Lawrence Cohen
Wappingers Falls, New York
Referring to photos he pulled from the Internet and others supplied by his neighbor, a Vietnam veteran who served aboard the boat depicted here, Lawrence scratchbuilt a PBR 31 Mk.2 river patrol boat using a fiberglass hull he shaped around plastic foam and clay forms, “much like how automobile designs are mocked up,” he says. It’s a radio-controlled craft powered by a Dumas 6-volt engine. The engine is geared down to operate two props that are enclosed in pill bottles within the hull. In addition to being seaworthy, the boat has operating horns and gun turrets turned by servo motors. Lawrence spent five months building his Pibber.