Larry Smith Viper?

[Clay Avedisian]

There is a 31 Scarab Viper in the classifieds that says it's built by Larry Smith. I've looked at a couple and they are Wellcraft built, I thought they were just like my Panther built by Wellcraft. The Wellcraft brochure shows in '91 the Viper model as a production boat. Anybody now any info on this or the boat? Thanks, Clay

[BattleCry]

I thought that there were two different versions of the Viper. There was a Wellcraft and a Larry Smith?

[czy40p]

I could not find much on that model either anybody no anything about it.

[Clay Avedisian]

I understand that Wellcraft produced boats have a vin that starts with WEL and Smith built ones I think are vins with TLS or something close to that. Clay

[Luuk]

So, what was the idea from Scarab when taking the Viper into production?

what is the different between the Viper and Panther?

[737jetmech]

My 1992 Viper hull # starts WEL ... I think its a Larry Smith design built by Wellcraft. Compare it to a Panther . Its hull is completely different . It has a small pad that runs 10 or so feet down the running surface.

[jlg1971]

Sorry for the response delay. It is a Larry Smith built in California. It has a GAB serial # where Wellcraft uses WELP. I only used Viper since it is more familiar. It is 31'1" with 8'6" beam and produced from 1990 to 1993. The race boats did not have a pad. The Wellcraft Panther agreat boat was produced till 1989 and is 30' with 8' beam.

[jlg1971]

There are some pre 1990 31 foot Smiths I also owned and raced a 1989. The 1994 has a much lighter and stronger balsa composite laminate where my 1989 was just kevlar.

[jlg1971]

As with most Larry Smiths they were designed and built to be race boats then the molds were shipped to Wellcraft to make production models.

[bigboat28]

How do you know if it is kevlar or not? The boat is a 86 Viper.