Just How Do you Find a Propellor Strut for a One-Off Hydroplane Restoration?

The short answer is, you make it. That's the easy part. You buy the proper materials and just weld them together. But what was the proper shaft angle coming from the gearbox? Of course, one could always put shims of various sizes between the motor mounts and the engine to achieve the correct dimensions and position of the RR Merlin, but what's it supposed to be? What was it when it was built? Are there any original plans from 35 years ago still around? Do we have a shaft log (stuffing box) that will complement the strut?

This is one of those areas that makes it so interesting to be a volunteer on a restoration project at the Museum. Restoring an old Thunderboat is not like building a model kit - well in some ways it is, provided you have instructions, but it is fascinating to be a part of a team restoring a boat and get to meet with people like Jim Lucero, Dave Knowlen, Ron Jones, Ed Karelsen, Norm Berg and others and be working with them as they guide us through these mysteries. I love working on these old boats, but sometimes the best part is simply listening and working with the people who designed and built them in the first place. For anyone who ever grew up with these magical machines, what better place to be than at the Hydroplane and Museum. I think I'm about to begin my 9th or 10th year as a volunteer, but I measure my time not in hours or years, but in the whole experience. What a marvelous place to be...