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10 August 2005 I recently completed my Zip, after 7 months of spare time work and I could not be happier. I have wanted to build a boat from scratch for a long time and enjoyed this one so much I will soon start on another. I have sold the Zip. Next will be the Malahini. Thanks for your support and great products. Regards, Don Witherspoon Hernando, FL
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February 27, 2009 Update May 2008 - 7 hours put in; Received plans, Shopped for lumber, Rented workspace, Moved tools into workspace, Assembled building form.
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Zip by Amauri Cascapera, Sao Paulo, Brazil January 21, 2009 Here are photos of the "tropical Zip" I'm building in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The first photo shows the high-tech table built for the work (an old code fish box!) and the second photo shows the plans over the table.
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Zip by Buddy Slack, Columbia, South Carolina November 19, 2008 My name is Buddy Slack and I just finished my Zip. I could not have completed this project without Barry\'s advice. I used your frame kit and products. The outboard is a 1961 Merc 500.
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Zip by Dave Coleman, San Francisco Bay Area, California 9 September, 2009
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Zip by Pat Wilkening, San Diego, California July 1, 2009 Building my Zip was a really fun project. I used mahogany ply, Sapele and Honduras mahogany to build the hull and deck. Powered by an old Mercury 40hp I found on Craigslist, it actually goes along pretty quick (easily passing big jet skis). I get lots of compliments on it, with \"how old is that thing?\" being the most commonly asked question. Thanks for the well thought-out, easy to follow plans!
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Zip by Tim Grudecki, Dekalb, Illinois June 5, 2009 The \"Donna Marie,\" named after my mother. I started her last year and 15 months later on my 30th birthday I got to launch her! She has got a 2008 Yamaha 4 stroke 50hp on her, and she clips along around 40mph on nice flat water. Lots of chrome on her with a stainless steel cutwater, transom bands, and of course it is sporting your Glen-L colors with the burgee flag flying high!
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Zip by Jack Hartwig, St. Charles, Missouri November 18, 2008 Here are a couple of pictures of the Zip I just completed. As you can see I modified the boat slightly to not include a back seat and replaced it with a hatch. The process took about 20 months.
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Zip by Shane Dickinson, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada October 17, 2008 A few months in and so far the build has went excellent; I have just turned the boat over and now starting the floor. The weather is getting too cold for epoxy so not much more will get done until spring.
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November 2, 2020 - Fiberglass covered with 90 HP Yamaha. dgarcia53@yahoo.com
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November 2013 I thought you might be interested in my recent build based loosely on your Zip. It is essentially a stretched Glen-L Zip (16 feet) below the water line but tweaked a good bit above. It is an inboard with a 200 hp electric motor. The framing was extensively modified (stringers added, about twice the frames as the original, and double the hull thickness). I took it out for the first time last weekend and it performed beautifully. I programmed the motor controller to limit the power to 30% for motor break-in and it still did over 30 mph. Maybe next weekend I will increase the power to 50%. Best regards, Luke Raymond Editor’s Note: Glen-L Marine Designs does not endorse or support these types of extensive modifications of our designs, but one of the benefits of building your own boat is building your OWN boat such as what Luke has done. It truly is one-of-a-kind, and we congratulate him on his beautiful and successful build.
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April 27, 2020 - I started mid January 2020 for my 59th birthday. It’s been a wonderful thing to have after work for an hour or so each day to unwind and enjoy.
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Updated June 26, 2019 Updated May 9, 2019 Updated March 6, 2019 Zip build start date Feb. 24th 2018 Updated January 14, 2019
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This new complete wood parts kit is available for the Glen-L Zip, shipped to the 48 contiguous United States. All the parts to build this boat are precision cut for you to assemble immediately upon receipt. See our online catalog for ordering information.
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Updated July 2018 November 2017 I chose Glen-L's Z-Z-Zip design because I wanted a sporty outboard boat for enjoying summer days with my wife. The Zip lines are beautiful, classic, and timeless. And, it fits in my garage!
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January 2016 - My completed Zip powered by a 1958 Mark 58e sitting on a 58' Tee Nee trailer which I restored 100%.
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Update 22 May 2014 Zip, Zip, Hooray!!!! May 2013 Garfield Karpiak here and sending a couple of photos of the Zip project I have just begun. Been nosing around your site for a long time and ordered the plans some time ago. I believe there is a \'list\' somewhere of folks building a Zip and I would be happy to have my name added to the list. Have started off taking a few photos, hope I continue to do so as I have appreciated the many step by step photos sequences I have found through your site. Wish me Luck.
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01 January 2014 I just wanted to send you a few pics of my Zip in progress. I started on her October 21, 2012 and flipped her December 1, 2013. The older gentleman in the actual flip pic is 86 years old and he built a 14\' mahogany runabout in 2000. He has been an inspiration. I hope to launch in 2014. Thanks again for your help.
