JET BOAT!! Something different, cheap and fun.

My next project is probably going to be a plywood boat for a 5hp. Not a hydroplane though, just a boat for the kids to play with.

Want to build a kayak? I've got blueprints.

Ooo! That's tempting. I thought about building a kayak for practice and because my kayak is a little too flexible for my comfort. Have you built it?

Toyman01 wrote: My next project is probably going to be a plywood boat for a 5hp. Not a hydroplane though, just a boat for the kids to play with.

Minimax! Search on here I've posted info before.

MattGent wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: My next project is probably going to be a plywood boat for a 5hp. Not a hydroplane though, just a boat for the kids to play with.

Minimax! Search on here I've posted info before.

Called those "Sea Fleas" when I was a kid. When I was but a kid, I build one with plywood that I liberated from a nearby housing development. FTI a 9.8 hp merc is a bit too much power

It's probably going to be something more like this.

Also check out www.ccwbra.com that have a spec 8ft 6hp/8hp boat with a few races a year up and down the east coast. I have one it's lots of fun.

My childhood friend had a little 10ft half balsa wood half canvas boat(like those photos posted kinda) we strapped my stock 9.9 evenrude on it and threw it in a high end neighborhood lake, bastard would run 45mph easy although in an gahnoe(canoe with flat back) it would only run 21mph. It was a wild ride way too much for a kid it would swamp if you let out the throttle. Fun times though

mfvmx wrote: Also check out www.ccwbra.com that have a spec 8ft 6hp/8hp boat with a few races a year up and down the east coast. I have one it's lots of fun.

Oh boy. I hate to even go down this rabbit hole. But I've got three Johnson/Evinrude 6hp outboards and can see this being fun.

Toyman...whatever project is next, I'll gladly read along! Thanks!

OK, I had planed to reuse the front hatch. Then I realized it was stupid to do all this work and then stick a half-assed front hatch in, so it got a new one today.

The interior is done other than mounting the start, stop, and electrical panel. I have a plan for that, but it's going to take a few days to build. With 14 people showing up at my house for Thanksgiving, I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to build it.

Another over all picture.

More to come, I'm just not sure when.

Moving the steering meant I had to move the electrical panel and start/stop buttons. I had a little time to tinker and built this. They will be migrating here. The electrical panel will be on the face, the start and stop buttons will be on the top in front of the steering stick. It has the added advantage of covering the ugly on the steering.

That little piece of scrap is just that. It's holding the console up so I can get an idea of what it will look like.

More to come.

I'd test the new steering before adding all the fiber etc...

I love this thread so much.

Does anyone have plans for one of those little hydroplane type boats?

Toyman01 wrote: Ooo! That's tempting. I thought about building a kayak for practice and because my kayak is a little too flexible for my comfort. Have you built it?

I bought the blueprints about 20 years ago, but never got around to building one. My friend and co-conspirator has built two CLC kayaks, although he bought the pre cut kits. They are works of art. One is a single sea kayak and the other is a tandem. I have paddled them both.

Mad_Ratel wrote: I'd test the new steering before adding all the fiber etc...

The box is going to be screwed in, not glassed in. I want to be able to remove it if I have a problem with the steering or electrical. I got everything mounted in it last night and coated in epoxy and filler. This afternoon I painted it and cut the patch panel for the seat top. I'm hoping to get it mounted Friday and have it in the water Saturday.

In reply to Woody:

I bet they paddle well. That's a pretty boat.

NOHOME wrote:

MattGent wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: My next project is probably going to be a plywood boat for a 5hp. Not a hydroplane though, just a boat for the kids to play with.

Minimax! Search on here I've posted info before.

Called those "Sea Fleas" when I was a kid. When I was but a kid, I build one with plywood that I liberated from a nearby housing development. FTI a 9.8 hp merc is a bit too much power

Muskoka area? Because my dad spent his summers there, and he talks about sea fleas. I've always loved the idea. If only we had water.

Toyman, your boat is awesome. It must cause some head scratching on the river, because it totally looks as if there's just no engine. Especially with the low steering, it's just some guy sitting in a boat. That happens to be moving 30 mph.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

The water ways are a little quiet around here at the moment because the temps are starting to drop, but I do get some strange looks from the people I do see.

Half the fun of owning weird stuff is the conversations and the strange looks. The Samurai is bad enough by itself, add the boat to the back and it takes 15 minutes to get out of the gas station.

I went out to the shop first thing and got the console done.

To help finish off the slot where the steering stick is, I installed a brush sweep, like what you would use on the bottom of a door. It should keep leaves and crap from getting down into the steering assembly.

This pretty much finishes off the interior of the boat. I've still got to sand and paint the exterior, but there isn't much more to do on it.

I love your attention to detail. Great job.

OK, What you see is what it's going to be.

I'm hoping to launch it tomorrow, in the Santee River, and put a couple of more hours on it.

The only thing left to do is rebuild or build a trailer for it and sand and paint the outside of the hull. The paint is going to depend on the weather. I'll need a couple of warm weekend days.

As of now, it's officially kicked out of my shop.

mfvmx wrote: Also check out www.ccwbra.com that have a spec 8ft 6hp/8hp boat with a few races a year up and down the east coast. I have one it's lots of fun.

kneel hydro would be fun...

Keith Tanner wrote:

NOHOME wrote:

MattGent wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: My next project is probably going to be a plywood boat for a 5hp. Not a hydroplane though, just a boat for the kids to play with.

Minimax! Search on here I've posted info before.

Called those "Sea Fleas" when I was a kid. When I was but a kid, I build one with plywood that I liberated from a nearby housing development. FYI a 9.8 hp merc is a bit too much power

Muskoka area? Because my dad spent his summers there, and he talks about sea fleas. I've always loved the idea. If only we had water. Toyman, your boat is awesome. It must cause some head scratching on the river, because it totally looks as if there's just no engine. Especially with the low steering, it's just some guy sitting in a boat. That happens to be moving 30 mph.

Lake Ontario and Muskoka. Six Mile Lake had a big regatta every year that was a lot of fun. With the new drinking and boating laws, they now arrest anyone with a beer on board and take your driver's license, so not what it used to be I actually invented inner tubbing behind a boat at that regatta in 1980!

You could always rig one of these with an air skirt and have the hovercraft version of the sea-flea.

Toyman01 wrote: OK, What you see is what it's going to be. I'm hoping to launch it tomorrow, in the Santee River, and put a couple of more hours on it. The only thing left to do is rebuild or build a trailer for it and sand and paint the outside of the hull. The paint is going to depend on the weather. I'll need a couple of warm weekend days. As of now, it's officially kicked out of my shop.

Ok, your level of detail is like an OCD person on Ritalin.

Like seriously. It belongs in the magazine.

This build sure as E36 M3 exceeded all my expectations on page 1! If nothing else, the pace and the level of finish were beyond what I expected.