"Saucy Skimmer"-a speedy one-man hydroplane

Don't let the $25 price tag fool you. This sleek one-man skimmeris a rugged boat built for speed with any small outboard. You can

use anything from a 5 to a 20-hp. motor with equal ease

Runner chine is installed on the bottom plankingforward of the line marking position of Frame 1

Two frames are secured to different sub-assemblieswhich are then assembled to form the hull framing

When assembled, note that the bevelled chinemember extends forward to where it meets Frame 2

Bottom edge of transom must be bevelled 15 deg.to mate with bottom planking when it's installed

DESIGNER: Glen L. WittTYPE OF HULL: Three-Point HydroplaneLENGTH: 8 ft. 2 in. Over-allBEAM: 54 in. vWEIGHT: 74 lbs.COST TO CONSTRUCT: $25 and upMAXIMUM HP: 20SPEED: 33 m.p.h. with 14-hp. McCulloch motorturning 71/2 x 10 two-blade prop; load included175-lb. driver and 5 gal. gasCONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS: George Blow

• WHILE NOT INTENDED for an assault on worldspeed records, Saucy Shingle is basically thesame breed as those big records boats. Three-point hydroplanes hold all major water speedrecords, and though her points may be smaller,she's a miniature thoroughbred.

Small enough to fit inside a station wagon oron top of a compact car, the bare hull weighs

only 74 lbs. It's an easy construction job thatcan be accomplished in a corner of your garageor basement.

Study the drawings and photos carefully be-fore starting to build. No building jig is required,but the steps must be carried out in order.

STEP 1. Cut the bottom planking sheet from1/4-in. plywood, and mark the positions of thetwo frames, the transom and the battens. Therunner chines are cut from 1/2-in. spruce and ex-tend from Frame 1 forward on both of the outeredges of the bottom panel. Nail from the insideof the planking with 3/4-in. nails spaced 2 in.apart, after coating the contacting surfaces liber-ally with glue.

STEP 2. The frames are cut from 1/2-in.spruce assembled over 1/4-in. plywood gussets.On Frame 1, notches for the non-trip chine andthe bow piece are cut into the frame only; onthe balance of the longitudinals and also onFrame 2, the notches are cut into both the frame-work and the plywood gussets. Coat contactingsurfaces with glue and assemble the framework

BEVELED FORDECKING I

to the 1/4-in. plywood with 3/4-in. nails. Afterthe two half assemblies are made, they aremounted over the 3/4 x 1-1/4-in. crossmember sothat the inside distance that will contact therunner chines is accurately spaced at 16 in. oneither side of the centerline.

STEP 3. Tack Frame 2 in place on the bot-tom planking, then permanently fasten it bydriving nails through the underside into thecross member and through the runner chinesinto the side frame member. The three 1/2 x 2-in.bottom battens are nailed from the underneathside with 3/4-in. nails spaced about 3 in. apart.Note that at the aft end these members arebevelled to accommodate the 15-deg. angle of

the transom and aligned to the inside of thetransom surface.

STEP 4. The side planking is cut from 1/4-in.plywood and assembled to the chine and sheerclamp. Align the aft portion of the chine andsheer clamp carefully to allow for the thicknessof the transom. The forward ends are allowedto run wild for cutting to length after assembly.Observe that the bottom edge of the plywoodside planking and the chine are bevelled at a30-deg. angle. During assembly, be sure thatthe bottom planking is straight as it contactsthe chine member. Coat mating surfaces liberallywith glue and nail with 3/4-in. nails spaced about2 in. apart. Frame 1 is then assembled andslipped into position over the chine members.Notice that a notch will be made in the chine to

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Blocking on aft side of Frame 1 should be securedto side planking before it's attached to frame

Bow piece made in two halves fits in notches inframes and rests on bottom planking assembly

When all framing has been installed, it must befaired to assure perfect mating with the planking

By careful cutting, you can obtain all the deckingfrom a single sheet of plywood, so don't rush it

Fair decking edge flush to the vertical carting sothat the coaming will mate tightly for a good joint

Blocking mounted on the inside of the coaming isused to secure dash beam for forward deck beam

Turning hull over, the fairing is completed forplanking. Note glue blocks at frame-chine junctions

Planking for non-trip chine should be bevelled flushwith runner so it can be lapped by bottom planking

enable the frame to be slipped into position overthe chine. On the aft side of the Frame 1 gusset,a block is used to fasten the side planking to theframe.

