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I am introducing my 9 and 11 year old boys to boat racing. My intention is to build a couple of boats over the winter - an 8' to 10' hydroplane and a 10" to 11' runabout. Horsepower will range between 5 and 20. We will by running 50s era Mercs that I used to race in the 70s. Does anyone have boat plan recommendations for good handling boats that a semi-novice can build? I built a couple of Hal Kelly designs when I raced, but didn't know if there were some modern designs that were lighter, faster or easier to build. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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A few builders sell plans and kits I believe. What part of the country?sigpicWayne DiGiacomo -
All of the boats that Hal Kelly designed ( Hydroplane and Runabout plans ) can be obtained in PDF form for free ; here's one example that could be scaled down
http://www.boatsport.org/PDF/Airborne1.TextMark.pdf
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Contact Blueskyracer for full sized plans and construction manual.
Welcome to hydroracer, we hope you enjoy your visit.Comment
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A great source for plans (both contemporary and classic vintage) is Darrell Sorensen.
Visit his site at www.sorensenwoodcraft.com to see at the array of plans Darrell offers.
His current boats are winners and his classic vintage boats are faithful to their era.
Good luck on your endeavor.
Joe
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All: Thanks for the input! The information was very helpful. I live in Western Pennsylvania.Comment
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Blueskyracer has very good, detailed, plans.Comment
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lyndsay hero card 1.jpg You might want to consider a B&H Kit by Sam Hemp. I built one for my granddaughter. And you can see from the photo that it runs just like a hydro is suppose to run. I have to note that, much to Sam's dispair, I made one change and put a Pro style windshield and cowl on it.
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It sounds like you need A Stock boats. I would recommend Darrell Sorensen at Sorensen Woodcraft, he lives in Merced California. Get his Little Rascal plans for the Hydro and his Jackal plans for the Runabout. The Jackal has won National Championships and set records. His phones number are 559-665-2690 and 209-233-9799.Originally posted by Super10 View Post
What a great father/sons project.sigpic
Dean F. Hobart
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Great input everyone! I think I am good to go.Comment
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What designs have you decided on building?Originally posted by Super10 View Postsigpic
Dean F. Hobart
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We are trying to decide on a 50's Hal Kelly "Foo Ling" or a modern Sorensen Woodcraft "Jackal." The Foo Ling has an open cockpit so I could fit one of the boys in the boat to assist in training them. However, once trained, they would probably get more use and race potential with the Jackal. We are leaning a little towards the Jackal. Thoughts?Comment
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Go with the Jackal.Comment
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Yes... go with the Jackal. The Foo Ling although nostalgic, is not a curent design... and someone sitting in the front cockpit would not work either.... the front cockpit was only there because Runabouts originally were called Utility’s and the front cockpit was only there because it was in the Rules at the time.... not to be actually used. That rule went away about 1962.Originally posted by pav225 View Post
Set the throttle up so it does not get ‘Full Throttle’... maybe 1/2 throttle at first.... someone light should be able to get on plane at 1/2 throttle... do some experimenting.
Good luck on your father/son project.sigpic
Dean F. Hobart
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