Do you recognize this wooden inboard motor boat?

[Benson Gray]

I am trying to get some more information about the wooden inboard motor boat shown in the old pictures at:

http://www.canoehullabaloo.com/history/inboard.jpg

http://www.canoehullabaloo.com/history/inboard1.jpg

http://www.canoehullabaloo.com/history/inboard2.jpg

It was about twenty feet long and custom built at the Old Town Canoe Company for Sam Gray in the 1920s or 1930s. This boat was sold to someone in central Maine during the 1960s. I would love to know what happened to it and if it still exists. Do you recognize this boat or can you offer any more information about it? Thanks,

Benson

[paladin]

For Shame....not one of those people had on a PFD.

[michigangeorge]

For Shame....not one of those people had on a PFD.

And I'll bet they lived to a ripe old age unless they fell off their bicycle (no helmet) :rolleyes:

[AndreasJordahlRhude]

My first suggestion was try Benson Gray at www.wcha.org (http://www.wcha.org) forums. But then I saw it was you Benson posting this inquiry.

Cool boat.

I am sure you have tried to see if the state registration is still going?

Someone at the local chapter of www.acbs.org (http://www.acbs.org) might have some suggestions.

Andreas Jordahl Rhude
Minneapolis

[gregleeber]

could be a:

Hickman Sea Skiff

Hackercraft

Dodge

[Benson Gray]

It is true that none of the people in the pictures were wearing PFDs (or helmets) and nearly all of them lived to a ripe old age. However, none of them died in the water or as the result of a boating (or bicycling) accident as far as I know.

Niels Helleberg has confirmed that this boat was probably not designed by John Alden's firm. I appreciate the tips about the local Antique & Classic Boat Society chapter and the state registration. I have contacted the Mountainview Woodies Classic Boat Club of Maine to see if they can help. This boat would probably have carried the same Maine "ME 5 D" dealer registration as did all of the other boats managed by the Old Town Canoe Company. (Anyone who has looked closely at the Old Town Catalogs from the 1960s and 1970s may have noticed that most of the motor boats in the pictures have this same registration number.) The state does not appear to have any more details available.

The Hackercraft reference was also helpful since it helped me locate two similar looking boats that are listed for sale at http://www.necacbs.org/trading.htm in New Hampshire. I have contacted that seller to see if he can offer any more information. It appears that this type of craft was generally known as a Double Rear Cockpit Gentleman’s Raceboat.

Let me know if you have any other thoughts or suggestions. Thanks,

Benson

[24hacker]

I don't think it is a Hacker - vents not correct - Don't think it is a Dodge either - does not have the flying lady on the cutwater - very cool boat

[ishmael]

Hm. There's no maker's plate, or a stamp anywhere in the framing?

Quite a few boats of the type were one-offs, built at home. And during the thirties there were a bunch of small manufacturers that didn't survive the depression. What does the paperwork say?

It's not a Hickman Sea Sled. At least none that ring a bell. My understanding is that all those boats had the "Sea Sled" hull, but don't quote me.

My guess, from what you and others have said so far, would be home built. Various do-it-yourself magazines had designs for home built runabouts.

Sure is pretty. What's the power?

P.S. Love the third photo with all the people aboard. Not Coast Guard approved practice. ;)

[gregleeber]

Benson,

If you are looking for this or any other rare classic runabout I can help you. My friend Alan Brady is, probably, the foremost authority on classic runabouts. He owns dozens of them as he used to own Southern Crown Boatworks in Atlanta. He is a fine gentlemant and if you'd like to speak with him I can get you his contact info.

He has some VERY rare classics in many different stages of condition.

All the best,

Greg

[ishmael]

A few other thoughts.

It has obviously been around the block a few times. The discoloration on the fore deck speaks to some years of neglect. If you don't keep it up the varnish film breaks and water gets in, making the wood dark. That's a lengthy thing, with nasty chemicals, to reverse.

Lose the rail on the foredeck. That only serves to trip people. It looks like it's screwed into the carlin, which may contain its own set of issues. In anycase, it's just wrong, even if the original builder put it there. Well, maybe not if it's original, but it both looks wrong and is counterproductive.

[Benson Gray]

Let me clarify, it has been over forty years since I last saw this boat so I have no way to look for a "maker's plate, or a stamp anywhere in the framing" etc. I don't know what the power was or if there is any paperwork that ever went with it. The color picture was taken in the early 1950s and I have no idea what it looks like now. I am reasonably confident that it was built at the Old Town Canoe Company but I don't know who supplied the plans.

I am interested in finding this boat if it still exists and would be happy to talk to anyone who might know more about it. I just sent a message to Alan Brady at the contact shown at the http://www.southerncrownboatworks.com/ web site. It seem highly unlikely that it would have gotten from central Maine to Atlanta though.

I appreciate the help, thanks,

Benson

[ishmael]

Got a name? That would go a long way. Without a name on a boat like this I think you're going to have a hard time identifying it. So many were built.

What is your interest?

[Benson Gray]

Got a name? ... What is your interest?

The boat did not have a name when it was built or when it was sold in the 1960s. It was simply known as "the inboard." I realize that the chances of locating and identifying it are very slim. It did have a few distinctive features like the rail on the foredeck as you mentioned previously. If it was built at Old Town then it will probably have a serial number that can be referenced in their original records to identify it. I have located and identified two old canoes that originally belonged to Sam Gray this way and thought that it might be fun to see if I could find his inboard as well. My interest beyond that will depend on the current condition of the boat and if the owner wants to sell it. Let me know if you have any other leads, ideas, or suggestions. Thanks,

Benson

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Mayhaps a canadian designed boat....

Ditchburn? Fay and Bowen? Minett Sheilds? They all did long decks