STEP 5. The sub-assembly just completed—side planking, chine and sheer with Frame1—is now assembled to the bottom planking.The chine should run forward to contact withFrame 2. The sheer clamp is left to run wildover the top of Frame 2. Work as rapidly aspossible after coating the contact surfaces withglue, and nail through the bottom planking intothe chine with 3/4-in. nails spaced about 2 in.apart. Where Frame 1 contacts the battens,drive a 1-1/4-in. nail into each.

STEP 6. The transom is cut from 1/2-in. ply-wood with the lower edge bevelled to contactthe bottom planking. The inner motorboard israised 1/2 in. above the bottom to act as a bearingsurface for the bottom battens. The cap on theaft side of the transom must also be bevelled15 deg. to accommodate the bottom planking.Assemble the side frame members to the tran-som, notching for the sheer clamp in the frame-work only and angling at the bottom for thechine members. Observe that the side-framemember is left 1/2 in. above the bottom to providea bearing for the chine members. Do not as-semble the top frame member to the transomat this time. Cut it oversize on the carling endand set aside. The transom may now be as-sembled to the bottom planking. Nail throughthe bottom planking into the 3/4-in. member onthe aft side with 1-1/4-in. nails spaced 2 in. apart.The side planking is nailed in position with%-in. nails.

STEP 7. The 1/2-in. plywood bow piece ismade in two halves. As indicated in the drawing,

a 1/4-in. piece of plywood is laminated to theunderside of the aft portion of each of thesepieces. The bow piece is then assembled to thebottom planking fitting into the notches inFrames 1 and 2. After coating the contactingsurfaces with glue, nail from the planking intothe bow piece with %-in. nails spaced about 2in. apart. The excess bottom planking aroundthe bow member is then trimmed off. NOTE:From this point until the boat is finished, thehull should be set on a level surface so that thetransom is not twisted in relation to the runners.

STEP 8. The sheer clamp is notched intoFrame 2 and extended forward to the bow piecewhere it ends in a long taper. Spring any scrapmember around the inner surface of the framespast the transom to simulate the coaming. Notethat it will be necessary to bevel the side of thetransom and motorboards to accommodate thismember. After this bevel is cut, the top framemember of the transom may be installed allow-ing 1/2 in. clearance between the motorboardsand coaming, and also providing the notch forthe 3/4 x 3/4-in. carling. The carling, set vertically,is fitted into the notch in the bow piece first andthen sprung aft into the notches in each of theframes. Leave the end overhanging at the tran-som for trimming later. Fasten with 1-1/4-in. nailsinto each of the frames and transom, after coat-ing all of the contacting surfaces with glue.

STEP 9. Fair or bevel all surfaces which willcontact the side decking so that the planking willfit flush to the framework. This is a progressiveprocess that may seem rather complicated, buta study of the drawings and photographs shouldhelp clear up the matter. After fairing, the 1/8-in.plywood sheet is clamped to the side-deck areaso that the outline can be marked roughly. If

Paint interior of the boat before mounting forwarddecking, using good rot-preventative coating

Car strip on dash covers exposed edge of forwarddecking and projects about 3/4 in. above the surface

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you're careful, it's possible to obtain all of thedecking from a single 4 x 8-ft. sheet. You won'thave a great deal of excess material, however,so be careful in rough trimming. Next, the con-tact areas of the deck are coated liberally withglue and the side decking fastened around all theouter extremities with 3/4-in. nails spaced about2 in. apart. It isn't necessary to fasten to anyof the inner contact points. The opposite side isput on and any excess trimmed.

STEP 10. The coamings are cut from 1/2-in.mahogany and, preferably, rabbetted on the topedge to receive the decking. (If preferred, thedecking may merely lap over the coaming withthe routed groove being eliminated.) The coam-ing is fitted into the notch in the bow piece withthe point extending over the top of this member.It is progressively sprung around the hull onthe inside of the carling and frames and notchedout on the aft end to fit over the transom andextend flush with the outer motorboard. In as-sembly, coat the contacting surfaces with glueand fasten with 1-1/4in. nails spaced about 6 in.

STEP 11. The dash beam and the forwarddeck beam at Frame 2 are fastened againstblocking provided on the coaming. The dashbeam must be bevelled on the bottom to contactthe 1/2 x 2-in. center bottom batten. At this point

it rests against the frame and is canted forwardas indicated in the drawings. In assembly, usetwo 1-1/2-in. No. 8 screws to fasten the dash beamat the contact point with Frame 1 and the bot-tom batten.

