21' Zimmer Utility Launch

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In developing this design, Nelson Zimmer tells us his inspiration came from the many slim, handsome launches and cruisers that silently and gracefully passed by his waterside home in the days following World War I. Then, three horsepower served an 18' launch admirably, and a 28' cruiser might have had a 15-hp Kermath beneath her bridge deck. Because these engines were by today's standards slow turning and low powered, they ran, if not silently, at least with a gentle, low-key rhythm that could even be called soothing.

Zimmer utility launch design plans particulars and profile line drawings.

Particulars and profile line drawings

But with the advent of power created by marine adapta­tion of the cheap, mass-produced, fast-turning automobile engine with its high (but sometimes questionable) power ratings, along with the blandishments of Madison Avenue and the stylists, the moderate launches and cruisers became obsolete in the eyes of most owners-but not extinct.

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