June 3, 2002

This is a great topic that should be address at this place in time.

I agree that a boat built in 1918 and prior should be termed "historic." The history of the modern power boats started at this time. With the advent of the internal combustion engine for automobiles and airplanes, the natural progression was to power watercraft. Yes, we had steam and sail power, but these means of propulsion limited the use of power boats in the private sector to only areas of the country that had steady breezes, mostly on large bodies of water like the Great Lakes and coastal areas or to the highly mechanical-minded boaters. Steam power necessitated having fuel to burn (wood or coal) again depending on the region and it was dangerous and messy work. The internal combustion engine gave you speed and distance with a minimum amount of fuel carried aboard. It was more suited for recreational boating. In all aspects, historic powered boats were the product of the Industrial Revolution.

Your "Antique boats," which were produced from 1919 to 1942 were, for the most part, designed and built for the more affluent households in the nation. In a time when the average working man came home on payday with $20.00 to $50.00 per week, a $2,000.00 boat was far from their ability to purchase. But, thanks to plenty of ingenuity, these same people were building their own boats. Of course, through those same years, out country was suffering through a depression and prohibition and W. W. I. Prohibition made some manufacturers very wealthy in the Great Lake states, transporting Canadian whiskey from Canada to the U. S. Garwood, John Hacker and Chris Smith were building them bigger and stronger and faster during those years. Also, in the same era, the varnished commuters were being built. These were beautiful boats -- all varnished, but again only the wealthy could afford these boats. Some of the most sought after boats today, were built in that era. Engine technology was reaching great heights and all were much more dependable. For example, the Chris Craft (Hercules 6) was developed in that era and remained almost unchanged to the late 50's early 60's. It was a great design. The big Kermaths, Scripps Liberties, Lycomings came out of that era. Just the sound of those big behemoths would get the average guy excited. With me being born in 1945 and living in Cincinnati, Ohio all of my life, I didn't get to see many of these boats until the mid fifties. Here, in Cincinnati, Ohio, we had just a few of these "antique" runabouts. Mostly down here we had "home made" wooden houseboats or what they called "scows" powered by a variety of old gas engines. Of course, we did see the old steam powered wood stern and side wheeler commercial boats and excursion boats like the Island Queen and the Idlewilde that transported people from downtown Cincinnati to a large amusement park called "Coney Island." We also had overnight passenger boats like the Delta Queen, which is still in service today. OF course all pleasure boat building stopped due to W. W. II, which brought an end to the "Antique" period of boat building.

Now, we are in the classic era 1945-1968. These are the boats I remember best as a child and then as a young man. After the war, manufacturers like Chris Craft, Century, Hacker, and Garwood could not build boats fast enough to meet the demand of the servicemen coming back from Europe and the Far East. Also, with the popularity of outboards being built at that time, the average guy could afford a boat. The use of plywood in wood boat construction made popular from companies like Higgins that built the "P T" boats were strong and lightweight and could be manufactured for quite a bit less money then the solid wood (mahogany) boats. Boat manufacturers, like Chris Craft, also built inexpensive plywood boats and Chris Craft, like Glen L and other manufacturers sold "kit boats." One could buy all the necessary components and assemble the boats at their home -- again, to save money.

Now the true and popular classic boats, are the ones that most of the restorers are restoring today-the Chris Craft and Century solid mahogany planked boats. No one could have thought back in the early fifties that these boats would still be around today. It's a testimony as to how well they were built. There is nothing more beautiful than a restored boat. They are waterborne fine furniture. People will walk right by a $500,000.00 fiberglass boat to look at a classic antique or historic boat.

People ask me why these boats are so popular and why people want cerain boats. The answer is almost always the same - "It's the boat that I learned how to water ski on," or "it's the boat Uncle Harry had at his cottage," or "my dad had one just like it," and many more just like those mentioned. It also reflects a more happy and restful time in our society. No one worked on Sundays, kids did not play three sports, moms did not work and each family had only one car and one television set. Another aspect of boating was people could escape the heat in the summer by going to the lake or river. No one had air conditioned homes, cars or work places.

My hat goes off to all the owners of historic, antique and classic wood boats. You have found an unique hobby that personifies both beauty and relaxation at the same time.

I have just a few words for another class of watercraft. In the last four or five years, we have had many calls on the restoration of what I will call Classic glass boats. Again, we have still another generation seeking the good times of their youth, - the boats of the early seventies and on.

This is just some reflections from a midwestern restorer from the Ohio River region of Cincinnati, Ohio. Best to all of our readers. I hope all have a great summer using their boats.

Jack McCarthy