Churn more water!

If you’re looking for more personalized watercraft in 1/25 scale, consider the AMT 1964 El Camino annual kit (No. 8734-200) that includes a Westcraft four-cylinder inboard/outboard. Revell paired a compact, two-seat outboard with a customized Chevy Luv pickup in its 1978 River Rat (No. H-1382) and included two unbranded wetbikes and a trailer in its 1982 Datsun King Cab kit (No. 7415); both these kits had highly detailed trailers, too. Revell released its WaveRider jet ski as a stand-alone kit with a pre-finished driver and resin wave base in 2002 (No. 85-5030). It had been previously part of a 1999 Chevy Silverado combo kit (No. 85-7776). Polar Lights licensed the Batman BatBoat and reissued the 1/25 scale model in 2010 (No. POL823).

Lindberg introduced a couple of cruiser boat kits in the early 1960s. These did not offer the quality of the AMT and Revell kits but added meaningful variety to 1/25 scale marinas. Round 2 reissued two of these kits, including the 1959 Century Coronado shown here (No. HL221) in the mid-2010s. Dumas offers several 1/24 scale Chris Craft wooden model-boat kits, including the 1938 27’ Triple Cockpit Barrel Back (No. 1703) and the 1940 19’ Barrel Back. These are multimedia kits that require wood hull planking; building one will be an extended hobby project compared to the other kits shown here. No trailers are provided in these Lindberg and Dumas kits.

In 1979, Testors introduced a one-time-only 1/25 scale replica of the 1977 Miss Budweiser unlimited hydroplane (No. 4179). It included a simplified Merlin V12 engine and automotive-style vinyl adhesive panels for the top deck graphics. Monogram introduced two combo kits in 1990 with slightly different iterations of USFORA “Formula 1” 3.0L outboards. The Mach I (No. 7240) and Yamaha boats (No. 7241) were somewhat simplified replicas without engine internals, while the trailers could be adapted to transport other relatively larger 1/25 scale watercraft.

Top Fuel Hydro racing boats have undergone a major evolution in designs over the last 50 years. Sadly, no 1/25 scale styrene kits of these beasts have been introduced, but there were at least two different resin transkits. An offering from Paul Rowe (on the right) dating from 1999 and an Altered States kit (on the left) from 2014 both included vacuum-formed clear cockpit covers. You’d complete them by sourcing mechanicals from Revell Top Fuel dragster kits. My understanding is that these are no longer produced and are extremely hard to locate these days.

While the focus of our coverage has been 1/25 scale, several watercraft kits ranging from 1/16 to 1/32 scale have also been offered over the years. For example, the Monogram 1/32 scale Miami Vice Scarab powerboat (No. 3104) in 1986, and the rare 1968 MPC1/18 scale Chrysler Marine Charger 183 Hydro-Vee outboard kit (No.1001-400) was reissued in 2018 (No. MPC833). AMT/Ertl’s licensed Batman BatSkiBoat (No. 38040) was released in 2005 without a scale noted but appears to be around 1/20 scale.

The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum has introduced 10 1/25 scale modern-era hydroplane boat kits. Nine kits share a common tooling set with a gas turbine engine and complete driveline detail, with individual, large decal sheets for each kit subject. A tenth "vintage museum kit" adds a twin-turbo Allison V12 and decals for seven additional boats. At present, the kits are $50 to $60 plus shipping and are only available directly from the museum.