And they not only offer the reliability of today’s systems, but owners can get parts and service everywhere.įirst and foremost, they are still wood. The difference is that these boats benefit from modern engines, modern electrical systems, modern everything. The good news, at least for skippers lusting for an oldie speedboat, is they can now choose from several boat builders that are still using wood to build “contemporary classics” with all the lines of those childhood runabouts and none of the problems. Old can also be a synonym for unreliable, because the world has moved so far forward in technology that you never wonder today, as you put the key in the ignition of a car or boat, whether your treasure will actually start. They require varnishing regularly and re-caulking to keep those deck stripes white. It is old, as those with vintage ’Vettes or Jags soon discover. There is a downside to owning anything vintage, however. Francis Herreshoff compared fiberglass to “frozen snot.” With the advent of fiberglass, wooden speedboats were devalued and many once-gorgeous runabouts ended up being chain-sawed as firewood.īut those of us of a certain age tend to celebrate the objects of our childhood dreams, which accounts for so many middle-aged men driving (or at least collecting) ’58 Corvettes or wire-wheeled Jaguars. Boats made of it were called plastic toys or worse: legendary yacht designer L.
#TRAILERING WOOD RUNABOUT FREE#
Then, of course, came fiberglass, the miracle material that promised to be maintenance free (sound of laughter). Acres of varnish and polished chrome harken back to a gentler time of golden afternoons on a lake or river, with the warmth of varnished wood and the tingle of spray on the skin. Today, vintage wooden boats are celebrated nationwide at gatherings of “woodies” with legendary names from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s such as Chris-Craft, Gar Wood and Hacker. Wooden boats have been with us since the first caveman floated past on a tree trunk, eventually hollowing it to get his feet out of the water. The Portofino model from Comitti displays classic lines and features, from the bow planking to the automotive-inspired helm to the stern sun lounge, but modern electronics and power make it - and all of the modern classics - easy to care for and maintain.
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