Subject: Class CD:Father/Son Project Completed
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 11:18:32 EDT

Dear Glen-L,

A while back I sent in an email telling you about the Class CD Racing Runabout that my dad and I were building. You put it in your webletter 22, and called it the "Class CD:Father/Son Project". Well, I told you I would send in pictures of it and now I've got them together and am ready to show you. In the last email I sent, I said I was going to paint it yellow and have black racing stripes and was going to call it "Yellow Jacket". Well, I strayed away from that idea considering I couldn't find any two part yellow paint. We decided to paint it red and have a racing numbers on the sides. We called it "C-87" being that it is a C Class Racing Boat and my birth year 1987. I would have sent these pictures in a long time ago but I've been so busy having fun in the boat I really haven't had any time on my computer. I bought the racing style steering kit, with the tiller bar and cables, and wasn't sure how that would act on a late model engine, but after modifying the bars length we were able to mount it to the underside of cowling. I emailed the folks at Grubbs Marine on the internet and asked them if this was possible and they told us that we would be better off getting an older engine beacuse it just wouldn't work on the late model engine. After 2 hours of work we had the steering system complete. We put a New Mercury 25 hp with late model controls on it and it pushes the boat about 38 to 40 mph, which is pretty fast considering we fiberglassed and loaded it down with more epoxy than we really should have. We beefed up everything on it because we live in the Laffayette River and its right on the Bay so I made it so it would handle the rough water conditions. It's no doubt that this boat was made to go fast. The boat probably weighs more than double of what the true competition racers weigh and only has half the motor it could but still manages to go 40 mph. The boat has really been a blast to run, and everywhere I go everybody that sees it wants to either race me or ask me how fast it goes. My favorite part of being in it is going out looking for jet skis because they're always willing to race. I won my first 3 races, one to a johnboat, and the others to jet skis, but my fourth wasn't so good, the jet ski went right by me going about 55 mph. My dad and I thank you for putting together such nice plans to build an excellent runabout. The next project will be the Crackerbox. I've been wanting a small boat that I can put a small block chevy in, and look good at the same time, so I guess that design would work. Well, here's the pictures of the "C-87" Racing Runabout made from Glen-L Marine Designs.

Sincerely,
Adam Twiford
Continue