Some of you may remember my major project hydroplane restoration in this thread. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/the-least-practical-boat-you-can-buy/178555/page6/ . This latest hydro requires much less work.
What are my plans? I want more people on the water locally and have a spare outboard. . So for right now we’re just going to make that work so we have another local working boat.
Unsure who the builder if this boat is but I know two things. It's heavy and it was real cheap.
Dust making has begun. This is mostly going to be a cosmetic job with some minor weight saving measures. I think there's about a 1/4" of paint... and white paint is heavy so off it comes. The new white base will be sprayed on thin and is mixed with about a 2g of pearl in the paint to give it some sparkle.
An hour of sanding shows some progress.
I blame rat rod culture...but I'm kind of tempted to just paint stripes then clear it .
I wish I lived close - I'd love to help
jfryjfry said:
I wish I lived close - I'd love to help
Always nice to have help sanding, sometimes it goes twice as fast. Other times you just end up looking at a boat and talking. Either way sounds good.
If you like I'm sure I can put you in touch with local racers in CA. I believe there is still some active racers around. I know the capsule boats are quite a bit more popular down there as well.
1SlowVW said:
Unsure who the builder if this boat is but I know two things. It's heavy and it was real cheap.
When you say heavy are we talking a few lbs or 10's of lbs or more? I am curious, trying to visualize how much paint there can be? I don't have much reference for the overall weight of one of these boats.
In reply to NY Nick :
A real competitive c class hydroplane will be around 110lbs with steering gear but no motor. My Other hydroplane weights right around 113 with all steering gear on.
A friend who builds boats has been able to get that down to 105 area while still being a wooden boat. There are Carbon fibre boats that weigh less. I would say without putting it on the scales this boat is probably around 125-130 lbs. It just feels heavy. I wouldn't doubt I'll take a few pounds of paint off (maybe 2). We can also cut some wood out of the interior of the cockpit in some key places to take another 2-3 lbs out. Then some hardware that could be removed as it's not needed for the motor I'll be running.
Again top level guys often have minimal paint because paint has weight, especially white paint.
Truthfully if this is a really stable boat and I put the larger 33 hp motor that they run in C class hydroplanes I could probably still be close to min weight as I only weigh about 170lbs (165 by spring right ). But this boat is really just to help new potential racers do laps. It's really a first hit is free type situation. I'll let you use this for a day to get you hooked. So if any of you find yourselves in New Brunswick Canada in the summer months shoot me a message.
In reply to 1SlowVW :
Thanks for the explanation and for the offer! That is helpful to understand the magnitude.
I am afraid that at my significant current weight I may sink that boat, much less be competitive! I may have to start my racing career in busses to lower the effect of my heft..
NY Nick said:
In reply to 1SlowVW :
Thanks for the explanation and for the offer! That is helpful to understand the magnitude.
I am afraid that at my significant current weight I may sink that boat, much less be competitive! I may have to start my racing career in busses to lower the effect of my heft..
You need a D class if you're a big boy. 40hp mercury or tohastu outboard and 80mph. Big boys make them hustle.
Boy that looks very familiar to a friends boat. He started doing that cut out in the early 80's and the clear cowl. He was national champion a couple years in the mid 80's. I know he did some identifying features inside the rails when he made them. Last i heard he was in Florida racing cars. Might see if I can get a hold of him and show him the picture of the boat. He might know if he built it back in the day. He also worked with Ron Jones Jr working on and repairing unlimited hydroplanes in the late 90's early 2000's as well.
brad131a4 (Forum Supporter) said:
Boy that looks very familiar to a friends boat. He started doing that cut out in the early 80's and the clear cowl. He was national champion a couple years in the mid 80's. I know he did some identifying features inside the rails when he made them. Last i heard he was in Florida racing cars. Might see if I can get a hold of him and show him the picture of the boat. He might know if he built it back in the day. He also worked with Ron Jones Jr working on and repairing unlimited hydroplanes in the late 90's early 2000's as well.
That's really cool, what's your friends name? If he raced on the east coast I probably know people who know him.
We think the boat was built from a Sorensen kit. They do mail order plans and they are quite a competitive hull if put together correctly.
In reply to 1SlowVW :
Wow, this is awesome!
I am really glad I am VERY far away from New Brunswick, lol! I can remember being a kid, staying with my grandparents on the Niagara river as a kid, their neighbors had kids that were ~10-15yrs my elder and they had one of these boats in their basement that they were building. I will never forget seeing that thing, I've always thought it would be a fun project!
Oh and to second reasons I'm glad I'm not closer, by your screen name we might be fast friends, I've been in to VW's for the better part of 20yrs now....had a couple cars in mags, etc....
fouckhest said:
In reply to 1SlowVW :
Wow, this is awesome!
I am really glad I am VERY far away from New Brunswick, lol! I can remember being a kid, staying with my grandparents on the Niagara river as a kid, their neighbors had kids that were ~10-15yrs my elder and they had one of these boats in their basement that they were building. I will never forget seeing that thing, I've always thought it would be a fun project!
Oh and to second reasons I'm glad I'm not closer, by your screen name we might be fast friends, I've been in to VW's for the better part of 20yrs now....had a couple cars in mags, etc....
Move on up, always room for more up here!
In all seriousness though the boats really peaked in popularity from the 50s through the 1970s. Many people built there own and many races attracted large numbers. Many people I speak to had a friend or a family member who built a boat if not raced a boat. They really are able to capture imagination and stick in peoples heads.
The hydroplane projects have definitely slowed the vw project but I still play with mine once and a while.
