 25 hp Evenrude standard lower unit. Not a race engine and without a high speed lower unit but it was fun and it did about 40. I even pulled a water skier with it. Transom height had to be increased to 17 to 18" I believe to deal with the longer lower unit.
I also used a KG7 with a quicksilver lower unit and that was alot faster in the 50+ range. Had to cut down the transom for this engine.
If you can find one a 1973+ Merc 25ssh engine would do nicely and should get you close to 60 if you trim the boat right to get the sponsons off the water and use full length air traps.
If you go with the quicksilver lower unit make the transom dimension = 15.5 to 16" from the planing surface to the top of the transom where the motor mounts. If you want to get near the optimum height raise the engine/prop using shim sticks up from there. Will have to experiment to get it right.
Have fun"Keep Move'n" life is catching up!
No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
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Scat Cat
Originally posted by tj15m View PostDo you have any pictures of your Scat Cat? I think I have one from what I could find on the internet under Popular Science boat plans. That boat had a Hot Rod on it. TJ 15M, since 1962."Keep Move'n" life is catching up!
No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
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Scat Cat Construction
Originally posted by agnewwaterway View PostI'm trying to figure out which of the currently available outboards I could use to push a 115 lb. 3-point hydroplane, the Scat Cat. I would even be interested in an antiqu-ish engine like an older Merc Hurricane or Champion 6N-HR or something smaller. I'm a senior trying to recapture the thrills of running the Scat Cat which I built and raced back in the late '50s and '60s. I have obtained the original plans and am now putting together a build and run budget. I am currently a boater but not a racer, I just want to motor around the lake in Scat Cat at a reasonable speed! Thanks for any info you can provide. Michael B."Keep Move'n" life is catching up!
No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
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Scat Cat materials:
I read your post about the materials to use on Scat Cat. I used mahogany plywood and clear spruce, as req'd. on the plans, (except for the keel where I used oak) and screwed and glued the original together. I think the oak improved the torsional rigidity, especially with the Merc. 22 that I was using. Another deviation I will make from the plans regards the "nose", the large radius bow piece; I'm going to laminate it in one piece instead of three curved pieces reinforced with shaped plates over the 2 joints. I remember that the plywood plates leave 2 raised areas which make it difficult to deck smoothly with the mahogany plywood. This is the plan so far but plans can change! I'm still poring over the pages from S and M, '57 and refreshing my memory. Thanks for your interest, Michael B.
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Scat Cat construction
Originally posted by agnewwaterway View PostI read your post about the materials to use on Scat Cat. I used mahogany plywood and clear spruce, as req'd. on the plans, (except for the keel where I used oak) and screwed and glued the original together. I think the oak improved the torsional rigidity, especially with the Merc. 22 that I was using. Another deviation I will make from the plans regards the "nose", the large radius bow piece; I'm going to laminate it in one piece instead of three curved pieces reinforced with shaped plates over the 2 joints. I remember that the plywood plates leave 2 raised areas which make it difficult to deck smoothly with the mahogany plywood. This is the plan so far but plans can change! I'm still poring over the pages from S and M, '57 and refreshing my memory. Thanks for your interest, Michael B.
Good edit to laminate the bow. After I built the Hall Kelly Wetback in 1970 that had a laminated bow curve with 3 pieces I would have done the same to the Scat cat if I knew the technique back then in the mid 1950's. For your laminated bow are you planning to cut curved pieces of 1/4" plywood like horse shoe shape and laminate 3 pieces or are you planning to use spruce 1/4" x 3/4" high and bend and laminate on the curve? This is the Wetback procedure and it makes for a strong light bow piece once the decking is secured to it. It requires that you glue and secure the 3 pieces at the same time starting from one sponson corner and bending the 3 with glue to the other sponson corner securing as the bending and adding glue proceeds to the frames and stringers.
