The No 18 hydroplane, was Alberto Santos-Dumont’s only watercraft; the rest of his many notable creations were aeronautical in nature. He built and flew many balloons and dirigibles, but may be best known for the 14bis – credited to be the first plane to take off under its own power and flown publicly in Paris. For many years, in Europe and in Brazil (his home country) Santos-Dumont was credited as the first to fly an airplane. Santos-Dumont was independently wealthy and thus had the means to pursue his desire to build and fly heavier than air crafts. Most of his creations where constructed in France where his main residence was located for many years. He also liked a challenge, often associated with a bet. The No 18 hydroplane came about due to a bet that asked for the first boat to achieve 100km/hr along a course on the Seine (averaged over two directions).

Original plans for the No18 are not know to exist; in fact Santos-Dumont destroyed many plans and notes in 1918 after being accused of spying for the Germans. It is most likely that the plans and associated building notes for the No18 were destroyed at that time.

Fortunately, through a number of helpful contacts I have been able to collect enough reliable information that I am confident that a quality model of the No18 hydroplane can be created. This model will be the first (only) model of the No 18 to show actual construction detail.  The model will show interior detail of the boat’s structure. I have chosen Costello boxwood for the wood structures within the model.

Mostly based on published articles and historical photographs, I have drafted plans to build a model in the scale 1:16. The model will be just over 24″ long, the main hydrofoil gives a width of about 15″, and the height will be about 8″. The original boat was 10m long, 6m wide and had a three-bladed propeller with a 2.1m diameter. Power was provided by a 100 HP Antoinette V16 engine.

When complete the Santos-Dumont No 18 hydroplane model will be a rare and exquisite piece of work. One that is worthy of serious collectors of race boat history. This unique handcrafted model, offering incredible detail, can be yours for $5000.