2 more hours sanding tonight before I called it quits.
110 pounds? I can't believe how light that is! What kind of motor will you use?
RacerBoy75 said:
110 pounds? I can't believe how light that is! What kind of motor will you use?
To be clear this boat won't get down to that weight...but a top level one will.
We run Yamato spec racing motors that are brought over as surplus from Japan. Mine are models built in the 1980's. They make about 30hp but are simple , serviceable and very light at under 100lbs.
Very cool. Always loved hydro racing and seeing the ads for hull plans in the old popular mechanics. I just wish there were more venues avaiable to run them, then I might be able to justify it.
GaryC83 said:
Very cool. Always loved hydro racing and seeing the ads for hull plans in the old popular mechanics. I just wish there were more venues avaiable to run them, then I might be able to justify it.
You tell me where you are and I can most likely put you in touch with local racers. It's a niche sport, but so is auto cross when compared to baseball.
My first plan was to build a sea flea with old popular mechanics plans, but the truth is it cost no more to build a competition boat if you are using good material. So why mess with the old design when you can have a faster and more stable hull.
In reply to 1SlowVW :
I'm up in NW Indiana. I've gone the researching through the APBA route - closest venues to me look like the races in Danville, IL, Rockwell IL, and Madison, IN. All of them about 3-3.5 hours away. Not a deal breaker but not exactly as convenient as making the 40 minute trek to the drag strip or hour trip to Autobahn for road racing. Biggest downside is so few dates coupled with so few venues around here.
It would be much appreciated though, as I've thought about either restoring / refitting or building a capsule SST 45 many times and even looked into the APBA classes for such, out in Ohio I want to say it was. Something I've had an interest in for a long time, but lack of local venues and seemingly other folks involved are what's kept me away through the years.
As far as the popular mechanics plans go, that makes sense. But a big part of me wants to build one for purely nostalgic reasons. My grandfather was a woodworker and I rememeber looking at the plans as a kid and really wanting to do one some day. There is just *something* about one... from the nostalgic aspect.
I'm sure you've seen this, but in case you haven't here's a site with a ton of plans and build instructions. https://muskokaseaflea.ca/StaticWeb2/?page_id=36
It's been one my bookmarks for a while. This year, I do want to force myself to make it out to a local-ish race at least once.
GaryC83 said:
As far as the popular mechanics plans go, that makes sense. But a big part of me wants to build one for purely nostalgic reasons. My grandfather was a woodworker and I rememeber looking at the plans as a kid and really wanting to do one some day. There is just *something* about one... from the nostalgic aspect.
I'm sure you've seen this, but in case you haven't here's a site with a ton of plans and build instructions. https://muskokaseaflea.ca/StaticWeb2/?page_id=36
It's been one my bookmarks for a while. This year, I do want to force myself to make it out to a local-ish race at least once.
Mini most 10 was going to be my weapon of choice. Then I was given this. Which kind of snowballed...
But this one will be different.
In reply to 1SlowVW :
Very cool. I have to admit I've been doing a lot of digging the past few days and have been looking more into these guys, up in Michigan. I'm anxiously awaiting their 2023 updates... specifically for their racing school program, as one of the events is an hour and a half away. Hoping I can swing it... looks incredibly addicting. Again, still bummed about the lack of local venues, but... im tempted to do it and just get a feel for it, as basic as their school may or may not be. Knowing now there's at least one "close" race in Constantine... my interest level has been upped, considerably. The rest are about 5-6 hours away, which is kind of what I've found in the past. 3-4 hours away, at the closest for 1 event a year.
http://www.michiganhydroplane.com/index.html
In reply to GaryC83 :
The Michigan club has a real solid reputation from everything I've read so you'll be in good hands. Sign up for the school early if you're going to do it and let the organizers know your size. Often times the schools are run with borrowed safety gear like protective sleeve, pants, and a competition life jacket. Be aware that I know the New England club ( https://southshoreoutboard.com ) will often have a complete boat ready to go for sale to the school participants. So depending on your sales resistance it might be best to leave the chequebook at home.
My nearest sanctioned race is 8 hours one way and I'm planning to attend in May in Maine with my other boat.
Fortunately we're up to 7-8 local boats now so we can have enthusiastic practice locally.
I would recommend Sorensen or hemp plans if you want something a little more modern than those sea flea plans. As I said it's not really any more money in supplies and you'll end up with a faster, better turning and more stable boat.
Finally here's a picture of a few of us last summer, just because I'm missing summer. 
Good to know they have a good reputation, thanks! And lol... kind of what I was afraid of. Unfortunately leaving my wallet and cheque book with the better half also won't help...as she is all for it and on board with whatever I do. She's offered numerous times to send me out to the capsule class and SST 45 race program, so looking to her to be the voice of reason is out. That'll turn into a...bring the boat home and race it this weekend thing, for sure. Lol.
I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions... I fired off an email to see if they have the 2023 class and scheduling figured out, yet. I did find the Indiana groups class, as a second option. Further away, but they already are open for registration. So, regardless, I'll be doing one of them, this summer. Probably wind up with a boat too.. or at least an outboard to start going thru while we figure out the rest. She already told me to start looking at 20x20 sheds for storage / work space for it. Lol. Slippery slope, indeed.
Thanks again for all the information and threads. Definitely relit the curiosity in me and want for one, for sure. Much appreciated.
Well... I'm on the tentative list for middle of June in MI. They'll notify me once official registration opens, but I've been going back and forth with the folks that run it, so it's just a matter of doing their online form once they have it set.
Thanks again, for all the info and inspiration. Greatly appreciate it.
