The outback kid who used bush ingenuity to build his own boat with an old motorbike and timber from his station - now has an actual sailing boat.
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George Smith from Scarsdale Station, east of Broken Hill, appeared on The Land cover on November 17 after his makeshift boat went viral when a deluge of rain filled the small lake on his family property.
He built his boat using an old platform, formerly used to float a solar pump on a dam, and an overhead gear previously used in their woolshed, with homemade wooden paddles and his motorbike.
The back wheel of the motorbike powered the paddles while George was able to control the speed of the motorbike wheel using the throttle.
But now the 14-year-old and his sister Annabelle are carving up Lake Speculation, part of Menindee Lakes, with his new 15-foot sailing boat.
His mother, Jane Smith, said he was interested in buying a sailing boat after his previous construction, so he began his research and found the perfect vessel in South Australia.
He bought it from a retired sailing enthusiast, who kindly shared his knowledge with George with a sailing book and DVD.
"The good thing is he can learn while we still have the water," she said.
Mrs Smith said her son planned to build boats once he left school.
"I don't know if he is at the stage of ocean sailing just yet, but he's happy to learn inland where there are calmer seas," she said.
"George likes the challenge of teaching himself to sail at his own pace. As he gains more confidence, he hopes to get out on larger areas of water."
