Mischief
The next project, "Mischief", started when a friend sent me a link to the plans for "Playboy" - a 14' runabout designed by William Jackson (1907-1973).
I later found an article on Jackson:
The plans for Playboy are available on the Svenson's boat plans page:
http://svensons.com/boat/?p=RunaboutsOutboard/playboy
Here's a picture of the final boat:
Specs:
LOA: 13'4" (without motor)
Beam: 5'9"
Draft: ~7" with motor up
Freeboard: ~20" max, ~16" at transom
Weight: Approximately 300-400# plus motor.
BUILDING THE BOAT
The first thing I did when building the boat was to build a model.
With the model complete, it was time to start construction of the full size boat!
Construction of "Mischief" started by January of 2010. She was launched for first trials on 7/23/11. See the page below for pictures and description of the construction process.
Mischief's launch and initial trials were on Lake Austin, in Austin, Texas.
In the Austin area, Lake Travis is a better boating venue. Unfortunately, due to the severe drought in central Texas in 2011, the water level in Lake Travis dropped from a "full" level of 680 feet elevation above sea level down to a measly 630 feet. While there was still plenty of water in the lake (well, much LESS, but still a fair amount...) at that point there weren't any boat ramps left in the water to launch a boat. Before the water reached that point, I decided to get a slip in a marina.
Here's a picture of Mischief on her hydrohoist in the Lakeway Marina:
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There are a lot of Marinas on Lake Travis. Lakeway Marina was chosen because 1) (and a very important piont) they had a slip available. 2) The slips included not only electricity, but also a locker for storing spare lines, jackets, cushions, etc. The people at Lakeway Marina are also wonderful to work with. The biggest downside is that by water, Lakeway Marina is about 15-18 miles from the main basin of the lake. At planing speed in Mischief, it's about an hour to get from my dock to Mansfield dam.
I was recently honored by a request from the Lakeway Manager to use Mischief for a photo opportunity. Below is one of the shots from that session:
After that honor came an additional invitation for Mischief to be shown in the Lakeway Marina display at the 2012 Austin Boat Show. The show was a LOT of fun!!
If you know Jodi well, it probably won't be too long until you get a chance to meet Steve - he's the manager at Riviera Marina on Lake Travis. Both are really great folks that I just can't say enough nice things about. Both marinas have been fantastic to work with, and come HIGHLY recommended.
Mischief Goes Electric!! The Nissan 30hp 4 stroke engine is replaced with a 10hp equivalent 48V Torqeedo. The result is a very sedate, but still stately electric launch, great for a quiet putter along the lake.