Welcome

My father-in-law Denny and I began building a Bolger Diablo in the fall of 2005 and launched it February of '06. This site shares our experience building that boat. Denny has built many small wooden boats including a 24' "Pretty Marsh" runabout that he cruises the St. Clair river in. He's currently building an electric launch and has made posts about his progress on the woodenboat forums. You can see his progress here.

I had been planning on getting a new boat and when the opportunity came up that I could use Denny's shop and help I took advantage of it. Denny is a long time fan of designer Phil Bolger and suggested that the Diablo would be a good first boat for him and I to build. The goal was to have a light easily maneuverable and trailerable boat to fish the river in. I liked the way it looked and the construction costs fit into my meager budget at the time. The fact that it is utilitarian and easily planes with a small outboard appealed to me and my wallet. I liked the simple lines and shape of the boat along with her upswept bow. In addition to low construction costs the boat is very economical to run. It easily planes on low power and is capable of doing 30+ mph with a 25 hp outboard.

This site gives a basic overview of the construction process in the construction section. I also have a video page to show the boat in action. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have. Email to diablo@dropsheet.com.