Ahoy! The build of our new Lemons car!

Last year our team, 3 Pedal Mafia, ran an obscure, horribly rusty, 4WD Civic wagon at Lemons, and it was far too boring. In the off season, we decided, likely while drunk, that it would be a good idea to make a new lemons car that was...a boat. Crappy boats show up on Craigslist all the time, so why not put on on a frame? Seemed like a good idea at the time.

We discussed the idea with Jay Lamm and chief of tech John Pagel, got some guidelines for the build. We then went out and found a unicorn of a truck, a 94 S10 with the 4.3 and 5 spd, with regular cab, short bed, and 2WD. These are hard to find in the northeast at lemons money.

We gutted it, cut off the roof, caged it, and sold off a bunch of parts and had it ready to go:

Around the same time, a boat showed up on CL that was just right, the perfect dimensions. It was procured for the grand sum of $100 on a Friday night.

Saturday, we dug into the filth of a $100 1971 Sea Sprite that had seen years of neglect. More than once, the best way to describe it was "What an incredible smell you've discovered!"

We then started to cut it up. First was the interior:

Then the bottom. Cleaning and gutting took all Saturday and part of Sunday.

We then moved it into position next to the truck

Lifted it up by hand, and put it behind the truck

Then lots of test fit, cut, fit, cut, fit

After it was on, we had to spend another whole weekend attaching the boat to the truck securely, creating a rear floor area, and lots more.

Here is how it sits today, race ready, and we leave this afternoon for NJMP

Our theme, is Lonely Island's I'm on a boat. The nautical puns are just impossible to resist any tie we are working on it. There will be waterskiing in the paddock. If you are there and see us, be sure to stop in and say Hi!

Sonic wrote: More than once, the best way to describe it was "What an incredible smell you've discovered!"

Fantastic. Nicely done!

Looks like a very respectable neighborhood.
The neighbors must love you. Ha.

Well done!

"Take a good long look at the motha berkeleyin boat!"

Haha. Nice! Get your swim trunks and your flippie-floppies.

Now that's a theme! Well done. Bring a skateboard and a waterski rope and you'll be the hit of the paddock.

You guys are Awesome!

I hope you have fog horns hooked up and a life jacket for the driver

Awesome!

As I posted on the LeMons forum, I'm one of the nutballs who's going to be driving this awesome creation. It was a hoot to build!

Dramamine...lots of dramamine.

I said pass on the port side, not the starboard side, damnit! Get it right!!!

Holy crap that is one of the best LeMons cars I've ever seen.

Well played good sirs.

My head flashed with a Caddy land yacht. With a real bridge....

If you guys decide to pose in speedos, please do not post the photos. Awesome build though!

This is beyond awesome.

You may want to hinge the hull over the rear tires. Those skirts may make tire swaps a bitch.

I've always been amused by the number of marine parts that found their way into our Miata build, but this takes the cake. Well done! How much does that body kit weigh?

jsymonds wrote: I've always been amused by the number of marine parts that found their way into our Miata build, but this takes the cake. Well done! How much does that body kit weigh?

Once we had the boat all cut apart, I'd guess the whole body weighed somewhere around 400-500lbs. The joy of it is that most of that weight is in the back of the boat, the front is super light. Should make for some fun handling!

Love it! You can pull a skier on a skateboard...

This is the coolest thing! Rock on man

"Spalding, get your foot off the boat!"

It's cool and all but it really needs a Ferrari engine in the back.

I easily saw through your thinly-disguised attempt to build incognito buzzard bars all the way around the perimeter of your race car, giving you lots of expendable crush space for utilizing the chrome horn.

David

there is epic, and then there is this (which is slightly above epic).

In reply to Sonic:

It's not a Le Mons Race, it's a Limey Regatta!

When we raced at the Detroit-ish (Toledo) Lemons race a few years ago, they had the remains of boat and boat trailer figure 8 demo derbies in the back lot. This reminds me of those sorry hulks. ;-)

Seriously though:

Bon Voyage! Remember Red Right Returning Keep a bone in your nose Red sky in morning is sailor's warning, If you had a mast you could yell STARBOARD! before hitting someone (like Four! in golf) and get away with it. Is that a four-three in your fo's'cle or are you just happy to see me? Your athwartships main hoop looks very salty I hope you kept the red and green sidelights for night, then you can claim right-of-way after a collision.

At first, I was thinking "huh, wtf, why spend so much energy on a smelly boat???"

Then I see the results and think, hah, that's kinda cool. Don't think I'd ever wanna do it myself but I'm enjoying the fruits of your labor.