Todays Story Will Make You Laugh, Cry And Say Swingers? WHAAAAAAT?

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The man in the photo is Bob’s father in “Taylor M” in a slip at Engle Marine on Crooked Lake, MI. Looks like mid ‘30’s when that was his summer job. (Bob worked there when it was the Windjammer from ‘72 to 1980)

Over the past week or so longtime fellow Woody Boater Bob Murdock who BTW is also another owner of a vintage boat yard.. HOWE MARINE, Anyway, I digress into Nutsoville. Anyway Bob found his old family boat. I can tell you this type of moment can produce some  major Dopamine, And Oxytocin, all at the same time, since this is a long lost relationship.. SHIP.. Get it.. Okay then. Put your seat belts on, this takes some twists and turns. Take it away Mr Murdock.

Pictures are of a Model 100 that my great uncle John Kelso Murdock purchased new in Cincinnati from C-C dealer Fulton Marine in 1930 and had it shipped to Crooked Lake in July.

In the barn

Long story short, by some unknown miracle, pure chance and twist of fate, I have this boat back in my possession after 92 years, never knowing that it still even existed.

Somehow, in our family archives I also inherited two of the trophies the family won during speedboat races on Crooked Lake with the boat and have the archival film footage to confirm the boat and ID one of the trophies. What the hell are the chances of all this coming full circle? Kismet, karma, WTF?

Trophies

They say something about WINNER and 1st place

It’s a great story of how small our fraternity is and how we can’t let the past slip away without finding the next caretaker.

SO HOW DID YOU FIND IT BOB?

By accident, Paul Cundiff at Woodies Restoration (who does our new aluminum replacement tanks for resto) called me and said he had a customer looking to sell a triple.

He knows I’m always on the lookout for Lincoln Logs, so he said he had this cute little 20’ C-C triple and this is what the guy wants. Paul had already built a trailer for it but I didn’t need it so negotiated accordingly with him.

After the deal was done, I said who did it belong to as I wanted some history. Lo and behold, it was Mark Edmondson (Diamond Boat Works) who had retired and moved to KY from MI!

He had purchased the boat from an old guy (Jay McCormick, Algonac)way back and it was one of the boats he took down south.

I had my guy, Bob Bramlage, head down to pick it up and Mark had a pile of papers with it.

A week or so later, I get a call from Bob and he said “I need to ask you something”. “You remember when I was up north a few weeks ago and you showed me all the history of the family and the boats you all have had?” Yeah, so what’s up? “I have the “Taylor M” and it’s back in your warehouse”

Well, my jaw dropped and I got goosebumps.

I said, “How do you figure that?” “Well, there’s a copy of the original hull card here and it says sold to John Murdock, Cinti, O and ship to Crooked Lake, Mich. 7/15/30 Name on bow (under “Chris-Craft) “Taylor M” and name on transom, “Taylor M”” Cripes!!!!!!

HULL CARD GOLD! And another reason a Hull card is a good thing

How does this happen? Built in Algonac, shipped to Crooked Lake, sold down state, sold to Mark, sold to me, brought back to Cincinnati, will be restored and ready for Int’l ACBS Show at Bay Harbor in ’23.

After 92 years, it’s back in the family. What are the chances?

OKAY, MATT BACK HERE, And this is where you may want to sit down cause it just gets whacky. Bob Sent me this image with this note.

Picture taken of the boat when it was called “Champagne”. Guessing this is late ‘70’s maybe early ‘80’s at a show somewhere in or around Algonac? Maybe someone in our WoodyBoater universe will have more clues? I’ve got the MC registration so plan to go backwards from there if all possible. I’m still flabbergasted and dumbfounded that it found its way back to the family!

AND I AM SITTING  THERE READING THIS AND THOUGHT, WAIT.. WAIT ONE SECOND, I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE? WHHHHATTTTTT! OH YA BABY! SWINGERS.

WHAT?

From an ebay listing we featured back in 2017

There she is!

Oh wait, it gets even more twisted into the woody boater world.

So then I read the comments on the story.. AND YUP there is comment from Mark Edmondson another longtime Woody Boater, ” HEY, Matt, that my barn find from last summer!!!!!!

Marks Barn Find.

SO I DIG SOME MORE AND DAM, WE DID A STORY ON THAT AS WELL. IN 2016!!!

YUP! There she is.

So, You no doubt want to see the other stories from 2016 and 2017. Here are the links.

LINK TO SLIDES! SWINGERS, Story

LINK TO BARN FIND STORY 

11 replies
  1. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Great story with a wonderful tie in to Algonac and one of the Michigan Gang. That photo from the 70’s boat show sure looks like others I have seen of the annual Bud Aiken’s boat parties. They were prior to the shows at the Algonac Harbour Club. I hope Mark or Art may be able to confirm. I look forward to seeing the boat at Bay Harbor next year.
    Congrats to Bob Murdock on a great family find!

  2. Mark Edmonson
    Mark Edmonson says:

    The photos are in the Clinton River back in the day. It was awesome to get the boat back to it’s family.
    So much for retirement, we moved back to the great state of Michigan, and are enjoy Lake Huron again

    • Greg Lewandowski
      Greg Lewandowski says:

      Welcome home Mark. Hope to see you soon in Port Huron. We have a boat show to put together for next September.
      First shameless plug!

  3. Art
    Art says:

    Mark I don’t think that is the Clinton river and I think we docked along the docks not away from them and that canal appears to be too narrow for the clinton River. And its not Aikens either…..water way to murky.
    Yes welcome back to the Blue water area.

  4. Wudzgud
    Wudzgud says:

    Murdock finds 2 previously owned boats in one week!!!
    What are the odds. Only on WoodyBoater.
    Very cool stories thanks for the share.

  5. Murdock
    Murdock says:

    Thank you Matt!!!!
    Calls and texts from friends all over today, so now the pressure is on to be ready for next summer!!!
    Now, should we restore and the old 75hp Chrysler or ………..a bit newer C-C motor with a little more oomph to use and keep the original as a static display?

Comments are closed.