Live-ish From The 2014 Gull Lake Classic Boat Show At Bar Harbor, Minnesota

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The one and only “Lockpat II” was featured at Gull Lake.


Late August in Minnesota means one thing – it’s the time when some of the top classic boats in the country (and their owners) gather together to celebrate the Gull Lake Classic Boat Show at Bar Harbor, MN. And once again this year, fellow Woody Boater John Allen and his crew put together another premium event with over 70 classic boats on display.

Bar Harbour is also the site of the 2015 ACBS International show, which promises to be an outstanding event. We know that John Allen and the organizing committee from the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes ACBS Chapter are working hard to ensure that the 2015 International will be a “must attend” event.

Reporter Dane Anderson was on hand at Bar Harbor on Friday and Saturday, and sent us some great photos which gives us a glimpse into this years big show. One of the many stars of the show on Saturday was “Lockpat II” the 1931 40′ Hacker Custom Runabout.

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“LOCKPAT II” is a spectacular 1931 Hacker 40′ Custom Runabout from the Lee Anderson collection in nearby Lake Nisswa, MN. This historic boat was originally custom built by Hacker Boat Works for Dick Locke and is powered by a 2,025 CID – 650 HP Packard V-12, designed for a top speed of 60 MPH in 1931. Some say “LOCKPAT II” is possibly one of the most significant wooden runabouts ever built.

Also from the Lee Anderson collection is “Johnny Johnson IV” a stunning 1926 33′ Baby Gar powered by a Liberty V-12. This is one of only 7 original Baby Gars known to exist today, 5 of which reside in the Gull Lake area between collectors Lee Anderson (with 4) and John Allen with the other Baby Gar – “Bolo Babe”.

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What also makes the Gull Lake show so interesting (beyond the diversity) is that every year something new (or should I say old) pops up at the event which has an unusual history. In yesterday’s story, we included a great shot of “Vail” – Carl Mammel’s beautifully restored 1937 Gar Wood 24′ Custom Utility, which (as the story goes) was purchased new for the University of Wisconsin rowing team.

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And here’s the rest of the story as the Gar Wood travelled around the country, only to end up in Minnesota, not far from her original home in Wisconsin.

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“Fascination” – Mike Hagen’s 1929 Chris-Craft Triple

 
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“Princess Paige” – John Allen’s award winning 1926 Earl C. Barnes launch was on hand this year. (No fender jokes guys, they are custom made for the boat and not easily removable).

 
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The host of the Gull Lake Classic Boat Show at Bar Harbor, our friend John Allen – always with a smile and a kind word…

“Gen-VI” is a rare 1938 Ventnor 26′ K-2 Unlimited Runabout powered by a 520 HP – 1,497.5 Cubic Inch DOHC Packard V-12 engine, complete with V-drive.

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Dave Bortner’s vintage flotation cushion collection on board his newest find, an immaculate Ford 427 Interceptor powered Century 21′ Coronado. I recently had the opportunity to ride in this boat while in Wisconsin, and it was a real treat. – Texx

 
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Fellow Woody Boater Bruce Olson from the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum in Alexandria was on hand at Gull Lake, offering antique boat rides to the spectators. A great service and opportunity to get out on the water in one of the museums perfectly prepared antique launches.

 
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Dane Anderson captures the radical, rare, raw & in some ways, righteous fin design of the Ancarrow Patrician.

Another newcomer to the Gull Lake show this year, the historic “Tempo VI” – a 1938 Ventnor Boat Works 24′ Hydroplane powered by an Allison V-1710 – 12 cylinder aircraft engine.

Said to be “One of the most significant race boats in Gold Cup Racing History” she was at the dock for everyone to see and enjoy – and even “hear” on Saturday. Check it out below, thanks to Dane and his handy smart phone.

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On Saturday “Tempo VI” came to life for some lucky spectators…

Special thanks to Dane Anderson for sharing his photos from the Gull Lake Classic Boat Show with us here today, we certainly appreciate the effort Dane!

Texx
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22 replies
    • Texx
      Texx says:

      Mr. Fine – I found this bit of information on the Internet By Fred Farley – APBA Unlimited Historian:

      Designed by Adolph Apel , MY SIN (as she was originally named) had a slightly concave underbody. The 16-cylinder Miller engine developed 650 horsepower. It had previously powered John Shibe’s MISS PHILADELPHIA and had been used in Gold Cup boats since as far back as 1924.

      • m-fine
        m-fine says:

        Thanks for the answer Texx! I would imagine any pre-war engine that could get that thing to 113 mph had to be incredibly cool.

      • cobourgkid
        cobourgkid says:

        The attached Harry A Miller Ad found in the Sept 1926 issue of Motorboating Magazine shows specs for his 16 cylinder model, then rated at 425 brake horsepower . This engine, with two superchargers bolted on soon found itself installed in Miss Los Angeles a gold cup hydro designed by John Hacker that had been entered in the 1928 Harmsworth race in Detroit. Unfortunately Miss LA found herself well outclassed by Gar Wood’s behemoths and she finished a distant third. Some years later the same engine was completely rebuilt and modified into a 600 hp monster by a mechanical wizard named Zumbach and eventually in, 1946 (and again in 1947) it found its way into the engine bay of Guy Lumbardo’s Tempo IV

        • cobourgkid
          cobourgkid says:

          BTW Texx is correct the Miller 16 subsequently made its way through several owners, including John Shibe (of baseball fame) who had her installed in Miss Philadelphia with little success, and Zalmon Simmonds (owner of My Sin) who tapped Zumbach to completely re-engineer the old beast then drove her to victory in the 1939 Gold Cup .

