minimax hydroplane

[Alan Larter]

i am Charlie i am 11 years old and i have a minimax hydroplane and me and my dad are going to put a 1935 8.5 hp. sea king on it and we do not know what the biggest engine a general minimax can take for horsepower let me know,
THANK YOU,
Charlie

[chuckw]

Sounds like that would be a good motor to start with. You should figure out a way to have dead man’s throttle to stop the motor. Also, remember to not try to turn too sharply and also go play in calm water. I had a MiniMost as a teen and I think they are better handling boats than the MiniMost. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress with the boat. I wouldn’t put much more than a 10 hp motor on it.

[dave-bernard]

Got pics?

[lloyd]

I built a Minimax when I was about 15 and had a blast with it. First motor i used was my dad’s old 5 HP Johnson TD that my Mom bought for him in 1947 after he came back from Okinawa. It planed and ran well, but I quickly wanted more speed so i fixed up an old Evinrude 15 and took off the cowl to save weight. It really flew with that motor! 8.5 HP is a very good place to start. Have fun and be careful!!

[fifty20ne]

How to install safety kill switch on antique & vintage outboards.

Thanks to Lincoln, and all the Pine Tree Boating Club Guys!

A+++

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZi70o1PiIo

[billw]

I had a Minimax, too. I built it myself when I was about 14 or 15 or so. They didn’t have electric screw guns back then, either…. Lots of blisters. Anyway, 8.5 is GREAT!!! My first was a 7.5. Like others have said, a dead man throttle would be ideal but if not that, at LEAST have a safety lanyard that shuts off the engine if you happen to “leave the boat.” The Minimax is fun but somewhat dangerous. It has a tendency to catch a chine in hard turns and roll over unexpectedly. I never did it with the 7.5 but did it at least twice with an 18, which was probably too much. Also, anything more than a 6″ high wave and the boat will slice right THROUGH it, rather than go over it. Operate in a very calm area and have your head on straight; and you’ll be fine and have a lot of fun.

Long live American manufacturing!

• This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by billw.

[Tubs]

A "Boathouse Repair" is one that done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[lloyd]

Before the Minimax, I built a Go Cart from the ground up. Mac 10 chain saw engine, chain drive, single disc brake on a solid rear axle. It did 50 MPH in an old deserted subdivision near home. All in all the boats were safer and more fun.

[Alan Larter]

how do I post pics.

[Alan Larter]

we plan on putting a 10 hp. lock wood chief next season

[Author]

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