1968 Stiletto 1/4 scale

[crispy]

About 18 years ago I built an RC boat from plans I found in a 1968 popular mechanics encyclopedia. The hull is made from ABS plastic and is 49" long and weighs 9 Lbs without running gear. Some people have told me it looks like a Crackerbox boat.

My grandfather helped me build it before he passed away and I'd really like to finish it right.

It used to have a Weedeater engine in it and it is/was subsurface drive, I want to convert it to surface drive as cheaply as I can with used parts if possible.

I really need guidance with this project as I know nothing about water propped boats (I run airboats)

What things am I going to need as far as running gear to get it up and going? Is it even possible?

Pics when it was first built: click pics for larger view.



And pics taken today:

 

[john v]

there are some guys over at jrcbd who know a lot about crackers, give them a shout

 

[crispy]

there are some guys over at jrcbd who know a lot about crackers, give them a shout

I'll do that, thanks.

 

[crispy]

It seems that this project will die. The plastic is way too brittle throughout the boat to support an engine. I started to smooth out the bottom to get rid of the warp, but I ended up cutting a section out...........

Normally the plastic won't break when bent, but it is so old it breaks like a piece of balsa.

I still have the book I got the plans from, I might try to build an identical boat from wood at a later date, but for right now, it's dead.