STEP 12. The hull is now turned upsidedown and the 1/2 x 1-3/4in. non-trip chine installed.A long bevel is cut so that this member will reston the bow piece. Corner glue blocks are in-stalled at the junctions of Frames 1 and 2 withthe runner chines. The bottom area is thenfaired for both the runner chine and the runnerbottom. (This operation is similar to fairing theframe for the decking.) The 1/4-in. anti-tripplanking is fitted first. Cut it slightly oversizeand do any necessary trimming after fasteningit in place. After coating the area liberally withglue, begin fastening it along the bow piece.Then use a C-clamp to pull the non-trip chineso that the aft portion is parallel to the runnerchine. This section must be flat. After pullingthe chine down with the C-clamp, fasten it alongthe member with the 3/4-in. nails spaced about2 in. apart. The area is then faired flush at thenon-trip chine and the runner-bottom plankinginstalled, lapping it over the non-trip planking. It,too, is bedded in glue and nailed with 3/4-in. nailsspaced about 2 in. apart.

STEP 13. Before finishing the forward deck-ing, the interior should be painted with a dry-rot preventative. Cover as much of the area aspossible, particularly down in the runners wherewater may tend to settle. The cowl plywood isfitted on one side of the coaming and tackedinto position while the other side is fitted. Thepanel will tend to buckle as this is a slight com-pound curve, but as you work the panel down,the wrinkles will disappear. In fastening, againuse the 3/4-in. nails spaced about 2 in.

STEP 14. The transom knee may be cutfrom any scrap 2-in. material. The distance youmount this below the transom top edge shouldactually depend upon the motor used. The maxi-mum is 5-1/2 in., but it's desirable to mount theknee as close to the top as the motor clamps willallow. Drive three 3-in. No. 14 screws throughthe rear of the transom into the knee and three1/2-in. No. 8 screws through the coaming on eitherside. The cap strip at the dash covers the ex-posed edge of the forward decking. It shouldbe cut from the scrap material from the coamingto extend 3/4 in. above the decking. Round theedges generously and nail in place.

STEP 15. Due to the weight-sensitive natureof the three-point hydroplane, it is usually not

When running any motor over 10 hp. on ."Saucy Shingle," play it safe by wearing life jacket and crash helmet

fiberglassed. If you desire to fiberglass it, how-ever, use a light cloth. In the prototype, thebottom was primed with a plywood sealer andthen given three coats of marine varnish. Thetop side on the original was painted a brilliantred-orange. After sealing with the plywoodprimer, flat paint was applied and sanded untilthe grain had disappeared. Two top coats of amarine enamel went on.

STEP 16. The steering should be a tillerrope type with the drum exposed or forward ofthe dash. These are available with a standard15-in. wheel or a small 10-in. wheel. The tillercable should lead through transom-type pulleysheaves recessed into the coaming, extend aftto a pulley on the bar mounted to the motorand then back down to the coaming where itjoins the transom. A spring at this point main-tains tension on the steering system at all times.A throttle control of the dead-man type or auto-matic release is recommended with largermotors, though a standard lever control can beused. To prevent slipping in turns, an aluminumfin is installed inboard of the port runner.

Although the fin will prevent slipping, doublecheck the steering shaft of the motor beforeinstallation. Give it a shot of the recommendedlubricant and work it back and forth. If the

steering on a craft of this type does not workpositively and smoothly, the force applied toovercome any sticking could cause an extremelysudden turn, or cause the boat to flip.

Saucy Shingle can handle almost any motorbelow 20 hp. You can get adequate speed forsmall fry with a motor under 10 hp., but thestock propeller should be replaced with one tomatch the boat. To achieve maximum perform-ance it will also be necessary to adjust the heightof the motor on the transom with "rev sticks"—1/4-in. pieces of wood slipped under the motorbracket one at a time. For high speeds it isrecommended that the driver wear a life jacketand crash helmet. For the small fry this equip -ment is a must at all times.

When making your first trial runs, open thethrottle slowly and get used to the handling ofthe boat in stages. Make sure you know justwhat the boat will do and how it will do it ateach speed, so that in any emergency at topspeed you can maintain full control of the boat.

You'll find that leaning into the turns willhelp make them smoother—in some craft of thistype, merely leaning in the direction you wantto go will steer the boat. The added resistanceof more wetted area on the inside of the turnpulls the boat around.

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