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Tony only recently bought his plans, but has jumped right in and is making rapid progress.
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Tony is a Minnesota resident who has expressed interest in racing his Mini Vee in Mini GT or GT Pro. We're looking forward to welcoming him into the fold next summer.
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A good view of Tony's unique "bullet hole" style of hull ventilation.
Tony is also adding short pieces across the cockpit; one of them is propped in place, held in with a bar clamp. He also widened the cockpit an inch to get a bit more elbow room.
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Tony has also chosen to beef up the area between the transom and bulkhead #4.
Lookin' good, Tony. Keep those photos coming.
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Tony's moving right along with the keel and stem in place. He's added some conduit for his wiring as well, a neat idea.
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Some double bracing between the transom and bulkhead #4 is a really good thing. This part of the boat really takes a lot of punishment, and my 2009 Mini Vee ran into some trouble because of it. Good bracing, and maybe a double bottom, are a must here.
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Creature comfort for the driver.
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The hull is upright! Here's a better look at Tony's extra bracing. Looks like he got a start, at least, on a jackplate as well.
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Peering down into the cockpit. With the seat in place, Tony naturally had to climb in to see how it feels. He says he's glad he widened the cockpit; "... it would have been like stuffing an elephant into a smart car."
That's a pretty cool aluminum (?) dashboard he's got propped into place. I recognize the kill switch on the right side, but not sure what the others are. All will be revealed in time.
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The view from the bow.
Tony reports: "I have had no problems at all.... It has been a heck of a lot of fun to build."
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A fly-on-the-ceiling eye view shows the fuel tank lashed down, trim pump installed, and dash and steering wheel ready to go.
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Trim buttons on the wheel; kill switch on the dash. Gauges will include water pressure, battery, tach and trim, and switches for engine off, power on/off, and electric primer/choke. Tony's even including running lights for some late-night racing at the cabin.
A simple, homemade shift lever awaits a control cable.
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It long and lean, and it looks fast even in the garage.
Tony says the deck plywood is cut, just waiting for foam flotation. Then on to the paint.
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March 20, 2010
Approaching race-ready, and looking great!
"I am excited, it actually looks like a boat," Tony says. "It
was looking like a skeleton too long, I had to kick it in gear and get it
covered."
"Rigging and wiring wont take to long, then off to the water."
Beautiful job, Tony. Look forward to racing against you this summer.
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Finally the big day arrives. It was windy, and then the battery died on his truck, but Tony was not deterred.
"I launched by hand -- you should have seen the fishermen at the launch looking at me like I had a mental disorder."
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"In about a 100 feet of getting snuggled into this tight space I was going full throttle."
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"It was a good test day," Tony says. "I had it airborn a couple times and she held together."
Now the real testing begins, trying propellers and homing in on that perfect one that will get him up front at the races.
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Getting ready to race: numbers applied; testing the lifting rig.
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At the races in Champlin, MN -- shortly before his motor bit the dust. Not to worry, Tony had
acquired another motor the day before the race and will be back on the water in no time.
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The new motor up and running, and nipping at the heals of the Pro Tunnel and the Sport GT.
Hastings, MN, July 17, 2010.
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Coming from Tony this winter: A Dillon Pro Tunnel, for GT Pro racing in 2011.
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Purchase Mini Vee plans
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Return to Customer Boats
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