How It Was Done In The Old Days

Devereux Books
Located in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Devereux Books is a special interest publisher which focuses on transportation-related topics. From the stories of important American boat builders to the history of internal combustion engines and a variety of related topics, each book strives to answer the questions "How did it work?" How was it done in the old days?" For more information on their titles visit: www.devereuxbooks.com or write to them at PO Box 503, Marblehead, MA 01945.

The Golden Years of the Racing Outboard

by Peter Hunn

Some books are labors of love and others are merely labors. Fortunately The Golden Years of the Racing Outboard is one of the former. As author Peter Hunn says in his introduction: “Because I got old while waiting for the perfect time to don helmet, life jacket and kneepads, the pages you’re holding represent my big race.”

Hunn is a plywood romantic and this book is his love letter to the sport of racing outboards. He seeks to reclaim the past, since much of the evidence of the Golden Age is largely invisible, killed off by, among other things, the homogenized tide of fiberglass jet skis and family boats. This book attempts this through an historical review of its best remembered equipment. Most of the numerous illustrations are taken from period photos and catalogs rather than examples because most of the original hulls have, tragically, been lost to time and two decades of neglect from a distracted public.

The book is organized into four parts: Outboard Racing History, The Mercury Racing History, Competition Motors from Other Makers, and Racing Boats. Although many of the original details were ambiguous or even contradictory, Hunn has carefully researched and clarified his material, additionally providing a chronology of stock outboard racing mileposts from 1908-1960.

The chapter on Mercury makes for especially good reading in part because it involves the colorful character of its’ mercurial founder, Carl Kiekhaefer. It was his KB-7, a saw engine revamped to water cooling, that in the post-War era, became the basis for an outboard that launched the Golden Age. Mercury’s KE-7, the Lightning’s, impact on the late 1940’s small boat world is likened to the automotive world’s enthusiastic public acceptance of Ford’s first Mustang.

The final two chapters provide a comprehensive alphabetical listing of non-Mercury factory built racing motors, factory built racing boats, and kits and plans.

The Golden Age of the Racing Outboards is an affectionate and highly informative look at the motors, boats and people who created the special machines and exciting times that we remember as stock racing’s finest years. Whether you are a new or long time collector, this is a book that you’ll refer to again and again.

Beautiful Engines: Treasures of the Internal Combustion Century
by Stan Grayson

There is art in an engine and poetry in its design; with this book, Stan Grayson has truly elevated what was considered the merely utilitarian to its rightful place. Long overlooked because of its ubiquitous presence, the internal combustion engine has changed every aspect of life and industry over the last century and a half and in doing so has obscured the wonder and appreciation it deserves. The photography is indeed first rate, well staged and richly detailed. Each of the more than 30 engines is arranged chronologically from 1861 to 1928, building a comprehensive picture of this rapidly developing technology. Annotated photos accompany the eminently readable text as Mr. Grayson describes the evolution and operation of each of these handsome machines. Although the names of the men and companies may be un-known to many, the stories of these early inventors are filled with genius and drama, brilliant successes and descents into obscurity, and all deserve a wider audience than they have drawn before. Beautiful Engines is the perfect vehicle to convey these fascinating aspects of industrial archeology to anyone interested in the artful glory and early history of these epoch making machines. Attractive enough to be called a coffee table book, this volume transcends the category and will come alive in the hands and minds of its readers.

Chris-Craft: A History, 1922-1942
by Joseph Gribbins

In Chris-Craft: a History, 1922-1942, Joseph Gribbins brings the past alive. With a colloquial style and an ear for a well-turned phrase, Mr. Gribbins leads us through the early development, before World War II, of the world's most popular motorboats and cruisers. The extensive portfolio of photographs from historical sources creates the feel of a family album, as we read about the rise of the patriarchal empire from its modest beginnings in Algonac, Michigan. Starting with Chris Smith's first endeavors in 1906 at constructing launches, his burning desire to build the world's fastest boats (and wrest the Gold Cup from the East -- which the Miss Detroit accomplished in 1915), the storied partnership with Gar Wood and on to the era of dominance in the 1920's as the 1000 lb. gorilla, creating "floating Chevrolets," this book gives ample evidence that personality is destiny. Chris-Craft's evolution reflected their times and the times and Chris-Craft were right as their stylistic triumphs captured the burgeoning market of the Roaring 20's customers who were ready for the affordable pleasures of the speedy production model boats. When the Depression thinned the ranks of boat builders, the company was able to stave off the wolf at the door through clever financial machinations involving Wall Street's quailing investors, and emerge in the mid 30's ready to conquer the world again. In the chapter on cruisers Gribbins notes that Chris-Craft scored a triumph by smartly promoting those values over which women exercised control: beauty, completeness, quality of furnishings, and in doing so, created boats for the surviving middle class -- not the Depression-proof elite.

The quality of illustrations, including 16 pages of color images, makes this a visually engaging book; the author's clear vision of the myth and reality of Chris-Craft and his lucid prose make for a most enjoyable read. It is a wonderful addition to the treasury of classic boat chronicles and would enhance any member's library.