Power Afloat

MODERN LIVING Power Afloat

In Manhattan's Coliseum last week a record number of marine builders (397) launched the 48th National Motor Boat Show wlth a record number of boats (455). The boatbuilders were optimistic for 1958, expected that spending of waterborne Americans would top last year's record $1.91 billion.

Plastic boats, which were about 15% of those made last year, are growing by 20% a year and rapidly taking over the industry. Some 95 plastic or fiber-glass boats were on display, including the 41-ft Bounty II, biggest plastic boat, with a 55-ft. fiber-glass mast, the tallest yet made. Among the other newcomers in Plastic: the 26-ft. Luders-16, day sailer and racer; the 15-ft. Feather Craft runabout; and the 14-ft. Owens Speedship runabout. The new construction not only permitted builders to cut costs,*but also set them off on a color spree of red, yellow and blue.

While there were some expensive ships to dream about, such as the 46-ft. Wheeler sports fisherman at $60,000, the bulk of the boats were designed for the middle-and lower-income groups, who do most of the buying. More than half the boats were for outboards, which have been souped up--and quieted down. Kiekhaefer Motor Co. showed off its Mark 78, the most powerful outboard (70 h.p.) on display (price: $960). Evinrude and Johnson exhibited the first four-cylinder V-type outboards -- 50-h.p. engines priced at $750 to $850--which, they bragged, were almost free of vibration. Scott-Atwater showed the first three-cylinder outboard, an in-line 60-h.p. model priced at $980. The first practical outboard diesel, which cuts the danger of fire, was exhibited by American M.A.R.C., a medium-weight (75-80 Ibs.), 7 1/2-h.p. engine priced at about $325.

As the horsepower and prices of outboards have risen in the past few years, sales have tapered off. But most of the manufacturers of outboard motors still expect a slight increase in sales above the 605,000 sold last year.

*A 9-lb. "gun," which can spray up to 15 Ibs. of plastic and fiber glass a minute on a mold and cut the cost of laminating plastic boats by as much as 40%, was announced last week by Rand Development Corp. of Cleveland.

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