Boatbuilding ideas

I have a theory about working on a series of boats that are steeped in tradition. I’ve looked for them on the net and found versions of this boat that were pretty much always sold fast when put on the market.
They are boats that were designed in the 30’s and used for racing. Two people can fit into the small cockpit and they are treated to a thrill of speed and sound on relatively smooth water.
Yes, I’m talking about a 16′ hydroplane called the Flyer 135; with her smooth sheer lines and stepped underwater, hull. This boat would be powered by a 4 cylinder marine engine with hydraulic transmission. Crandall designed the boat and as far as I can find on the internet, only two people have actually built the boat. I know it has been built before but, I just can’t find any more pics than the two that I have on file.
One is from an historic picture collection of a Shephard boat, built in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The other was built in the States somewhere by a builder who e-mailed me about the boat’s progress. I do not know if it was ever finished and used but, she sure looked good.
Now there are plans for a larger version called the “Super-Flyer”. This version seems like a good idea but, I’m a little skeptical about stretching a smaller boat and putting more power in it as a hydroplane.
I’ll stick to a smaller, more original version for now.
I would love to have a commission to finish what I have already stated but, with some pinching here and some saving there, I may be able to afford it for the summer and then sell her as hull #1.

Man, I wish I could post pics here. I just need to find out how….

Till next time…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.