Follow along the photo-documented construction blog HERE!

On windless mornings, the Columbia and Willamette rivers are smooth as glass. Those are the times that motoring along at 7 kts in a sailboat is not too exciting. I decided for my next boat to build an outboard powered run-about – something that can get us out to Astoria (85 miles away) by lunch-time, and back the same day without getting hammered in the afternoon chop.

A modified Vee hull, with at least 10 degrees deadrise at the transom, but not too much that it can’t get up on a plane quickly nor is inefficient with fuel. I wanted something with a retro look. Doesn’t need full accommodations in the cabin since we have a fully featured 35′ sailboat, but it does need a potty, an icebox, and perhaps accommodate a nap for 2 down below. I also wanted to try a new build technique.

I settled on a Sam Devlin stitch-and-glue Surf Runner 25. It was originally designed for an inboard, so I had him modify the plans to handle a 200HP outboard.