Low-cost option is a ZippKits SPRINGER tug from Florida. Complete for around US$100 or so, not a huge loss if something drastic happens

Easy to assemble

Those frames are a good idea as they are self-supporting when floating.

For Sprite Plus one end could be made specifically to fit and could possible use magnets for when reversing or other quick release method.

I won't use my outboard version for recovery but will probably do a quick no frills build for that purpose.

HI All
The hair bands across the rescue boat is to hold on different boats also if you have to use reverse.
Harry

Floating Recovery Frames.

Morning Harry,

We have some of these floating frames in our club and they do work very well.

Made from white PVC waste water tube they can be thrown into the water where they float and be engaged by a suitable power boat to gently push them into position to recover any boat that needs rescuing.

These floating frames are not attached to the recovery craft.

Both ends of the recovery frame are open V shaped so that any suitable craft can drive into the end of it and push it into position.

A similar (but wider) open end on the other end of the frame can then be guided and pushed against the stranded boat to engage with it so it can be pushed back to the waters edge.

Regular club meetings will usually have one of these available, but the lake is open every day so that is when a simple pusher craft could come in handy.

I have some spare water tubing of the type used to make one of these, but they are a bit too big to carry in the car every trip so I have not made one yet.

Next time I am at the club (on a regular club meeting time) I will picture one and add it here..........and maybe make use of the spare water pipe I have in my workshop (shed) and make a smaller one to see if it can work as well as the bigger ones do.

Bob.

Hi All
I made this recovery system up a few years ago to fit a number of boats. PVC electrical pipe with pool tubes.
The forward sections are removal via two pins for transport.
The first day we recovered two boats after a test on another boat.
We added the black piece for more protection between boats.
Harry

Sprite Plus.

The picture was taken before I splashed some sanding sealer over the balsa, but it was hairy.

I thought it may have been hairy because I used my Perma-Grit tool to shape it with, but subsequent sanding with fine sandpaper did very little to improve it.

After the first coat of sanding sealer, the surface looked much cleaner and when sanded between coats, and the surface stayed smoother.

Bob.

That balsa is hairy isn't it! 😀

Yes, I carried on making changes when I was modifying the drawings for the outboard and am still making the odd tweaks as I'm finalising them ready for building but not straying too far away from the overall look of the original Sprite.

Not sure if I mentioned it on the Sprite thread but I'm building it upside down off the deck (as per my Huntress build) as the deck edge is straight/no sheer and is a simple way of building once the deck has been cut out. I will then add camber later in the build.

I should be starting Scimitar first as that was drawn up a couple of years ago but it will be Sprite Plus (plus outboard! 😀) first.

The parallel sides on your build look fine though, in fact better than I thought they would being a bigger model, so no problems there.

Hi Chris,

My prototype Sprite Plus was already under way when some of the later design details were considerd.

The cabin sides on my Sprite Plus prototype are straight and don't have the angle in them that you have since added, so it is more like the original Sprite so it is not quite such a sophisticated shape.

I did change the cabin front from being a flat screen to a two sided screen with an angled front- very much like you have drawn on your proposed outboard variant.

I have the option of adding an angled bows to this prototype at any time (even after "sea trials") but for now at least it will stay with the flat (punt shaped) bows as it makes this craft different from anything else that I have ever built or owned.....and I do think it would suite your outboard variant really well.

The flat front may or may not be an advantage for any recovery work, as I still have some ideas about making a "pusher frame" to add to the bows, but the plan is to build and test the hull as it is first.

Bob.

Pointed nose, which as well as removing the flatness echoes the shape of the windows to the front of the cabin - not shown on sideview.

You can see that I've finished the rubbing strips where the nose starts.

His Chris,

Are you going to keep the square "punt" front or go for the modified pointed nose as shown in your plan elevation.

Bob.