The Guppy is an okoume plywood and Philippine mahogany sailboat, rowboat, powerboat, built to be equally at home on lakes or waters of the Puget Sound. It is constructed a bit heavy on purpose to help it feel more like a larger boat. The Guppy was built in my garage over a five year period while I was in the aerospace industry, so there are carbon fiber components in it made from scraps procured from the Air Borne Laser Project (Boeing YAL-1).
The Guppy has ample seating for fishing, eating lunch, watching wildlife or hiking out while sailing. With a 6hp motor, it will cruise 11-12 mph while getting about 33 mpg. To help save on fuel, this boat is easily towed and launched with my Toyota Prius. After first launching it in 2006, I made a number of trips under the Narrows Bridge to view the construction progress. Circumnavigation’s of islands in this boat are a lot of fun. If you lock the motor in place, you can stand in the middle and lean gently to one side or the other to steer. It has been in storage as I build another boat, so it is nice to get it back out to explore the waters of the PNW once again.
