Thayer IV Floats Again!

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Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey. After not seeing the water in years. She is back in the water and moving under her own power. This is one of the most exciting days in years for us here at Woody Boater. What started out as a simple fun story, today…
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Thayer IV See’s The Light!

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After a crazy weekend, Thayer IV 1460 the  main picture boat is out in the light. The motor for Marigh is done and ready to install. Bent rudder repaired and ready to go. We are looking at a possible water test tomorrow. Amazing.. Stay…
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So Close! This Image Just In Of Thayer IV U22-1460..

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As promised, here is the latest image in from Katz's Marina. Sooooooo close.. The latest drama was a bend rudder on Mariah and some missing bolts for the strut. Stay tuned.
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Woodys For Boobies Gets A Golden Donation!

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Yesterday Seth Katz's of Katz's Marina made the tough decision to replace unsafe glass from Mariah the On Golden Pond U.S Mail Boat. Then called us and donated the window to Woody's For Boobies, the Woody Boater team making the Avon walk…
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Mariah Gets Her Letters – The Lettering Of Mariah The On Golden Pond US Mail Boat

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Here it is, live-ish. We have been getting in images all day of the event. This is always one of my favorite times, when it all comes together.. Or apart.. but with all the planning and world class support.. Its all looking fantastic. Alan…
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Mariah, The On Golden Pond U.S. Mail Boat Gets Her Satin Coat! ONLY 15 DAYS TIL LAKE DORA!

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The folks at Katz's Marina have put on the finish coat of Satin Black on Mariah and today through out the day we will update you on her lettering.     This to me Mariah is the cooler boat. Don't get me wrong,…
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CSI Solves On Golden Pond Question! AGAIN!

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One of the final details of the On Golden Pond Boats is the lettering. And when you do that with a very famous boat. You bring in the best in the country. Alan Johnson. And of course  art takes over science. Until Frank "CSI" Miklos gets…
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On Golden Pond Picture Boats – EXCLUSIVE Woody Boater Sneak Peek Pictures!

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Seven months ago Seth Katz of Katz's Marina on Lake Hopatcong, claimed he would have "the TWO on Golden Pond Boats will be ready for Tavaras. IN THE WATER!" Now, anyone that has restored a boat knows that 7 months is just a good start on…
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The Woody Boater Lifestyle Takes Over the U.S., Canada, and The World!

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My fellow Woody Boaters, I pleased to announce that we have now officially taken over the U.S. and soon will dominate Canada and the rest of the world. Later this week and into next week we will also be reporting from The great Down Under…
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Perlita Too To Debut in Italy – 21 Years Of Research For 1953 Italian Correctness

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Yesterday we received some fabulous news from fellow Woody Boaters James and Casudi from the San Juan Islands in the great Pacific Northwest. After twenty-one years of research and four grueling years of restoration work, "Perlita Too" their…
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Photo’s Of Suzy’s Rebirth. A Classic Boat Moment For Sure.

On Friday I received some amazing images of our beloved Suzy, the Go To Woody Boater Boat. Fellow Woody Boater and CSI investigator Frank Miklos found a series of images from the original barn find of Suzy, in PA along with many other boats.…
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Stanfords Marina – A Barn Find Marina?

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As we reported yesterday, we set out to go see what may have been a cool set of classic boats tucked away in a local marina. What unfolded was far far more fun. The destination, Colonial Beach Virginia, just a tad over an hour from Washington,…
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A Barn Find Turns Into Far Far More.

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Last week, Jim Scott and I found out about a cool marina close by that may have a couple old boats in it that have not been in the water for a bit. So yesterday Jim, Patrick, Lynn and I piled into the old suburban and made the trip to find…
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The 2011 Woody Boater Awards

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What a year! More miles, more shows, more boat rides, more boats, more boaters, more stories..almost double last years stories. This we we sat down and tried to recall some of the most memerable events. There are claerly more events and shows…
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Hello Ladies and Gentlemen It’s That Time Again! LETS PLAY, WHAT’S MY CLASSIC BOAT?

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Alright folks, it's that time again where we get out our Bob Speltz books, and call any old geezer that might still be sitting in his way back machine. This classic boat on eBay is todays, mystery boat. At first glance it looks like one more…
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Let’s Form A Posse And Head Up To Hells Canyon To Pick Up Those Old Wooden Boats!

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In September Woody Boater broke the news of a multi-boat barn find over in Idaho which consisted of a few classic Chris-Crafts and two very cool, very different Century boats. Fellow Woody Boaters Don & Molly Hardy from McCall Boat Works…
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Thats Right Ladies And Germs… It’s Time To Play… Again.. Whats My Boat?

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Thanks to fellow Woody Boater Sean Austin.. not related to Steve Austin by the way.. Not that he has never heard that joke before.. Or that this boat is worth 6 million dollars... Anyway. Back to the game, Sean was just given this very cool…
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It’s Time Again To Play Our Favorite Woody Boater Game Show! What Izit?

