My Elco

by James Goodrich member of the Sunnyland chapter My ELCO 24′ electric launch is a reproduction of a late 1890s boat that, in turn, was based on larger Electric Launch Co. boats used to transport passengers on the flooded Midway of Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. In 1987 Joe Fleming and Bill Swanson planned and…

Thunderbird

by Bill Watson member of the Northern California/Lake Tahoe chapter In the early 20th Century, flamboyant Captain George Whittell, Jr. was a very wealthy young man having many extravagant hobbies and obsessions, including acquiring the best machines that modern technology had to offer. He owned multiple airplanes, Duesenberg luxury motorcars, and a small fleet of…

Wagemaker

by Brian Fogarty member of the Indian Lake chapter My interest in Wolverines began when Steve Hale sold me his father’s 1955 14′ Runabout in 2005. I tried to find information on the Wagemaker Company but there was no club or internet site. So, I started the Wagemaker Wolverine and Cadillac Boats Marque Club site…

Reina

by John Maddox member of the Southern California chapter This particular boat is interesting in that a 28′ model Hackercraft was not officially offered for 1928. A raised-coaming, wood vee-windshield Dolphin DeLuxe was offered one-year-only in 1927. For 1928 the Dolphin DeLuxe was stretched to 29′ and had a completely flush deck with a flattened…

Gray Owl

by Steven Perkins member of the New England chapter Gray Owl is a very original 1928 22′ Chris Craft, Model 1, hull # 1509. It was delivered new by train to Irwin Marine on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. In 1936 my grandmother’s uncle purchased Gray Owl from Downing’s Marina for $600 and it has…