I had not operated a powerboat in many years, and way back then it was an aluminum fishing boat and 9. Two 3-gallon gas tanks sit in the compartment under the hatch that Art designed and installed. To start the motor, he stands in the open hatch.
I came back home from that weekend with the plans for the boats they had built, and decided I would build a small boat to utilize that 9. I talked with my co-worker Ted Gauthier about my plan, and he was on board too for building a boat too.
His research took us to the Glen-L website and the wealth of plans they have available. I wanted a smaller boat that I could build in my basement and get out without removing the living room floor. I loved the look of the design with the pronounced tumblehome at the transom giving the sheerline a beautiful curve.
The boat had a seat, steering wheel, and good lines, and Glen-L has a good builder-support system, so it was the choice for me. In his early trials, Art discovered the he was losing power to prop ventilation. He trimmed some height from the center of the transom to put the prop lower in the water and that solved the problem. I started from scratch with just the plans and full-sized patterns.
I made a strongback elevated off the floor to provide a comfortable working height and on it mounted the transom, frames, and stem. The stretch variation was fairly straightforwardβthe spaces between the ends and frames all get increased by 10 percentβand once they were aligned they were connected by the keelson, chines, and sheer clamps.
