Our HARBORMASTER launch conjures up images of more elegant times; of warm summer days, lingering twilight sunsets, and picnic baskets filled with fine cheese, seasonal fruit, and vintage wines. Imagine gentleman in white straw hats accompanied by pretty girls in flowered dresses, laughing and trailing their hands in the water as the HARBORMASTER glides along with nary a ripple.
Whether motoring around the harbor, crossing a mountain lake to a vacation cottage, drifting down a lazy river, or viewing the yacht club regatta, our HARBORMASTER is the boat to be seen in. This replica of a traditional steam launch, common in the early part of the century, will be noticed by all who appreciate beauty and elegance in watercraft. Be prepared for waving hands from those on passing boats and shouts asking what this boat is and where you got her. Imagine the pride you'll have in this showpiece of your craftsmanship, all fitted out with gleaming brass fittings and natural wood trimmed decks.
New materials and modern construction methods make building the HARBORMASTER well suited to the amateur, and result in a stronger, lighter, more durable boat that's much easier and cheaper to maintain than those built in the past. Construction of the shapely, round-bilge hull can be done in wood using conventional strip planking or epoxy strip planking with a double outer layer of wood veneers. Either method requires only a minimum of internal framing and no steam bending. Or you can build in "one-off" fiberglass using C-FLEX fiberglass planking or sandwich core methods with either PVC foam or end-grain balsa.
Whichever method you select, your HARBORMASTER is incredibly economical to operate. The slim, low-resistance hull slips through the water, requiring only a few horsepower to reach hull speed. A full length deep skeg with a large rudder and propeller makes it easy to handle in tight corners. After a day's run, just pull the boat onto its trailer and head home, avoiding costly slip fees.
Plans for the HARBORMASTER include full size patterns so no lofting is required, although a Table of Offsets is provided for those gluttons who wish to do it themselves. The instructions cover all aspects of the project, plus hull material listing. For a shorter version, the plans give the option of reducing the length by 10% maximum, however, lengthening the boat is not recommended.
- Length overall:
- 23'-2"
- Length at waterline:
- 20'-0"
- Beam:
- 7'-3"
- Displacement:
- 3160 lbs.
- Draft:
- 1'-9"
- Freeboard forward:
- 3'-0"
- Freeboard aft:
- 2'-0"
- Hull depth:
- 4'-9"
- Height overall:
- 8'-9"
- Cockpit size (approx.):
- 14'x6', depth: 2'-3" to 3'-0"
- Headroom (min.):
- 6'-3"
- Fuel capacity:
- 20 gals.
- Hull type:
- Round bilge displacement hull of traditional power launch form with tumblehome topsides aft and deep skeg.
- Wood Construction:
- Hull can be built in wood using conventional strip planking or cold-molded epoxy strip planking with double laminated outer wood veneers.
- Fiberglass Construction:
- Hull may be built in "one-off" fiberglass, using fiberglass planking or PVC foam or end-grain balsa sandwich construction.
- Power:
- Single, centrally located, in-line shaft, gasoline, diesel, steam, or electric inboard, 5 to 10 horsepower for speeds to approximately 6 knots.
- Can the hull be extended or shortened?:
- Lengthen: No. Can be shortened up to 10% by re-spacing the frames from the aft end of the stem to the transom a proportional amount. We do not recommend increasing the beam.
- Trailer:
- Designed for use with Glen-L Series 3800 boat trailer plans.