BTW Clark Craft has reasonable prices for epoxy glue with a 1:1 mix that makes it easy to use and is plenty strong and no amine blush. I have used various epoxies like West, MAS, Bondo and the Clark Craft is a quality epoxy with reasonable cost. It brushes well for coating surfaces and can be thickned with additives. Here is a link
http://www.clarkcraft.com/cgi-suppli...ducts&cart_id=
When thicker epoxy is needed I use Cabisil (sp) a powered silica additive for a strong mix. You control the thickness with the amount added. I have added as much as equal volume to achieve thickness needed in some cases.
Glad to help
Pete"Keep Move'n" life is catching up!
No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
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Scat Cat lamination:
Hi Pete, funny that you should query the direction of the lamination for the bow curve. A boating friend of mine and I were having the same conversation yesterday and decided that although it's a hell of a lot more work the bent spruce lamination will probably be the strongest especially on the vertical plane. It will require a form to the specs of the bow to hold it to the curve after being steamed or heated, bent with epoxy. As you can tell I am still working out a construction approach to the various components. You'd think I was about to build the **** Titanic! I'm also trying to decide on an engine to push Scat Cat, but more on that later. Cya, Michael B.
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Scat Cat construction
Originally posted by agnewwaterway View PostHi Pete, funny that you should query the direction of the lamination for the bow curve. A boating friend of mine and I were having the same conversation yesterday and decided that although it's a hell of a lot more work the bent spruce lamination will probably be the strongest especially on the vertical plane. It will require a form to the specs of the bow to hold it to the curve after being steamed or heated, bent with epoxy. As you can tell I am still working out a construction approach to the various components. You'd think I was about to build the **** Titanic! I'm also trying to decide on an engine to push Scat Cat, but more on that later. Cya, Michael B.
Michael
The vertical 3 piece lamination does not require steam/heat to bend since each of the 1/4" x 3/4" are bent easily in the plane of the 1/4" dimension(3/4 dimension is vertical) When I was doing it on the Kelly Wetback I cut the 3 1/4 x 3/4 pieces about 12 ft long (you would need to measure the length required on Scat cat but 12 ft probably ok). I started at the rear corner of the sponson (pick your side). I attached 3 pieces with about 15" of glue glue on the laminates. A single screw was used to attach the 3 pieces to the sponson corner. Then you would advance in the 12 ft direction of the 3 strips and add glue and bend and attach to the stringers and frame ends that would require prior trim cut angle to properly meet the 3 -1/4 x 3/4 pieces. Use of clamps along the way is needed to close the 3 pieces together. Work your way to the other sponson corner adding glue, screws and clamps as needed. If planned the bending and securing can be done in about 30 minutes.
When glue is cured you can fare the 3/4/ x 3/4 laminated bow piece to meet the plywood bottom, sponson sides and sponson bottom and the deck.
Note that lamination in the flat direction requires that the bow piece be cut from plywood with the bow curve and this will not efficiently use plywood (lot of waste).
Glad to help
Pete"Keep Move'n" life is catching up!
No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
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Good Lake Boating Memories
Wow,
This thread brings back some vivid, early teen-age memories at the lake property. I had a white-hulled Scat Cat with a modified natural mahogany deck (no windshield or cloth front fairing) and a custom white scallop paint job (the deck was cut out a little further forward than the boat building plans.) I ran a custom, color-matched Mark 30H with a quickie lower unit and two-blade clever. The hydro turned around 62 mph in 1960, so I could run with the high performance G-3's and Sande Ace marathon hulls (with a 55H) at Mason Lake near Belfair, Washington (where the dual cockpit, Sande Ace runabout was manufactured, back in the day.) The hydro transom was cut low, so the rear freeboard was very shallow also and caused some water overflow problems if I had to try and start the heavy 30H in more than in one pull. The hull was really designed for an A- or B-class motor, not a C-class Merc 30H.
A hydro racer guy named Bill Muncey came out one weekend at the lake to visit the neighbors for a picnic and to run his 280 limited hydro one weekend -- boy, was that cool! He was already an unlimited driver of some fame, and I got to meet him up close and personal and show him my new Scat Cat hydro! What an experience.
