Basement Classic Boat Find Of The Pandemic!

Now where were we? Oh Ya.. Keys..

Well, we all made it to another day, and Bob Weaver and Jeff Morgan found the keys. But of course the door wont open, so we tried the other method. Walking down stairs. Ya. Well. Moment of passion I suppose. Are you even reading this. No? You are just scrolling through the photos? What the hell. I write my heart out and you have already jumped way beyond this point..

OH YA BABY!

Picture, picture.. oh its a.

QUE THE STRIPPER MUSIC!

Show a little stuff

OH YA! Anyone have some dollar bills? ANYONE?

Peel it away honey

Nice bottom

On a cradle.

Put out the fire dear

OH! OH! LOVE YOUR DASH!

Do you have protection? YUP!

Ya.. What? Ugh? Your killing the mood toots

OH HELL YA! I GET A CHARGE OUT OF YOUR TWIN BATTERIES!

I like your clean bilge.. Dear.

And you haven’t had any plastic surgery either. All natural Bottom

So.. You got a number? Maybe look you up sometime?

Oh, you’re a Model 200.. NIIIICE! And how old are you?

I was born in 1931

Dang, you hold up very well. VERY VERY WELL..

The Dutchess of Chicken Wings.. Buffalo joke! See Chicken wings were kinda.. Never mind.. I just want to roll over and go back to bed.

A huge thanks to Bob and Jeffery for sharing this amazing find. She is looking for a new home, and Bob and Jeffery are trying to figure out whats right and find her a place in the WoodyBoater family to take care of her.

Jeff has the original windshield and flags..

If I had the dough ray me so mula, I would go all in on this Duchess. I would go full Stinky on her. Glass the bottom and leave her alone This as an amazing PreRestoric deal. Boats from up in Buffalo are time capsules. And she could be all refinished and still has some life in her if treated right. Or flip her over and do a nice new bottom. Either way. Here she is.

37 replies
  1. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Wow, a great barn find that I know will go to a good home. I think you always said you wanted a triple to add to your collection. Is that a foot starter switch on the floor board next to the steering column? Good luck!

  2. Frank@Falmouth
    Frank@Falmouth says:

    Im not sure what is cooler,…..the boat, or the sweet setup with the railway to the water and the very cool crane…

    And your commentary was as usual great and captured the lust of the tease! You should be in advertising 🙂 Oh, wait…

    • Jeff Morgan
      Jeff Morgan says:

      Thanks Matt. That was a fun story about this beauty. Arleene was a great lady but kept to herself. I moved next door to her almost 40 yrs. ago and never saw the boat until recently. An interesting woman who became my dear friend. Jeff

  3. Syd Marsden
    Syd Marsden says:

    Great to see it. Going through stuff the other day I found one of those protection plates. Looks like it worked. I will have to find mine again. Now I really wonder how old it is. Looking at the foot throttle I wonder if it did some local racing. That was big in the Buffalo area

  4. Tom Gruenauer
    Tom Gruenauer says:

    1931 Chris Craft Model 200 20′ is my guess. I would love to compare some details with my 1928.

    • Alan Frederick
      Alan Frederick says:

      Andy –
      You must be losing it. Right over on Grand Island and you didn’t know about it. I thought you had the market cornered on WNY barn finds. Shame on you! Ha.

      Interesting dual fuel lines going to the carburetor. Great find for sure

        • Alan Frederickj
          Alan Frederickj says:

          Jim –
          Sounds logical but then how come each one of the copper tubes have filters in line. That would almost indicate that the carb is like a double pumper style. Almost looks like there are 2 fuel bowls from the photo.

        • Jim Staib
          Jim Staib says:

          Looking closer one line is down on the engine stringer and the other goes to the carburetor. The line I was talking about has a pressure gauge. The two with filters look like a feed from the tank to an electric fuel pump and out of the pump to the carburetor.

  5. Dick Dow
    Dick Dow says:

    Though not original, the windshield is somehow attractive on that boat and speaks to the way they used it – as a family – in all sorts of weather. It threw me off – I was thinking that era of boat with a wooden window frame was probably a sedan of some sort. Whoever ends up with the boat has a decision to make. I know what I would do… Great find! 🙂

  6. Max Mueller
    Max Mueller says:

    “Apparently the original owner is a 98 year old woman”, Doing the math would indicate that she was nine years old when the boat was new. Must have bought it used.

    • Jeff Morgan
      Jeff Morgan says:

      The boat was originally own by her father who passed away some time ago. He gave the boat to Arleene as well as the house on the Niagara River.

      • Jeff Morgan
        Jeff Morgan says:

        When she does find a new home the original windshield and the flags and flag poles will go with her. Hopefully I can find the other bracket for the windshield.

  7. Gil Grant
    Gil Grant says:

    I got my SeaSkiff in Buffalo 3 years ago , great boat , in FL now (St. John’s ) hope to get her back on The Niagara in June and.

  8. One of the God brothers
    One of the God brothers says:

    Wow, she’s clean and well preserved. Great boat and not many out there. I would love to care for her. She would set nicely next to our model 100.

  9. Max Mueller
    Max Mueller says:

    There is nothing that illustrate family generations gone by than family waterfront properties. She and her Father took care of the Chris as if it was a valued member of the family. It has to be sad for her to leave the family property. The really nice photo of the family smiling all together, with their dogs, in that beautiful Boat are also in our family memories. The Miklos family has our old Century Vagabond that our Father dearly loved. His ashes were spread in the lake per his wishes, from a 1970 Chris Craft Ski Boat. We could not afford admission to lake property today except for our family”s decision to purchase the properties decades ago.

  10. Jack
    Jack says:

    Speaking of old boats….
    On Wednesday 4/22 at 10:30 am and again at 12:30 pmTCM will be airing “Fast Life” a 1931 movie about boat racing.
    The wooden speedboats seen in the film were two of the six “Miss Catalina” series of wooden-hulled boats built by Catalina Speedboat Co. between 1922 and 1939. They were powered by WWI-era Liberty V-12 aircraft engines and could reach speeds of 55 mph. Due to high maintenance and running costs (the V-12 engine could burn through 30 gallons of gas per hour), they were retired from tourist duty in 1958.
    In case any one isnt terribly busy quarantining.

  11. Matt
    Matt says:

    The old family photos are amazing, cool and sad all at the same time. That boat should go to a family member, or stay in Buffalo. Hurry Andy.. What a sweet boat

    • Andy C
      Andy C says:

      Matt, can you have Jeff contact me. I am interested not only in the boat, but the whole property.

  12. John Rothert
    John Rothert says:

    wow, I have BEEN BOATING….but come back to check woodyboater and find this GEM! Really cool.

    John in Va.

  13. James E
    James E says:

    My ’31 Model 200 on Lake Oswego with Mike Mayer at the wheel, after winning Best Runabout at the 2018 show.
    Yes… thats a foot starter switch. Makes for interesting contortions while attempting to prime and start.

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