The "NTC Hydro" 3.2M [10' 6"] Outboard Hydroplane

This project passes on the Nye family tradition of building high performance aluminum boats to the youngest generation. The NTC Hydro is modeled after the C class racing hydroplane. The length is 10' 6" and the bare hull weighs only 125 lbs.  This totally unique aluminum hydroplane has been 6 months in the making and finally made its first appearance on the Muskoka Bay in Gravenhurst, Ontario in the summer of 2007.

 
Design challenges were surpassed and after many hours of modeling in SolidWorks. All surfaces are cylindrical, conical or flat.

Our symmetrical design differs from a traditional race boat as they are built to turn left only.

All cutting templates were taken from SolidWorks model that directly drove the laser.

The first launch - a great success!

The 9.9 horsepower engine (with a few minor modifications) gives us about 30 miles per hour.

The entire boat was sanded with 120, then 220 and then 600 grit sandpaper then polished with a cotton wheel and tripoli compound on a 4 HP straight grinder.

The final polished boat is a real eye-catcher and on a sunny day it can give you a blinding flash if you are not careful.

 
The design was truly a family affair. Michael Nye was involved in the planning and early patterning on the dining room table. He also did some of the shop work. It took Michael two days to grind, sand and polish the hull but the final result was well worth the work.

Like many of our projects, the cost of designing and building the NTC Hydro was quite a bit more than we had hoped. We are offering bare unfinished hulls on request for $6,500 or we can supply full size cutting templates for $200.00 per copy - Mark.