Seattle Boat Show Blog

A plane for do-it-yourselfers

by Deborah Bach on 05/02/10 at 10:33 am

Fresh out of boat projects? Looking for a new DIY experience?

One of the most unusual displays at this year’s boat show is The Sportsman, a trailerable kit plane that can be equipped with floats. According to manufacturer Glasair Aviation, based in Arlington, Wash., the planes can haul more than 300 pounds of gear, from golf clubs to fishing rods.

The Sportsman, a kit plane that can be built in two weeks.

Here’s the catch: If you want one, you’ll have to build it yourself. Under the guidance of Glasair employees, buyers spend two weeks—10-hour days, six days a week—building their planes at the company’s hangar.

“You’re doing the work. You’re not just sitting there drinking coffee,” says Nigel Mott, Glasair’s finance manager.

The company, in business since 1980, has sold more than 100 of the planes so far, mostly to “high net worth individuals” like doctors and entrepreneurs, Mott says.

The planes start at $162,000, or $200,000 with floats. Check out the plane at the company’s booth, West 66, at Qwest Field Event Center, or on its website.

(By the way, we were just kidding about running out of boat projects. We know that never actually happens.)