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Well, y'all, it's time again to move on to my next project. Looks like I have a buyer for my Tohatsu 25, and maybe for Summer Breeze. My big problem is what to do next. Old classic outboard restoration, small power cruiser, just mess with what I've got and use the money from from selling the Breeze and my 25 Tohatsu to finance my addiction by building some small stuff. Gosh, just call me Charlie Brown---wishy-washy. I guess it's really the planning and building that I get the most pleasure out of.

 

Another type boat that I'm infatuated with, is called a "Super Dink". WAY back when I was a kid, in the 50s, I saw a program on tv (Yes, Martha, they DID have tvs back then---and three channels to watch.) that was about four guys that cruised up a river in a couple of 8 ft. long prams powered by 10 hp Mercs. They had steering wheels, comfortable seats, windshields, and all. They called them Super Dinks.

 

Over the years, I've had a few really small boats. Let's see. There was the 8 ft. plywood boat with a mercury KG-7 that got me interested in outboard racing. And several small racing hydroplanes and runabouts during my racing years. These were powered by first by KG-4 and KG-7s, and then, by Mercury 20-H stock racing motors. Then there was the 10 ft. Volksboat (Look it up on Google.) with a Mark 15. A couple of Cypress Gardens flivver boats (Look it up, too.) that I built from a mold that someone gave me when I first got in the dinghy building business. I had a mercury Mark 30 on the first one---steered with the tiller!, and then another with a Johnson 25hp motor with a steering wheel. Still later, after I married Miss Debbie and got back into the boat building business, I even built a few fiberglass 9 ft. v-hull "personal runabouts" that I sold through boat dealers. These were actually rated up to 25 hp. They were even finished in metal flake, well, actually, poly-flake. And, of course, there were a LOT of itty-bitty rowing and sailing dinks that I kept for myself during my early boat manufacturing years. Not to mention all of the canoes and kayaks.

 

I guess I've always loved the "little guys" the best. Now I think it would be fun for Miss Debbie  and me to blast around the local lakes in a little Super Dink kinda boat. I dunno, I jest dunno. Like I said, wishy washy. I guess that as I get older, I just am not as enthused about actually using any boat that takes much effort to haul to the lake, rig, use, store, and take care of. 

 

 

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May I suggest you get in touch with your youth and build a little pocket rocket. This doesn't need much power and is fun to use. It has room for a couple, maybe a kid or two as well, in flat water. She'll plane off with a 10HP and a fat skipper and really scoots well with a 20HP. The USCG says I can mount a ridiculous amount of HP on it's transom, but I'd like to see it held down to a 30 HP outboard, long shaft prefered. She has a enough shape to be attractive, but is still easy to plank up.

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Plywood over fairly widely spaced frames or taped seam over a couple of bulkheads and furniture partitions. The hull naked is less than 200 pounds. Two well fed occupants add another 1/4 of a ton, though I'll check, but displacement seems to be full up, full load. I have pictures in various configurations (paint, veneers, etc.). Yeah the PAR 20L's are pretty common around here and plan costs aren't much. This is a very shallow, but monohedron hull form, which has better speed potential than the typical warped bottoms seen in this class hydro. She'll still beat you to death if you push her hard, but she has better manners once at speed. She also rises level , with only a few degrees of trim change across her envelop, at least until she approuch her longitudinal instability range.

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I'll check the displacement, as I think it might be a typo, though I usually list full up, which includes more than most think. 100 pounds of fuel with light 15 gallon poly tank, 45 pounds for a starting battery (group 24) with cables, largest engine the USCG recommends, etc. Steering is fairly light with pulleys, though I expected a Teleflex unit which is heavier, engine controls, cushions, instrumentation, plumbing, electrical other options like ground tackle. It could be made quite simply, with a couple of switches and a few cables, but my thoughts were a more accommodating "cocktail class" racer. Maybe a call it a "whiskey class" scooter. I built a few of these smaller cocktail hydros as a kid and they're fun but very limited in the waters they can run, turning, comfort and of course accommodations. This is big enough to be a solo shoal fisherman or just a puddle blaster, yet small enough to be tossed in the bed of a pickup.

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Paul, I'm really interested. More details please. Pics, plywood thicknesses, plans price...

 

Sure not gonna carry 15 gallons of fuel in this little guy. Or "plumbing". Or any ground tackle more that a very light anchor to satisfy "the man". Gotta keep 'er as light as possible.

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Don, I think the "Big Toe" is too heavy for TYG-9.2. The motor weighs almost 200 pounds=fuel+battery, all at the back end. Hey Paul, what do you say. Maybe it WOULD be ok.

I've decided to keep the motor anyway. It will work on something. Still would like a small power cruiser. Maybe if I beg Graham, he'll sell me the OB-20 back.

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