ACBS Scholarship Spotlight: Great Lakes Boat Building School

The Boss 1921 Day Express Cruiser

The Boss is a 42-foot Day Express Cruiser built in 1921 by the Great Lakes Boat Building Corporation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Great Lakes Boat Building Corporation built custom luxury wooden yachts in Milwaukee from 1916 until moving to the Chicago River in 1926 where it continued operations until 1994 under the name of Henry C. Grebe & Co. Shipyard. 

The Boss was commissioned by Alvin D. Goldman of St. Louis, Missouri. At that time, Mr. Goldman was reported to be the largest cotton broker in the United States. He and his family spent summers in Charlevoix, Michigan where he owned properties on Lake Michigan, Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix. Mr. Goldman authorized his friend, Chicago millionaire Al Pack, to negotiate the purchase of his cruiser for delivery by June 1, 1921 to Goldman’s boathouse on Round Lake. 

White oak frames supported a hull of cypress with mahogany interior trim. The cabin sides and house were varnished mahogany, brass and copper hardware were used throughout. The large berths could accommodate four people for sleeping, and the modern galley included a sink and large icebox. 

Mr. Pack eliminated the forward cockpit to permit the cabin to be extended to accommodate upper and lower berths instead of Pullman berths. This modified layout—which was unique to Boss, making her a one of a kind boat-–is still in place today. In fact, very little has changed about Boss in the 100 years since she was built. With the exception of cushions for the berth and an outside curtain, the interior is a time capsule of the highest quality yacht craftsmanship available in 1921. 

Goldman chose to power Boss with the 6-cylinder Sterling GR-6 engine, the first of which (serial #085) failed during a test drive and was replaced at the factory with a Sterling originally planned for installation in Horace Dodge’s newly-built 54-foot I.O.U. (serial #065). In 1937, Boss was repowered with her third Sterling engine (serial #644), a Dolphin Special 6-cylinder inline which provided 300 hp at 2000 RPMs. With scrupulous maintenance, this Sterling engine remained in service for the next 70 years until 2007.

Boss created a big sensation in Charlevoix waters upon her arrival in Northern Michigan. She was featured in the August 1921 editions of both Yachting Magazine as well as Power Boating Magazine. In her day, Boss was reportedly the fastest yacht on the Great Lakes. 

The Goldman family used Boss as a commuter to go between their properties on Lake Charlevoix and Horton Bay (best known as Ernest Hemingway’s boyhood home). She was the perfect yacht for hosting large day parties, with the spacious canopied rear deck and wicker chairs providing protection from the sun while cruising.

In 1968, a partnership consisting of William Dykstra, Herbert Lantinga and Robert Brandt purchased Boss from Alvin’s son, Jack, and a new chapter opened in her remarkable life.

Boss’ new owners negotiated a deal for continued storage under the protection of the Goldman boathouse each year with Alvin’s son J.D. Their families and friends traveled Lake Michigan extensively each summer as far south as Saugatuck and up to the Canadian North Channel. On the way, the Boss made regular stops in the protected waters of Les Cheneaux Islands, frequenting the Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat Show, and stopping by friends’ boathouses to spend the night. By 1980, the Brandt family had exclusive ownership of Boss and continued the tradition of summer family cruises in northern Michigan. 

As a young girl, Janet Carrington saw Boss docked at E.J. Mertaugh Boat Works and admired her gleaming mahogany varnish and sleek lines. A lifelong resident of the Les Cheneaux Islands, she never forgot about the beautiful wooden cruiser she had seen at the docks and promised herself she would own it one day. She was able to locate Boss and purchased the boat in 2006, returning it to Les Cheneaux, where she had first fallen in love with it.

In the summer of 2021, The Boss celebrated her 100th birthday with events coordinated by the Great Lakes Boat Building School and E. J. Mertaugh Boat Works. To mark the occasion, she had a freshly painted interior, metal was refinished and polished to a bright sheen, newly-sewn upholstery covered the berths and outdoor seating. The original davit system was refastened in order to mount Boss’ original 1925 Thomas Fleming Day dinghy. 

Perhaps nowhere is there as fine an example of antique yacht craftsmanship still being piloted today. One thing is sure, were it not for Boss’ diligent owners who were each dedicated to maintaining exceptional standards of originality and quality, we would not be able to enjoy the vision of such a beautiful vessel in the water each year. For 100 years, Boss has faithfully provided her owners’ families with wonderful summer memories of boating in the Great Lakes.