Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

[Moody Blue]

My sons and myself would like to build our own picklefork hydroplane next season and are looking for any words of wisdom from members here. It is only about 9ft long and looks like a fairly simple construction. I am hoping this would be a great father/sons project. All we have thus far is a simple outline drawing with a few dimensions. More research is needed for sure but just wanted to get some first hand input from members here on things such as materials, techniques, tricks etc. What HP motor should I be shopping for? Don't want a dangerous rocket but on the other hand don't want it underpowered either. Thanks for any input you might be able to provide.

 

[bigboy]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

9 foot? IS 2M70. Which motor? 25/30pk? I guess so but thats the max. look out, choose a good wather to drive on. A lake is ideal for those boats. How are you going to make it? Wood, aluminium or polyester? I dont think that there are a lot off members who've built their own little picklefork. I would choose for wood. not too thick. You have to bend it easy to make such boats. Remember it's not one day project. You have to make a trailer or buy one. Just search on the web for plans and start to build. When there's a problem you can trust on us. It' hard to tell whats important.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Rod I'm sure I'm the last guy you want to hear from on here following my most current posts but have you followed the to build a boat topic? There are a lot of posts in there with good info.. There are links to free downloadable plans for small hydros that are actually very detailed in their measurements and such. The one I'm building even has a parts list of what you need to purchase before getting started. There are lots of places to buy plans with detailed measurements and parts lists.. www.glen-l.com is one of them... as for the motor size... that is going to depend entirely on the design, weight of the craft, weight of the rider, responsibility and capability of the rider. I would guess a 10 horse would be plenty fast for anyone on a craft that size, might even consider less than that for a kid. The one i'm building claims with a 10 hp or above that it will lift out of the water and ride on the cav plate... sounds dangerous but fun.

 

[Terry Olson]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

I agree - check out the glen-l site. You can get everything you need, including technical support and advice on their message board. This is a great board, but the glen-l site is more specific to wood-built boats and the issues surrounding this form of construction. <br /><br />Between the two sites you will find all of the information you need.

 

[Richard Petersen]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Do a web search for the APBA . They have a Vintage Hydro racing section. Will put you in touch with people who build and race them. Might see a perfect used one. + 180 lb. people go for the C classes which are really popular at all events. Plans will cost 1/3 to 1/2 of a used boat. Makes no sense.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Minimost on Ebay Here's a hydro (not picklefork) sitting at $250 on ebay. But if I read the first post right, I think the plan was to build one for purposes of father & son bonding as much as for owning one. The plans at glen L dont cost much at all... between 20 and 40 dollars for the smaller boats like you were talking about. <br /><br />To build a boat is to enjoy the use, to enjoy the process of building it, and the great learning experiances that go along with building your own.<br /><br />To buy a boat is to own a boat.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Thanks everyone for the feedback and links. I will be doing alot of reading over the next few months it seems and starting to plan this out as far as materials and hardware. We are really looking forward to this next spring. How much time should I expect to spend on this working evenings and weekends ? I've got most tools and am very handy mechanically but have never built a boat of any sort before.<br /><br />Construction will be wood and fiberglass, I think . My youngest son is a speed demon but I think I will look for a 7.5 or 9.9HP for next year and see how that goes to start.

 

[djzyla1980]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Dinks minimax suppose to go 10mph with a 4hp.... a 10 would put the boat riding on the cavitation plate of the motor.. Depending on the weight... which most aren't bad don't need to much HP to get them goin... I'm building the 3 Point Sport sometime soon, it's 250lbs - motor... a 45-50 will move it about 50mph on a 13' boat... <br /><br />Look for some detaoled plans... and go from there, the better the plans the easier to build, and the better the results.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

yes I would pick out a design before purchasing the motor.. much easier than finding the design to accomadate the motor. you might find a design that better accomadates a cheaper motor.

