BOOK DISCOVERIES!

 

There are three wonderful new books that might be of extreme interest to the members of ACBS. The first of these is titled "Wood Through Water, Classic Power Boats". It is jointly written by James W. Ogilvie-Knowles and Justus Hayes, and published by Friedman/Fairfax Publishers in 1999. This book gives a thorough history and evolution of the wooden powerboat, and how it has served as workhorse, taxi, pleasure craft, and status symbol for almost a century. Mr. Ogilvie-Knowles and Mr. Hayes start their story in the early 1800's when land barons and pioneers were heading north into the undeveloped Muskoka Lakes area. Boats were needed for transport, since roads were either nonexistent or only serviceable in the summer months. And so it began, first with canoes and dugouts modeled after those of the Native Americans, only larger to accommodate the fur traders' cargo. Steam engines came next for a short period, providing large vessels for the rich, and then gasoline powered engines quickly followed. The two World Wars offered great opportunities for technical advance, and soon there were outboard and then inboard motors.

The book gives in-depth accounts of the runabouts and how style over substance became the main focus of boat builders after the depression and the wars. The '50s was the Golden Age for sleek, speedy and beautiful boats. Gentleman racers required high performance vessels for the professional circuit and this also effected the designs. And then there were the luxury cruisers that paraded conspicuous consumption. For anyone interested in a thorough and well written history of classic power boats, "Wood Through Water" is it. It is very well organized and the photographs, of which there are over 100, are stunning. For anyone hooked on woodies, "Wood Through Water: Classic Power Boats" is a loving tribute to these beautiful, elegant vessels.

The second new book is a much more intimate look at woodies. This book is titled "Classic Wooden Yachts of the Northwest" by Ron McClure. The publisher is Sasquatch Books and it is due out in June of 2000. Mr. McClure has selected 40 of these beautiful craft that have been designed, built and now owned by people in the Northwest. Each boat is inspected and photographed, and a complete description of the restoration is given The owners give very entertaining accounts of how they found their boats, the history of them that they were able to dig up with their research, and their sharing of their enthusiasm. The author relates his own experience with his Shearwater. Shortly after he and his wife Kathy bought her, she was moored in a marina in Anacortes, Washington where an adjacent boat exploded and badly burned and scarred Shearwater. They were devastated, but certainly not deterred. Kathy took it as a sign that Shearwater wanted to be completely restored, and so she was by the McClures.

Another interesting story is of Rhinegold, owned by Wayne Hartrick of Vancouver, BC. Mr. Hartrick found out that Rhinegold had been owned by a Colonel Ferrie for 60 years and had died on board at the age of eighty-seven. The family wanted to give the Colonel a Viking funeral and all the preparations were made. Fortunately they were denied permission to set the boat afire. Another delightful story is that of Zella C. When Wesley and Sharon Ruff first bought her they had no idea of her original name or history. But during the restoration and tearing out the stern section, they discovered the name Zella C engraved in the planks. After spending months in libraries and walking the docks asking questions, the Ruffs discovered that "Zella C" was one of eleven aliases used by a popular Northwest madam and Zella C was used to run bootleg liquor from Canada during Prohibition and that at one point she was impounded by government agents.

Reading "Classic Wooden Yachts' is like visiting the owners on their boats, chatting with them about their trials and successes in their restorations and learning some fascinating history. Even though it is focused on Northwest designers, builders, and owners, these are stories that any boat owner anywhere would thoroughly enjoy. The photographs are particularly good in showing off the restoration work and the labors of love. And the glossary at the end would help the novice understand the terms used in the descriptions.

1999 marked an unofficial anniversary for Chris-Craft when a 13 year old Christopher Columbus Smith hand-built his first duck boat with his brother in 1874. As a company, though, it began in 1922, when Christopher Columbus, with his sons, Jay, Bernard, Owen and Hamilton, organized the Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company, with the concept of building standardized boats for every one.

The company survived the lean 1930's, the Great Depression with severe cutbacks, the 2nd World War, and the oil crisis and inflation of the 1970's. There were good years, and horrendous ones, but Chris-Craft rode the roller coaster and came out with its reputation for quality intact.

"Chris-Craft" by Jack Savage is a new and fascinating book out charting the history of the Chris-Craft and the Smiths. Published this year by MBI Publishing Company, (and with a forward by ACBS member, Wilson Wright) it is a riveting story of the birth and growth of the Chris-Craft Company, the evolution of the boats and how the designs were adapted to fit the needs of the times. The practical and less-expensive Utility boat was born of the tough economic times of the 1930's. Two-tone deck and trim paint finishes would come to distinguish the Runabouts of the 1950's and the shortages of the Philippine mahogany that Chris-Craft used so much of. An interesting note is that the Philippine mahogany is actually not mahogany at all, but a type of cedar and not botanically related to the Honduran or African Mahogany.

For any aficionado of the Chris-Craft, this is an in-depth research of the company, the boats and the people involved with the Chris-Craft. The photos, both present and archival, are of excellent quality.

"Wood Through Water", "Classic Wooden Yachts" and "Chris-Craft" would be superb additions to any boater's library. They are very informative and entertaining.