Not all boaters are skiers and not all skiers are boaters, but one thing most all of us have in common is an appreciation for classic boats.  Be it an old Chris Craft, Century, Hacker craft or any other similar boat.  These boats are timeless classics and were built in a way that could never be duplicated in this age of gel coat and fiberglass.  Sure there are a few still being built but it’s not quite the same as seeing the originals from a bygone era.

     At the Classic boat show at Hartwell Georgia Marina this past weekend there was a nice assortment of runabouts, skiffs, racers and even a few ski boats.  Over 40 boats in all and many with Flat head Gray Marine engines, updraft intakes, and lots of polished mahogany, brass and chrome. 

     Most all the boats there had their bilge pumps working as these boats are old and being made of wood they can and do leak.  Several of these boats were survivors from as far back as the 1930’s.  My favorite being this 1937 Hacker craft. 



     But this Chris Craft barrel back racer from the 1930’s was also a very nice boat that I wish I could have taken out for a short cruise.

     In this age of Carbon Fiber skis, Fiberglass boats, Electronic fuel injection, drive by wire throttle control, stepped hulls, tracking fins, and perfect pass cruise controls, it was nice to see where our roots are.  This is what started it all.  No, I wouldn’t want to go back to the old technology, but being around it gives you an appreciation for not only what we have now, but for what those that came before us endured.  

And hearing the rumble of a Flat head 6 cylinder engine firing up can’t help but put a smile on your face.  Just watching these boats bobbing in the slips is a pleasure and knowing there are people out there that make preserving these boats their passion is rewarding as well.

     Will a Mastercraft , Malibu or Ski Nautique one day find a place at a classic boat show?  I think so.  Some of the older ones are classics already, they just don’t have quite the lineage of some of these antique boats and as skiers we seem to treat the older ski boats as not worthy and even make fun when someone pulls their stars and stripes Mastercraft or old CC Mustang or Ski Tique to the lake.

     I guess it was the same way when they first came out; people wanted newer Fiberglass boats instead of old leaky wooden boats and abandoned many of them to rot away.  Thankfully there are clubs like the Antique and Classic Boat Society that dedicate themselves to preserving and restoring the ones that remain.

     Many of us skiing today grew up learning to ski behind some of these old wood boats, and skiing on wooden skis made by Cypress gardens, Western, or Maharaja.

     Technology has come a long way in our sport since that day in July 1922 when Ralph Samuelson reportedly skied for the first time in Lake City Minnesota.

     I can only imagine what Ralph would be thinking now.  But if he were here, I bet he gravitate back to admire the classic wood boats that are still cruising the waterways.


_{Gordon Slingerland}

_{Hartwell Antique Boat Show Photo Gallery - Click Photo To Enlarge}

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