Sternwheel Launch Alligator

From the pages of the May & June 1911 issues of "The Rudder" Magazine comes a really unusual vessel - the Alligator, a 42 ft. long, (overall) 8ft. 11 in. beam sternwheel pleasure boat designed by R. M. Haddock. She is really just a big flat-bottomed skiff with sternwheel propulsion. Alligator has a fully enclosed cabin with sleeping accommodations for three, as well as kitchen and toilet facilities.

Rather than offering the plans to any specific scale, the entire two-part article and plans are offered as a set reproduced on seven 11 x 17 in. sheets. The article includes building instructions and all necessary plan views to build the full size vessel. Model builders can have the plans enlarged to whatever scale desired. For experienced real boat builders, the article and plans can be used to construct the full size vessel.

There are approx. nine pages of text. The plan views include: Outboard profile, accommodation plan, hull lines, body plan, inboard profile, hull & deck framing plan, sections and interior details of cabin, mold patterns with full-size dimensions for hull frames, paddlewheel construction details, midship section and scantling details, and window construction details. All plan views include full-size dimensions, some of which will be hard to read, as the plans were originally printed on 8 1/2 x 11 in. magazine pages.

It is not known if anyone ever constructed the full-size "Alligator" from these plans. She would make an intriguing little boat, either as a super detailed model, or as a full-size craft. With the selection of furnishings and appliances available today, the cabin interior could be made quite comfortable. The many small compact power sources now available would save much space and weight compared to the 1911 gasoline engine shown on the plans. A small steam plant would also work well and could be installed in the cockpit area behind the cabin.