PILOON
Super Star Member
'Nother crazy stunt!
2 sheets of 1/4" plywood, some 1 x 6's tapered to a curve a 2 x 12 for a transom and we created a 'racing' flat bottomed boat.
Cockpit was basically about 2 x 4' box that I squatted sideways in. No keel but a wood strip lengthwise did (almost) help. It was mostly held together with roofing nails but we did use tar to seal the seams.
Took my 16hp from my runabout, mounted it but since the runabout had steering system I had no tiller handle, being real eager to test run the contraption I used a pair of Vicegrips as my temporary tiller.
WOW, real fast, what a ride!
Turns were real wide (no fin) and then I hit a decent swell from a passing cruiser!
Due to the low and thin prow the experimental racing boat became a submarine. LOL
Fortunately the water was shallow enough that I could stand up and await salvage.
I pulled the plugs, dried them emptied water from the carb and ran the motor hot to dry it out.
(generally needed to do that 5-6 times a summer as dang motor kept jumping off of the transom. I did get smart as I used to fasten about 5 ft of good cord between the engine and boat transom for easier retrieval.
In those years we'd burn an average of 25 gals of gas a week on the river having fun. I was about 15-16 at the time.
I caddied 150 times at $1.00/18 holes to pay for that ole Johnson 16 as my dad insisted that I work for my toys. Allowances were not in dad's book.
2 sheets of 1/4" plywood, some 1 x 6's tapered to a curve a 2 x 12 for a transom and we created a 'racing' flat bottomed boat.
Cockpit was basically about 2 x 4' box that I squatted sideways in. No keel but a wood strip lengthwise did (almost) help. It was mostly held together with roofing nails but we did use tar to seal the seams.
Took my 16hp from my runabout, mounted it but since the runabout had steering system I had no tiller handle, being real eager to test run the contraption I used a pair of Vicegrips as my temporary tiller.
WOW, real fast, what a ride!
Turns were real wide (no fin) and then I hit a decent swell from a passing cruiser!
Due to the low and thin prow the experimental racing boat became a submarine. LOL
Fortunately the water was shallow enough that I could stand up and await salvage.
I pulled the plugs, dried them emptied water from the carb and ran the motor hot to dry it out.
(generally needed to do that 5-6 times a summer as dang motor kept jumping off of the transom. I did get smart as I used to fasten about 5 ft of good cord between the engine and boat transom for easier retrieval.
In those years we'd burn an average of 25 gals of gas a week on the river having fun. I was about 15-16 at the time.
I caddied 150 times at $1.00/18 holes to pay for that ole Johnson 16 as my dad insisted that I work for my toys. Allowances were not in dad's book.
