The PM 38 Club

The PM 38 Club is for all those Boats (and their Owners),which were built using the Free Boat Plans that were published in magazines such as “Popular Mechanics”, "Popular Science" and the "Boat Builder Handbook".

The Publications Boat Plans The PM 38 Mark's Build 60s Sea Hawk The "Mustang" 16' Crescent Sailboat Pintail a 10ft Duck Boat Have You Built a Boat from any of these Plans?

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 issued 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.
Click here for Discount Subscriptions Click here for Discount Subscriptions
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.

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..(?).

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.

Many of these plans can be found and downloaded free from the website ‘Svenson’s Free Boat Plans’.

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The PM 38

Plans for the PM-38 first appeared in the August 1962 issue of the “Popular Mechanics” magazine.

It was named the PM 38 because the magazine claimed that it could, not only be built in 38 hours, for a materials cost of a mere $38 but would, when launched, do 38 mph.

Mark, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia has built a “Popular Mechanics PM-38” just like the one his father built back in the early sixties.

Read his superb account here.

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.

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Russell built his first PM 38 in 1962 when he was 19 years old.

Nearly 50 years later "Damm Yankee", is his second PM-38, built in 2009.

“It is still fun and the memories continue to grow.”

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Carl Mouton from Durban in South Africa built a PM38 in 1962 when he was working in Aden. 

Now that he has retired and has found the plans again he may just build another one.

David, in Melbourne, Australia remembers seeing one of these attractive boats on the Yarra river in Melbourne in the early 60s and is now seriously considering building his own.

If you have built a PM 38?  Or are you considering building one? We’d love to hear from you.

Or join the new “DIY Wood Boat Club” where you can set up your own blog, tell us about your Boat, post photos, videos, join in the forums and much more.

You can still download the plans for free from ‘Svenson’s Free Boat Plans’.


Or you can download a FREE pdf version of the plans here.

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60s Sea Hawk

Eddie Gregory in Ireland is well into the construction of his 60’s 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.

One of many available free from ‘Svenson’s Free Boat Plans’.

Or You can download a FREE pdf version of the plans here.

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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.”

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

This another of many plans available free from ‘Svenson’s Free Boat Plans’.

Or You can download a FREE pdf version of the plans here.
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16' Crescent Sailboat

"Jewel" is a 16' Crescent Sailboat being built by Mike Allen from the plans by C.T .Allen in the 1958 "Boat Builders Handbook".

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



This another of many plans available free from ‘Svenson’s Free Boat Plans’ that deserve to be in the PM 38 Club.

Or You can download a FREE pdf version of the plans here.

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Pintail a 10ft Duck Boat

“Pintail” drawn from plans by Wm D Jackson is another from the “Boat Builder 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.

You can download a FREE pdf version of the plans here.

Tell us all about her.

We all love to see what other Wooden Boat Builders and Restorers are up to.

So, please share your project with us all.

You can either use the form below or join the new “DIY Wood Boat Club” where you can set up your own blog, tell us about your Boat, post photos, videos, join in the forums and much more.

Enter a Title or the Name of your Boat.

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Close Help Entering your story is easy to do, just type and don't worry too much about syntax as I will proof your entry before publication or you can copy and paste from your word-processer. Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph. Thing you might like to include are your boat’s name, her size, the type of construction and the type of timber used, where you keep her and what your plans for her are. Is this a boat you have just bought or one you have owned for some time? Perhaps you could include a little about her history. Please tell us as much as you can as we really do want to hear you story.

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PM 38 
I retired in 1990 as a South African Architect. In 1962 I was working in Aden in what is now part of Yemen. Woodwork has always been a passion of …

Got Wood 
Since the change in plywood thickness being in mm sizes now I was just wondering if anyone knew the sizes for the PM 38 and if they have built this boat …

"Damm Yankee" PM-38 
I'm probably the one and only to build this boat twice. My first build was when I was 19 years old in 1962 and then again in 2009. The first …

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