    • m-fine
      m-fine says:

      I don’t know how much the vintage float cushions go for, but the Century Coronado they are on is a relatively affordable boat.

  1. Paul H.
    Paul H. says:

    Can’t wait to get there for the International next year – these guys are buying up and making avaialble for all to see some of the absolute best the builders of these times could produce.

    This story is not necessarily about affordable Andreas – it is about the best of that era, and this seems to be a rarified gathering indeed. WB spends a lot of time and energy featuring affordable, basic and otherwise entry level boats and related stories. Why not some time for these sorts of boats as well? I don’t believe WB should be afraid to feature the best of the best at an event like this, simply because these boats are beyond the finiancial reach of almost all of us, myself certainly included. I enjoy seeing the fruits of the passion that folks like John Allen and Lee Anderson have, and I thank them for making their collection available, and for all that they do for the hobby and its’ history. Would it be better if these collections were locked away under some veil of secrecy so no one can see or hear them?

    My Sister and her husband happen to own a nice home on Lake Sylvan, a literal stones’ throw away from 2015 International host resort Madden’s on Gull Lake, and it is where I intend to take up residence for a good part of next September. They give rave reviews to John Allen’s Bar Harbour Supper Club, and I am anxious to get there.

    Thanks for the great report Texx – the absence of spelling mistakes hearkened to it’s authorship immediately!

    • TFH
      TFH says:

      I second Paul’s comment’s. I had a home on Gull Lake many year’s ago and would like to commend John Allen for
      revitalizing Bar Harbor and making it “wooden boat headquarters” in Minnesota. I am also pleased that these people are ensuring these significant boats are available for all to see!

  2. Bill Hammond
    Bill Hammond says:

    Wow!! What a treat!! Thanks for those great photos and the interesting history!! I really enjoy seeing the rarest of the rare! Could look at 100 more photos from this incredible show!

  3. Jack Schneiberg
    Jack Schneiberg says:

    Some of you may have noticed my Pewaukee, Wisconsin show article and pictures and if so, then noticed Vogler Boy V, John & Amy Zea’s ’24 John Hacker designed Art Jones Special with it’s Liberty V-12 at our show. We (our chapter) were thrilled to be able to bring this boat to our event. The sight of this piece of history – not to mention- the sound was a tremendous crowd pleaser. All the boat owners kind of drooled, too. Vogler Boy V is a boat that could easily sit at the dock next to many of the boats pictured today. The experience of seeing these boat in the water at a dock where you smell the fuel and wood and varnish is worth the trip alone. I hope John & Amy might consider bringing their boat to the International show next year.
    Also of interest to me was “Vail”. Only 2 weeks before our Pewaukee show, our group holds a show in Madison, Wisconsin. The folks I stayed with live on Lake Mendota just as the lock channel exits into the lake. Both mornings I was up and sipping coffee watching the rowing teams out stretching their skills and it was a magnificent sight – only spoiled a little bit by the plastic bleach bottle shouting commands. What an experience it must have been to watch that same scene with that ’37 Garwood Custom gurgling along side those crews. The house I stayed in was built in 1933 and it’s not hard to imagine somebody sipping their coffee from that same lawn in 1937-38 watching that Garwood. Damn……………history is fun!

  4. Grant Stanfield
    Grant Stanfield says:

    Great story about a great show…thanks! All those top-shelf boats in one venue must’ve been quite a treat!

    I’d love to see ‘Vail’ one day in the flesh- what an interesting provenance! My wife is a Badger, and maybe we’ll see this very special boat at the Madison show as a special feature some summer soon?

    Found this nice photo of Vail from 1947:

    • Dreed
      Dreed says:

      I am jealous of a guy that can call his wife a Badger and get away with it. Trust me when I say it’s not advisable for anyone to do that!

      • Jack Schneiberg
        Jack Schneiberg says:

        You who are not “Badgers” have no idea what it means to be identified as one……..so you would not possible understand that it is an honor……….and a badge of courage.

        Party On………………

        • cobourgkid
          cobourgkid says:

          Here’s a glimpse of my favorite Badger, and yes she is named after UW’s mascot.

          Photo courtesy Lake Michigan Car-ferry Service

  5. Grant Stanfield
    Grant Stanfield says:

    Look where ‘Vail’ got to live: The stunning Shingle-Style UW-Madison Crew boathouse 1893-1968…not too shabby!

  6. Dane
    Dane says:

    Grant,
    Thanks for the added history of VAIL. I was lucky enough to go out for a cruise after the Skippers dinner on Friday night. The Scripps 202 is a sweet running engine. VAIL was brought to the show by the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum. I would not be surprised if VAIL took a turn on display in Alexandria.

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