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nice balance between nostalgia and reliability.
I also modified the original engine installation
plans and lengthened the craft by 19 inches to move
the engine farther aft. This gave the boat better bal-
ance and handling.
The engine is basically stock, with the exception of a
larger carb from a Ford 300 cid truck engine and marin-
ization to make it compatible with an open-loop cooling
system. There’s a pre-cooler for the transmission and
a raw-water pump that circulates water through the
engine, through the water-jacketed exhaust manifold,
then out to the lake again.
I also constructed a custom oil pan in order to move
the oil sump to the back of the engine—that was nec-
essary with my modifications, which had the engine
operating at a 14-degree angle.A V8 is the typical engine
for a custom build, so using the
inline-six made things trickier,
but the old 250 six matched up
perfectly to a BorgWarner Vel-
vet Drive marine transmission.
In my experience, a Velvet Drive is often paired with a
351-Ford engine, common in many ski boats.
In the dash, the tachometer, water temp, oil pres-
sure, fuel, and battery gauges are all era-correct
Stewart Warners—but I did a few things “incorrect.”
There’s a dead man’s switch under the dash and a mod-
ern blower system to ventilate the bilge, plus a few other
safety items, such as a modern marine fuel tank and a
triple-layer epoxy-encapsulated hull for extra strength
and durability.▲ I installed the
engine prior to
finishing the deck
for easier access
to the wiring,
cooling, and
exhaust systems.
◀ After years of
admiration, I used
these plans as my
blueprints.September/October 2020 49