Classic wood runabout boats full#

Perhaps known best for its introduction of the electric launch at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, Elco produced a fine and varied array of boats in its heyday from the 1890s to 1949. Only a limited number of wooden Hutchinsons were built in the company's heyday, and because of their seaworthiness, beauty, and quality construction, the few boats that remain today hold clear value to collectors, as well as boat owners looking for a capable yet beautiful and historic wooden boat.

Classic wood runabout boats full#

Today, they are a full service marina and Sea Ray dealership. The company still operates in the location they moved to in 1911 however, not as custom boat builders. Like many boatbuilding firms, Hutchinson did their part during both World Wars, building naval craft for the US government. Hutchinson built boats designed for fishing, commuting, and cruising – customized to buyers' specifications and built to handle the choppy water of the St. By 1929, the brothers had passed away but boat building operations carried on under new leadership.

Lawrence River), dates back to 1908 where two brothers, Hubert and George Hutchinson, ran a small operation building, for the most part, custom boats for individual customers.

The Hutchinson Boat Works in Alexandria Bay, NY (along the shores of the St. Hutchinsons were not built at a factory, but built at a yard by a crew of real boatbuilders who understood construction as well as how the boat would be used. As such, the right Stanley boat is highly collectible and worth an investment in a well-considered and high quality restoration. Today, very few of Roy Stanley's boats remain-and even fewer outside of museums, and in restorable condition. Stanley built his first boat in 1903 he passed away in 1960. He even built a number of powerboats for bootleggers who were active all along the St. According to Bob Speltz in his book, The Real Runabouts IV, 'Stanley built a lot of skiffs, large double ended, powered guideboats, and at least a few special inboard speedboats or runabouts. He had an uncanny ability to produce fast boats, and developed some unique construction methods. Sought after by Chris Smith and Gar Wood, Roy Stanley chose to stay in Cape Vincent, NY, on the shores of the St. Research Chris-Craft at The Mariners' Museum ».Visit Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club website ».View or purchase books about Chris-Craft ».The company is still around today, building boats made of fiberglass. The founders sold the company in 1960, but Chris-Craft continued building wooden boats until 1972. Chris-Craft's boat lines included the runabouts, utilities, cruisers, and sea skiffs. Chris-Craft focused on standardized boat production, enabling them to build boats year-round and at a good profit - while still being affordable to the average guy. Chris led several boat building ventures prior to that, including a partnership with Gar Wood building race boats. In the restructuring the historical information and materials were most likely discarded as little information can be found today.One of the most widely recognized names in wooden motorboats, Chris-Craft got its start in 1922 in Algonac, Michigan, with Chris Smith and his sons Jay and Bernard at the helm. Trojan eventually retooled the old Shepherd plant to accommodate production of their larger motor yachts.

They phased out construction of all Shepherd runabouts by the early 60's. The market for wood boats had all but dried up. Most inboard builders made the switch from wood to follow the trend, however Shepherd did not follow suit. By 1960 aluminum and fiberglass boats were 'all the rage' and had completely invaded the wood speedboat market. The firm was bought out by Trojan Boat Co. The 50's were a booming era for the production of Shepherds. This was quite a feat for a small, custom boat builder. Their popularity quickly grew in the Midwest with multiple dealers in some states. Shepherd speedboats were on display at the 1950 New York National Boat Show and stole the show with rave reviews. to begin distribution of their fine mahogany boats. As on e of the first pioneers of the 'V' drive Shepherd discovered that by implementing the new 'V' drive in it's runabout and mounting the engine further back it created more room in the cockpit.įrom their humble beginning Shepherd boat appointed a single U.S. Shepherd boats were designed and constructed to meet the highest quality standards. In 1939 they opened the plant at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario with few boats ever crossing the border. Lloyd Henry Shepherd and his son Howard Henry Shepherd founded Shepherd Boat Works in 1928 in St.