Very strange method of doing the step. I prefer the original conventional method. A petrol 250 horse engine would be a lot cheaper and closer to historic. And yes it does look like a plastic boat since fiberglassing. But a duller finish matching early 20th century oil paint in sheen and with visible brush strokes would go a long ways in producing an historic look. This could be done with modern long-lasting polyurethanes. But otherwise, who would have done this boat if not for you people? What an excellent boat to recreate! A very big contributor to the planing hard chined V-bottom boats was William Hand Jr. of New Bedford, Massachusetts who is credited with designing the first planing V-bottom boats before 1907. Hand himself denied that he originated the type and instead cited the V-bottom working boats of the Chesapeake where he and his family had vacationed when he was young. The Chesapeake Deadrise comes to mind. His 1919 catalog states: "The Hand V-bottom originated about sixteen years ago...." which would put it around 1903. By 1919 the Navy had been using his designs for fast patrol boats for years. His 1919 catalog (two of which I own today) has at least 25 planing V-bottom plans available up to 60 feet in length. Hand became famous for these designs which were sold worldwide and were immensely popular through the pages of Motorboating, Rudder and Motorboat and other magazines before WWI. In 1912 , a young man named George P. Bonnell built Old Glory, a 24 ft runabout from William Hand's Piute III design and made an open water passage from Long Island Sound to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and returned safely. This was remarkable for its day. He even met the designer midway along the trip and Mr. Hand tuned up his carburetor and served as his guide for several miles through local shoals. The ad for this particular 24 ft boat plan by 1912 read, "You can build one. There is no steam bending!" Today, the history of V-bottom boats seems to have forgotten this to be replaced by a weird jumble of gobbledygoop claims. He later became better known for developing the motorsailer and forgotten is near monopoly on the V-bottom boat plan market in the earliest years. Step hydroplanes are another subject altogether of course.....
Excellent work, a most interesting lecture, particularly the information on Thorneycroft, thank you.
Absolutely magnificent job. Well done!
Where was this boat built?
Thanks
Very strange method of doing the step. I prefer the original conventional method. A petrol 250 horse engine would be a lot cheaper and closer to historic. And yes it does look like a plastic boat since fiberglassing. But a duller finish matching early 20th century oil paint in sheen and with visible brush strokes would go a long ways in producing an historic look. This could be done with modern long-lasting polyurethanes. But otherwise, who would have done this boat if not for you people? What an excellent boat to recreate!
A very big contributor to the planing hard chined V-bottom boats was William Hand Jr. of New Bedford, Massachusetts who is credited with designing the first planing V-bottom boats before 1907. Hand himself denied that he originated the type and instead cited the V-bottom working boats of the Chesapeake where he and his family had vacationed when he was young. The Chesapeake Deadrise comes to mind. His 1919 catalog states: "The Hand V-bottom originated about sixteen years ago...." which would put it around 1903. By 1919 the Navy had been using his designs for fast patrol boats for years. His 1919 catalog (two of which I own today) has at least 25 planing V-bottom plans available up to 60 feet in length. Hand became famous for these designs which were sold worldwide and were immensely popular through the pages of Motorboating, Rudder and Motorboat and other magazines before WWI. In 1912 , a young man named George P. Bonnell built Old Glory, a 24 ft runabout from William Hand's Piute III design and made an open water passage from Long Island Sound to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and returned safely. This was remarkable for its day. He even met the designer midway along the trip and Mr. Hand tuned up his carburetor and served as his guide for several miles through local shoals. The ad for this particular 24 ft boat plan by 1912 read, "You can build one. There is no steam bending!" Today, the history of V-bottom boats seems to have forgotten this to be replaced by a weird jumble of gobbledygoop claims. He later became better known for developing the motorsailer and forgotten is near monopoly on the V-bottom boat plan market in the earliest years. Step hydroplanes are another subject altogether of course.....