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celebratedliving.com
S
UMMER 2011
Woodenboats areworks of art craftedofmahogany,
brass, chrome, leather,andglass,and theyarea testament
toAmerican craftsmanshipandattention todetail.
Classicwoodenpowerboats arenot only elegant but
highly sought after in this day and agewherewe
gravitate to thebeautiful designs of an earlier era.
Models likeRacingRunabout,BabyGar,SuperAquarama,
Streamliner, Beavertail, Rocket, Ski-Bee, andTorpedo
offered creativenames thatwere equaledby their jaw-
droppingdesigns.
Butdon’tbedeceivedby looksalone.Lesson learnedby
youngBillyRay in
OnGoldenPond
, who challenged
NormanThayer (HenryFonda), asking, “So,how fastdoes
thisold tubgoanyway?”Normanrepliedbyopeningup the
throttleon
THAYER IV
, a1950Chris-CraftSportsman,
sending thedoubtingadolescentstraight to theaftof the
boat,flatonhisback.Yousee, thesebeautiespacksomese-
rious horsepower that is sure to thrill even themost
determinedspeedseeker.
Although therehavebeenmany talentedboatbuilders,
wehave selected just a fewof our favorites to share
with you. These includeChris-Craft, Hacker-Craft,
GarWood,andCenturyBoats—allexceptionalAmerican
wooden-boat builderswithdesigns andmodel names
that catchour attention. Inaddition, wehave included
the exquisiteRiva, the Italianbrandwhichhas been
craftingboats since 1842.
Not onlydo these classicwoodenboatsofferhoursof
incredibleenjoyment, theyevokeenoughonlooker envy
to satisfyanyowner.Once the leisure toyreserved for the
richand famous, toutingownerssuchasSophiaLoren,
DeanMartin,KatharineHepburn, ElvisPresley, and
WilliamRandolphHearst, thesedreamboatsare still
theultimatesummer lakeaccessory, guaranteed toget
younoticedevery time.
Hacker-Craft
JohnLudwigHacker, acknowledgedasoneof the leading
naval architects in theworld, foundedTheHackerBoat
Company in 1908 inDetroit.Hewasnot onlyoneof the
leading designers of theAmerican runabout and the
innovatorof the revolutionaryV-shapedhull, but healso
hadahand inbuilding thefirst airplanefloats for the
Wright brothers. Following that, hedesignedandbuilt
hisveryownWright Flyer, thefirst hydroplanewater-
craft to reach the seemingly impossible speedof 50mph.
Hackerwouldgoon todesignsomeof themostspectacular
woodenboatseverbuilt. hackerboat.com
➤
Wooden
Wonders
As summer unfolds, collectors, enthusiasts,
and aficionados around the world are
preparing to lower their most prized
possessions into thewater.
BYMICHAELWOODY
LEFT AND ABOVE:©H2OMARK, LAKETAHOECONCOURS.COM