 

[dolluper]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Here's one complete plans <br /> http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/1277141.html

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

There are lots of 8-10 foot "Sea Flea" type boats out there. Each has its own pluses and minuses. Anything characterized as a "hydroplane" is likely to be of the 3-Point hydro variety. Hydros are typically a calm water only boat. Even the odd boat wake can cause problems with them for the uninitiated. These are typically the fastest for a given horsepower range. At pond racer speeds they are quite stable, but get a little skittish in the turns if you're not used to the handling. Typically only turned left.<br /><br />There are also a bunch of pond racer types that basically consist of two 4x8 sheets of plywood sandwiched together with rudimentary framing and a transom. These can be quite fast, but not entirely seaworthy. These would include the MiniMax, MiniMost, etc. typical of Popular Science, Popular Mechanix type plans. <br /><br />My favorite variety are the "utility" racers. A little more complex in construction, they are reminiscent of the 1950s racing runabouts. They offer a lively ride and with experience and care at the helm can handle most small lakes and river wakes. The Hal Kelly "Jinx", "Airborne", "MadCap", and others were common plans of the day. <br /><br />Some links:<br />www.boatracingr11.com/sorensenmain.htm<br />www.fralickboats.com/<br /><br /> When building a boat of this type, keeping the bottom straight is THE single most important thing in regards to ending up with a fast and predictable hull. Build a solid jig, use straight edges, measure thrice and cut once.<br /><br /> Play safe, too. ANY motor you rig up ought to have a full butterfly installed in the carburetor combined with a "dead man" throttle, in addition to a kill switch . Lifejacket is MANDATORY. <br /><br /> I've been messing with small boats like what you're considering since I was your son's age. I've built, rebuilt and bought quite a few. Still have several and am kicking myself for not getting any wet this summer. Ahhh, maybe if the weather holds another weekend...<br /><br />- Scott

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Rod, good luck with your boat building. I think your sons should race Wimperdink for ownerships once both crafts are completed.... could be fun!<br /><br />When you get to that point, if you need a powerplant for testing purposes let me know. I have a 20hp Merc that would probably push it along quite nice.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

lol uhhhhhh ummmmmmmm I'll rethink that HP statement now.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Posted by Chinewalker<br />"Hydros are typically a calm water only boat. Even the odd boat wake can cause problems with them for the uninitiated."<br /><br />Looks like I may need to reconsider the hull type since the lake I am on is rough most of the time. What we hope to build is a general purpose fun craft that is not intended for racing, at least not yet . <br /><br />Wimperdink, that minimax looks like a great project. How many hours do you have into it so far? Do you plan to race it or is it just for fun?<br /><br />Chris, I just read you post on TMD. What a run of bad luck you have had. Sure do admire your determination though. Whats it like sleeping on the sofa ? Hopefully all the crap is behind you now. What are you running on the boat now, the 50 or the 60 or a little of both? Are all the bugs finally worked out? Are you back on the water? Good luck for sure.

 

[Wimperdink]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

I'm just building it for fun... I've found that the minimax will handle minor chop once its moving but at a stand still you need to be in smooth water to avoid getting swamped my 4 hp pushed it at 9 mph but I think with some more tweaks I can get at least 15 out of it. Nice speed for low hp and feels very stable at 9mph. A good beginner boat cause it will handle an adult weight, takes low hp and the older the kids get they can experiment with higher hp motors to still get a thrill out of it. <br /><br />I probably realisticly have around 20 hours into it in its current condition. Alot of sanding.. build time took about 10 hours. Fiberglass & sanding another 10

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Originally posted by RodC:<br />I just read you post on TMD. What a run of bad luck you have had. Sure do admire your determination though. Whats it like sleeping on the sofa ? Hopefully all the crap is behind you now. What are you running on the boat now, the 50 or the 60 or a little of both? Are all the bugs finally worked out? Are you back on the water? Good luck for sure.

Thanks Rod, Luckily I get to sleep on a reclining chair...quite comfy...lol. The boat is back to original condition, running the rebuilt 60. Toes, fingers, and eyes crossed.... hopefully I can safely say it is fixed. Too bad the season is over. Maybe next year we'll pass each other on the waterways. I could always run along beside you when you test out your new picklefork. Cheers.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Boat building advice for a novice (pickle fork hydro)

Rod like chinewalker we are utility people, he gave you two good sites. If you think your son will want to go on to racing don't waste your time with Glen L or most of the other kit boat sites as their designs a about 30 years old and will be dispointing if you try to race one. I don't know where Lake Simcoe is but know some of the guys in the Canadain Sault, that are racers and in most cases a outboard racer will bend over backwards to get new people going in the sport--Bob