Scale Nitro Boat
 

Hello all. I've recently acquired a 27" x 8" semi displacement fiberglass hull off ebay. The hull is almost an exact match the one on my families real life boat which happens to be 27' x 8', so I figured it would be interesting to build that boat as a model. As this boat is just a recreation fishing boat, and doesn't need to do precise movements like my tugboats do, I was thinking it would be cool to make this boat nitro powered. However, as mentioned before, this is a semi displacement hull, so I was wondering if there was possibly a clutch available to use with nitro boats to allow idling/ slow speeds? Or even a direct drive system that can maintain a lower idle speed? This boat will have a single straight shaft, with the propeller and rudder tucked into a tunnel like the real boat does. I don't need this boat to scream, just needs enough power to get that hull on a plane and ideally be able to go slow enough that the boat isn't on a plane. Any engine/prop recommendations would be appreciated.

I doubt you'll find a clutch that will work as you want as they need to have high RPMs to get the clutch to engage, something more suitable to a race boat.
To get the boat to go slow enough, you will need either a small prop or a really well dialed in carb. I see a .12 or .15 as your best options for the low speed performance you're looking for as well as being able to get the boat up on a plane. Your biggest issue is going to be weight, especially if you're using one of those two small engines