I Built This Boat With A Book From 1935

The gentleman’s racer design came from old popul ar mechanics pl ans.

- Jim Eicher

My family has owned a Ford dealership since before the First World War, but when I was a kid, I loved boats most. Even as I took over the dealership and spent 40 years in the automotive business, I completed a number of boat restorations and builds. Years ago, my mother-in-law gave me a 1935 edition of a book from the Popular Mechanics Press called The Boat Book: Everything of Interest to the Amateur Boatman.

Inside were plans to build a modified recreation boat prevalent in the ’20s and ’30s called a Gentleman’s Racer (or Gentleman’s Runabout). I loved the plans, and after a few years of only imagining the build, I laid out a roll of paper on the dealership’s showroom floor and drew the whole boat, full-size and full-scale, with a protractor, square, and compass. No computer whatsoever.

MODERNISING THE ENGINE

THE BOOK’S DESIGN WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1931, so I had to make a few changes. The book outfitted the boat with a Ford Model A engine, but I had my eye on a 250 cid straight six Ford, the same engine you’d find in an early Mustang, Torino, or Granada.

All due respect to my Ford heritage, a Model A motor is heavy, temperamental, and not particularly safe in a boat – the carburetors tended to leak fuel. My in-line six solved those issues and delivered triple the horsepower, 120 horses (90 kW) compared to the Model A’s, roughly, 40. However, it still fitted well within the rpm range in which the boat would be operating, and it struck a nice balance between nostalgia and reliability. I also modified the original engine installation plans and lengthened the craft by 19 inches (almost 50 cm) to move the engine further aft. This gave the boat better balance and handling.