A man and his hydroplane

I recently have come into ownership of an absolutely beautiful '73 Johnson 25hp 2-stroke, and it has completely won me over. I am loving the time I spend restoring it to its former glory, the first few test runs have proven that quality-made items will stand the test of time.
Recently, I have been looking for an excuse to put this big girl to work, and have settled on the idea of building a hydroplane. I've been researching a bit, and the three designs that seem to surface most often are the Wetback 10, the Minimost and some variation of the Picklefork.
Bearing in mind I am a 20 year old novice woodworker, are any of these design appropriately simple? If not, could someone please steer me in the direction of a fairly straight-forward design that will still absolutely fly when I put my most prized possession on the back?
Additionally, I have discovered that all the best designs in this area were drawn up about 40 years ago; is there any merit to the idea that even the though the construction was difficult in the past, modern boat-building techniques might make it considerably easier?

Thank you in advance

 

Hi Robert, welcome!!

If you haven't visited the Glen-L website, I definitely recommend taking a look. They have several designs that would work for you.
Yes, a lot of the designs in the power range that you're looking for are pretty dated, but are proven designs that work well (and have a pretty cool "retro" vibe, if that suits you). I'm not familiar with the other offerings except in passing, but most of the Glen-L designs are geared specifcally towards amateur builders with little experience. The plans and patterns are clear and concise, and best of all, the Glen-L builders forum is a great support network with the answers to just about any question you may have during the process.
I'd also look up Dillon Racing. Their designs are more modern with more focus on tunnel hulls. The builds look more involved, but not crazy-hard by any means.

I assume that your 25hp is a short shaft?

Just my 2¢.....

Thanks,
Dave

 

Thank you very much for your help, I've been convinced about the Super Spartan!
Unfortunately my budget doesn't quite allow me to fork out about $100AUD in plans alone, so unless I can find somewhere to scavenge some cheaper or preferably free plans, I might have to put the whole thing on the back burner.
It is a short shaft, and running like a dream!

Thanks,
Rob