Production model
Runabout
Built by Belmont
Belmont Boats of Fresno, California built two or three luxury runabouts a year between 1956 and 1966, about 65 in all, under founder Smitty Weeks and his son Lynn. They were mahogany-trimmed plywood boats, and Belmont was among the first builders to sheathe the hull below the waterline in fiberglass, which is a large part of why the survivors are still sound. Most ran big Cadillac V8s through a V-drive, and a 1963 boat cost $5,500 before options.
Lengths ran from 19 to 21 feet and no two were quite alike, since each was built to order. After 1966 the yard switched to all-fiberglass flat-bottom jet boats, which it built until 1985, so the wooden runabouts are a ten-year window. Perhaps half a dozen remain on the water, which makes a restoration log of one a record of a boat few people will ever see.
What building a Runabout actually takes
Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate. Nobody has logged this boat here yet, so they are empty until the first builder does.
Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.
What each job takes
Hours summed per builder, then the median taken across builders, so someone who logs a step in fourteen short entries doesn’t outweigh someone who logged it in one. Example logs are excluded.
| Modification | Median hours | Median spend | Owners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning & Parts | 10.0 | n/a | 1 |
Builds of this boat
Boats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Model | Builder | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islander 18 | Lyman | 18′ 0″ (5.49 m) | 0 |
| 13 Sport | Boston Whaler | 13′ 2″ (4.01 m) | 0 |
| Captain | Carver | n/a | 1 |
| Deluxe Runabout | Chris-Craft | n/a | 1 |
| 1950 | Tahoe | n/a | 0 |
| 210 S | Tahoe | n/a | 0 |