The PM 38 Club

The Publications

By the end of the nineteenth, beginning of the twentieth century long before the advent of television and before the internet was even thought of, news was principally promulgated via newspapers.

Most newspapers however still only catered to local audiences.

An increase in printing and distribution efficiency as well as a growing demand for more national information led to the emergence of mass appeal magazines, particularly those which catered to the readers increased leisure time.

And publishers who were able to capture and keep the public's interest also gained from increased advertising revenue.

Two of America's most popular magazines, both of which are still being published today were Popular Science founded in 1872 and Popular Mechanics first published in 1902.

Their popularity sprang from their formula of straightforward reporting on scientific and mechanical developments, prescient journalism and DIY how to articles.

Initially Popular Science was a pure science magazine but in 1916 it moved with the times to add full-color covers extended the focus of its coverage and began including advertising.

Both Magazines are still being published today and both, naturally enough, have their own websites where you can subscribe and where the entire run of back issues can be viewed.

You can visit the "Popular Mechanics" website here.

And the "Popsci" as it now calls itself here.

Or you can view all the back issues on line at Google Books.

Google Books is currently hosting "Popular Science" magazine and "Popular Mechanics" back issues in their archives which you can browse through online.

Or find Back Issues of Science and Mechanics Boat Builder Handbook for Sale Here.

Boat Plans

As well as telling their readers about all the momentous inventions of the era, they also gave them plans on how to create some of them.

Popular Science for instance included an article on how to build a Laser..(and I don't mean the sailing boat).

While some of the plans might seem a trifle off beat to us today, they did publish several timeless plans and instructions for the handyman.

For instance, Popular Science in February 1972 published pans on how to build a wood strip Trail Boat, a stripper canoe in two parts for car topping.

One of the most enduring set of plans appeared in the August 1962 issue of Popular Mechanics .

It was the PM 38 13ft runabout. .

The appetite for Build It Yourself Boat plans was such that books of plans were also published containing plans for everything from Hydroplanes to Sailboats, Runabouts to Canoes and a few 'wacky' ones in-between.

I have put together a collection of the best of these plans here, which can be downloaded for free.

The PM 38 Club

The PM 38 Club

As he says the Popular Mechanics magazine gives you just enough information that you can build the boat directly from the magazine without any of the larger plans.

And despite the fact that he "had never built a boat of any kind before" have a look at what a wonderful job he has done on her.

Then scroll down to the comments.

• Read how Carl and his "oldest son (ten at the time) and I built the PM38 1n 1963.
  No particular problems that I remember".

• How Greg and his Dad and built a PM38 around 1962.
• And then there is Robert who is building one now.

60s Sea Hawk

This is one of many designs published in the Boat Builder's Handbook.

Although not a PM plan she still deserves a mention in the PM 38 Club.

The "Mustang"

"Little Sanity" is Matt's first boat build.

She is being built using the free "Mustang" plans from the Boat Builders Handbook and is another boat that deserves a mention in the PM 38 Club.

"Although she is not 100% finished, my youngest son and I just had to get it on the local lake while the fishing was still good.

This little boat performs really well for what it was intended, and I had lots of fun building it. "

He has now built "Bill Collector" a 12 foot duck boat from the "Sneakbox" plans found on the Svenson's Website.

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"Li'l Tipsy" is a superb version of 12' Mustang built and now being restored by Dean in Jacksonville, Fl.

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And Bryon thinks that his 1956 12 ', homemade, row boat may also have been made using the Mustang DIY plans.

16 'Crescent Sailboat

"Jewel" is a 16 'Crescent Sailboat being built by Mike Allen from the plans by CT .Allen in the 1958 "Boat Builders Handbook".

And what a superb job Mike is doing check out his photos here .

Another that deserves to be in the PM 38 Club.

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When Ron was 14 year old, in 1953, his dad helped him build this 12 foot sail boat using plans from Mechanics Illustrated.

She looks very much like “Breeze-Baby”, see and download her Plans here.

Pintail and 10ft Duck Boat

Pintail drawn from plans by Wm D Jackson is another from the Boat Builder's Handbook.

This one is being built by Greg Allore using the downloaded plans from Svensons.com that deserve to be in the PM 38 Club.

"Saucy Shingle" / "Tiny Titan"

This "Saucy Shingle" / "Tiny Titan" was built by Ken in just 52 hours for a cost of under £100 GB.

(“Tiny Titan” was the original name of this design but when Glen-L published the plans in 'Popular Mechanics', the magazine changed the name because they thought that “Saucy Shingle” sounded better.)

The plans can still be obtained from Glen-L.

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