My first boat, when I was 12, was a plywood construction 12 ft runabout, flat bottomed, with chine strips. It originally was powered by a Scott Atwater (Scott Hotwater
) 16 hp. That engine ate spark plugs like I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Always had extra plugs with me, and had to change them after about a half hour or so of running. Ended up repowering with a 25 hp Johnson.
Boat leaked enough that I couldn't leave it docked overnight, or it would be on the bottom in the morning. I had a manual bilge pump that got a lot of use. Also had a drain in the transom that had a soda bottle plug as a drain stopper. I could reach back and pull the plug while under way to drain it out rather than pumping.
Talked to a friend of the family who owned a marina, and he told us how to fiberglass the seams and the bottom. That helped a lot.
I think I had the boat for a total of 5 summers. Great for fishing, or for swimming or scuba / snorkeling. Only had about 10-12 inches of freeboard.
Great boat when the lake was smooth or a small chop. Anything more, and you were taking your life in your hands.
Boat had a front deck, helm in the center, with a bench seat, no back rest. Great little boat for a kid. My friend had a small Boston Whaler that we used in rougher weather, or when we wanted to impress the girls.
The picture reminded me of my boat, but I didn't have the forward seat.
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