Hacker Runabout

On Monday we had a presentation given by a 2014 graduate, Matt, on the Hacker Runabout that will be completed by the Traditional Large Craft class. Matt started the build last year with his class and is coming back to the lead the project.

This 21-foot runabout was designed by John L Hacker in the mid-1930's while working in Detroit Michigan for the Canadian Greavette Company. The new boat will have a bottom laminated of mahogany over marine plywood, and will have mahogany sides and decks. It will be powered by a Crusader six-liter engine.

Hacker-Craft is the name given to boats built by The Hacker Boat Co., the oldest builder of wooden motorboats in the world. It is an American company, founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1908 by John Ludwig Hacker (known as John L. Hacker or just "John L."). The company moved operations to New York State in the 1970s and continues to produce hand-built boats in Silver Bay, on the shores of Lake George, New York.

John L. Hacker (1877–1961) was a naval architect and American motorboat designer. His major design and engineering accomplishments include the invention of the "V"-hull design and the floating biplane for the Wright brothers. Hacker's success in the design and building of speed craft surpassed all others of the time.