I think the Merc 25SS is as big a motor as I would run if I were to outfit one of those hulls again. The thing ought to scream with a 70's Merc 25SS. The KG motors were most commonly employed for lake driving fun. I sold my 30H motor and boat and trailer setup after I came home from active duty in the Navy in 1968.
Al
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Originally posted by ZUL8TR View Post---------------------------------------------
Michael
The vertical 3 piece lamination does not require steam/heat to bend since each of the 1/4" x 3/4" are bent easily in the plane of the 1/4" dimension(3/4 dimension is vertical) When I was doing it on the Kelly Wetback I cut the 3 1/4 x 3/4 pieces about 12 ft long (you would need to measure the length required on Scat cat but 12 ft probably ok). I started at the rear corner of the sponson (pick your side). I attached 3 pieces with about 15" of glue glue on the laminates. A single screw was used to attach the 3 pieces to the sponson corner. Then you would advance in the 12 ft direction of the 3 strips and add glue and bend and attach to the stringers and frame ends that would require prior trim cut angle to properly meet the 3 -1/4 x 3/4 pieces. Use of clamps along the way is needed to close the 3 pieces together. Work your way to the other sponson corner adding glue, screws and clamps as needed. If planned the bending and securing can be done in about 30 minutes.
When glue is cured you can fare the 3/4/ x 3/4 laminated bow piece to meet the plywood bottom, sponson sides and sponson bottom and the deck.
Note that lamination in the flat direction requires that the bow piece be cut from plywood with the bow curve and this will not efficiently use plywood (lot of waste).
Glad to help
Pete
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Originally posted by Al Peffley View PostWow,
This thread brings back some vivid, early teen-age memories at the lake property. I had a white-hulled Scat Cat with a modified natural mahogany deck (no windshield or cloth front fairing) and a custom white scallop paint job (the deck was cut out a little further forward than the boat building plans.) I ran a custom, color-matched Mark 30H with a quickie lower unit and two-blade clever. The hydro turned around 62 mph in 1960, so I could run with the high performance G-3's and Sande Ace marathon hulls (with a 55H) at Mason Lake near Belfair, Washington (where the dual cockpit, Sande Ace runabout was manufactured, back in the day.) The hydro transom was cut low, so the rear freeboard was very shallow also and caused some water overflow problems if I had to try and start the heavy 30H in more than in one pull. The hull was really designed for an A- or B-class motor, not a C-class Merc 30H.
A hydro racer guy named Bill Muncey came out one weekend at the lake to visit the neighbors for a picnic and to run his 280 limited hydro one weekend -- boy, was that cool! He was already an unlimited driver of some fame, and I got to meet him up close and personal and show him my new Scat Cat hydro! What an experience.
I think the Merc 25SS is as big a motor as I would run if I were to outfit one of those hulls again. The thing ought to scream with a 70's Merc 25SS. The KG motors were most commonly employed for lake driving fun. I sold my 30H motor and boat and trailer setup after I came home from active duty in the Navy in 1968.
Al
Any or all suggestions are welcome as it is still all on paper. Michael B.
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Scat Cat Construction
Originally posted by agnewwaterway View PostRight on Peter, a second method would be to cut the outside curve from a piece of chipboard and build up the laminated plate inside that, layer by layer. Let it dry and remove as a one piece plate. Regardless of the details the laminated plate is the way to go. Michael B.
I like it. Go for it. A chip board pattern is certainly easy to construct and relatively cheap.
BTW if you haven't decided yet on the fasteners I have used 1" - 14gauge 316 stainless steel nails for all the 1/4" or 6mm plywood planking except the deck. For the 1/8" or 3 mm deck I use 3/4" -15gauge nails. If the stainless not available silicon bronze can be used. Stay away from galvanized fasteners.
Pete"Keep Move'n" life is catching up!
No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
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