Design
Runabout 12
Designed by Jacques Mertens
A 12 ft 6 in classic outboard runabout by Jacques Mertens for Bateau, the smallest of three boats developed from a 1950s magazine design named Victory and reworked for epoxy, fiberglass and plywood composite. Built light with one aboard it planes with 10 hp and is happier with 25. Beam is 4 ft and hull weight 120 to 140 lb. The cambered deck is usually finished in decorative veneer.
The hull is built upside down on a jig. The designer calls it an intricate boat and does not recommend it for a first-time builder. No time is published for the 12; going by the designer's figures for the 14, budget 130 to 230 hours. The medians below come from builders who logged this boat here.
What building a Runabout 12 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.
Builds of this boat
Nobody has logged a Runabout 12 here yet.
If you are building one, yours becomes the reference: the page the next person building this boat finds when they search for it. One photo and one line is a valid first entry.
Start the first log of this boatBoats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12' Garvey Jolle | Boatkits | 3.76 m (12′ 4″) | 0 |
| Bingo | Glen-L Marine | 12′ 8″ (3.86 m) | 0 |
| Flying Saucer | Glen-L Marine | 12′ 3″ (3.73 m) | 1 |
| Airboat | Glen-L Marine | 12′ 9″ (3.89 m) | 0 |
| Bluebill 12 | Chesapeake Light Craft | 12′ 1″ (3.68 m) | 0 |
| Bluebill 12 | Devlin | 12′ 0″ (3.66 m) | 0 |