I have read of someone building it in plywood, and giving it quite a posh trim. If I were to build it within the next decade I would make it with a lot heavier scantlings and a bare bones workboat finish. Despite being flat bottomed and hard chined even the slab sided plywood version would reported slice through 2 foot wakes and heavy chop easily and comfortably due to its sharp entry and very flared forward topsides. The flared topsides also allowed it to go over swells rather than through them like for example a canoe would.
the dimensions are as follows, taken from the designers website:
"a neatly turned skiff 21 feet 10 inches over all; 20 feet 6 inches on the water line; 5 feet 8 inches in breadth on deck and 8 inches draft to the bottom of the skeg. The propeller and protecting shoe of the outboard motor project 6 inches below the skeg; the total underway draft thus being 14 inches--little enough by any measure. The freeboard at the bow is 2 feet 10 1/2 inches, the least freeboard is 1 foot 7 inches; and the height at the stern, 1 foot 10 inches."
to get a better idea here is the rough body plan
notice that although it is lightly built it has a burdensome dwl; at the designed load it can be seen that both forefoot and transom are well immersed despite having a rockered bottom and so I think it would perform normally even if built more heavily than originally called for.
with regards to speed and efficiency there is not another semi displacement outboard that can compare (that I know of);
according to the designer "a motor of about 12 h.p. is large enough for Russell R. The speed with this size unit will be a good 17 m.p.h."
Plans are still being sold at http://www.atkinboat...r/RussellR.html