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July 17, 2008 Here are a few pictures of my recently completed Zip. It was my first boat build and I can\'t tell you how much fun it was building it. Now that it is completed I am amazed how much attention and comments I get. Everyone wants to know what year model it is ? The older folks want to know if it is an old Yellow Jacket? Thanks for the great plans, the information, and great products. I\'m ready now to start another one, but having a hard time making my mind up which one to build. Thanks again! Update 22 October 2013 Modified Zip built by Jerry Lindamood, running at lake LBJ in Kingsland Texas. Powered by a 1957 Mercury Mark 78. Editor\'s Note: Jerry has taken the Glen-L Zip design and made his own modifications to convert it into a \"Gentleman\'s Racer.\" While Jerry seems to have done a fine job of making his modifications, Glen-L does not recommend that changes like these be made by novice boatbuilders.
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September 2013 Here are some pictures of my Zip. I have used it for 2 summers now, and it is a fun boat. It’s a nice boat to cruise around in. I am very satisfied with it. Thanks for good plans; I think I will do this again. Best regards, Kent
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October 2017 I did not build the boat myself. It was built by a Norwegian guy whose name is Kent Andreassen. You have a previous article at your web site as follows: http://boatbuilders.glen-l.com/zip-design/nggallery/zip-design/zip-by-kent-andreassen-sandefjord-norway Since I bought this boat I have done a lot of detailed work on her and I'm quite happy what she has become. My beauty.
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Update July 2013 Finished her up about 2 years ago, having too much fun to post pictures. Boat\'s name is Miss Woody. Took her to two wooden boat shows here on the Oregon coast and she was a big hit. Thanks Glen-L! 15 February 2010
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June 2013 Update Since building the Squirt I have built the Glen-L Zip and Glen-L Tunnel Mite. I’m now being requested to have them on display at the newly remodeled Tacoma Foss Waterway Seaport Museum on a rotating basis. I will put a little history display together for each of the boats as to when they first hit the drawing board or when the plans were first available. I’m thinking if I can spark some interest in boat building to a few it will be well worth it. Thanks! --- Rich Stabler
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March 2013 My name is James Wolhaupter from Salem, Oregon and this is my Zip story. Twin Jet Zip! The II Extreme Story This all started with a sign on a little wood boat by the side of the road. The cute little plywood boat with no engine was mostly rotted and in very poor shape. I looked it over and thought I can work wood right, with a little effort something nice might emerge? After some research I determined with some degree of certainty that this was once a kit boat from Glen-L Designs called the Zip. I began this project of invention and customization by removing and replacing about 95% of the wood. Then piece by piece I cut & fit, glued, screwed all the parts back in place. The entire interior was scrapped and the new ¼ in. marine plywood bottom and sides received a double coat of fiberglass cloth for strength and safety. Add some folding boat seats, new built in back seat/storage box and it began to resemble the cute little boat that I pictured it could be. After searching for a 30-50 HP outboard engine to no avail a wild idea came to mind; why not install a jet ski engine? The hull was similar to a Jet Ski bottom so could I design and engineer all the required parts and pieces to make a little jet boat, maybe, I thought? But my search for a ski with a big enough engine also failed. Then one day in northern Idaho the local classifieds led me to several (5) Kawasaki Jet Ski’s for sale and my mind wondered, how about TWO engines? Could I build a twin? Years followed designing, building & testing all the pieces. Four oak engine mounts were used to mount the two 650cc engines sitting side by side, and then a laser was used to perfectly line up the intake tunnels, the pump mounts and pumps. Selecting routing for the exhaust system to exit out the back somewhere was a cruel & frustrating puzzle at best. Building and making the dual throttle quadrant work correctly took a great deal of time and effort. Next was modifying the existing steering cable system to a single push pull rod that would steer both nozzles. Two fuel tanks were mounted forward with an electric pump that moves fuel to the header tank mounted in the engine compartment. A sturdy battery mount placed far forward and the mechanicals were about complete. Then close up the top and paint the bottom blue, the sides white then add some cool custom graphics just for fun. To finish I cut & painted the lines in the front and rear decks for look, stained the top with two shades, and added 14 layers of varnish to complete the pretty wood boat look and the little 14 ft. plywood twin jet runabout became the II Extreme. After testing some further refinements were in order. Trim plates & bottom strake were added for a better ride. Wanting reverse required removing both engines for a complete stern overhaul in 2011. New adjustable ride plates were attached that mount the reverse buckets and a push pull cable for control was added up to the driver’s seat. The reverse buckets required removing the original nozzle connecting rod then installing a new push pull cable between the two nozzles that routes back thru the transom and under the engines.
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I have finally finished building a Zip and put it in the water in July 2013. I received the plans in August 2008. I am a very slow builder and had a full time job so it took me a long time. I have attached some photos so of key points of its construction. This proves that anyone can build a boat as long as you stick to it and never give up.
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10 December 2010 I finished building my Zip about 12 months ago and have just now got around to sending in some photos for your website.
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July 2017 I have built a Glen-L Zip in New Zealand a couple years ago. Marine plywood is hard to find in NZ unless you live in one of the big cities even then it be rather expensive. In short it cost about $3000 NZD (+-2200 US) for all the lumber (African Mahogany) and Plywood (mix of local stock and African Gabon). Price does not include outboard engine but the Zip is fitted with a new 30HP Mercury two-stroke which pushes the boat with a family of four towards 25KN. Build time about one year of weekend work (total work hours 300+).
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