by John Brendlmayr
Speed, stability and portability with room for five—that’s the promise of this versatile plywood and Fiberglas 14-footer.
This is a highly versatile craft. She is the ideal trailer size, light enough so that there are no handling difficulties, but able enough for a day’s enjoyment in most waters. Stability is such that passengers can stand and walk about without concern and she will carry five persons. "Firefly" makes an adequate and handy fishing boat for anything except offshore work. Of considerable importance is the exhilarating performance attainable with engines of 30 to 40 horsepower. Speeds in excess of 30 miles an hour can be reached with safe banked turns. "Firefly" has the speed and lifting ability for water skiing. Construction methods shown are well suited for a home builder or for a small shop. The straight sheer facilitates the use of a solid sawed harpin. Such a harpin contributes to ease of alignment and insures a smooth, accurate curve at the sheer. Longitudinal hull battens are laid on the outside of the frames rather than notching the frames for the battens. This is done both for ease of construction and to give a uniform pattern of deflection to the plywood under load.
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