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Welcome to another episode of "What izit?" We would like to welcome today's contestant. John Garncarz, John joins us from beautiful Pennsylvania.. So John, tell us a little something about what you have here.
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Could This Be The Barn Find Of The Year?

Talk about the mother load.. And yes, that's exactly what we plan on talking about. Our fellow Woody Boaters Don and Molly at McCall Boat Works  have found a treasure trove of Mahogany.. And you will never guess where?  Think of the last…
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Dee-Wite Makes Boating A National Pastime

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The Dwight Lumber Company of Detroit, Michigan began building wooden boats in the mid-1920's, by the late 1920's they were specializing in smaller boats named Dee-Wite Boats. One of their marketing slogan's, as shown in a small 1930 paper…
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Howard Hughes Had An Out Of Wedlock Dingy.

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Forget the Terminators new revaluation of a secret love child with a house worker.. We have bigger news.. Ya got your Spruce Goose, and countless experimental airplanes.. Missile launching bra designs, Movies... And now.. ladies and gentlemen..…
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“Come Get Them” They’re At Lake Chargoga gogman chargogagog charbuna gung amog

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The call... "We are ready to let them go. Come get them, we want you to have the boats" I hesitate to even write this knowing the crap that may ensue. But here goes anyway. On Saturday at 5 AM, we loaded up the trucks, jacks, spare tires,…
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Do You Have A Big Woody?

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Well, if you are on this list you do now.. Congrats to all the big winners..  We looked over all that was done this year and here are the results.. Woody Boater of the Year.. Herb Pocklington.  That guy is a machine and lead the charge…
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CSI: On Golden Pond

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Starring Frank Miklos - He's out to prove U-22-1460 is the real deal! Well... I don't know what's harder, allowing comments attacking Pat, Frank and I or writing this and starting up all the crap again. The week of the U-22-1460 Golden…
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What In The Heck Was I Thinking?

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Mariah and Thayer IV together out in the work yard where we found them last monthImagine for a second that you are riding down the road one day.. you see the transom of a Wood Boat hanging out of a barn... as you zip by, you see it.. Thayer…
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Mariah, The Barn Find Of The Century

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Frank Miklos and his brother Bob inspecting U.S. Mail Boat "Mariah", the Golden Pond U.S. Mail BoatWhen I was on the trail for the 3rd Thayer IV to be honest the U.S. Mail Boat Mariah was the last thing on my mind..  "Don't forget the Mail…
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U-22-1802 The Most Well Known Thayer IV

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It's tough to report something on this boat that's not been covered before. But we will try of course.. I am sure the peanut gallery will chime in today and let me know what's right or wrong with the story.. But we did find some stuff out along…
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The Rumored 3rd Thayer IV.. The Barn Find Of The Decade!

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Woody Boater and U22-1460 Thayer IV - October 2010In what is to be the barn find of all barn finds. Woody Boater has been on the trail of finding all the Golden Pond boats used in the film On Golden Pond. This adventure started for us when fellow…
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"Skippy" – A Third Generation Survivor

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If you like Antique & Classic Boating and your planning to visit Minnesota, plan to stay for a while. After spending a few days in Buffalo and Winsted, MN for the big Warner Collection Antique Boat Auction, on Sunday it was time to head…
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Making Mr. Riva Proud – "Perlita Too" Restoration Update

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For James Ferris & Caroline Di Diego, September 2010 is an important date. Three years ago, in September 2007, they decided it was finally time to move forward with the extensive restoration of "Perlita Too" a rare 1953 Riva Tritone speedboat.…
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Barn Find Futura…The Black Beauty Drama Plays Out!

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If you read the story at the start of the week, there is a real life drama playing out on the boat buzz forum. A person has a barn find Chris - Craft Futura and is looking for information, or to part it out. We contacted the owner and now here…
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Norm & Marion's Excellent Adventure

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Norm & Marion's excellent adventure to the 2010 Lake Tahoe Concours d' Elegance began in November 2007. Norm Walters, a Grade 7 Math Teacher from South Sacramento, CA and long time viewer of WoodyBoater.com noticed an ad on Craiglist for…
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It Was like Stepping Into A Hornets Nest Of Old Wood Boats!

Fellow Woody Boater Jonathon contacted me a couple weeks ago about a barn find Whirlwind he had found at a estate sale. Jonathon had not gone there for a boat, didn't own a boat, nor want a boat... BUT...A perfectly preserved Whirlwind? 2hrs…
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"The Last Known Registration Is From Pennsylvania 1939"

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Imagine walking up to a estate auction and seeing this.Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The picker gods have decided to cast a light on you Dick Hickman...and best of all, you know it. In the barn.. as she was left there since the 1930's "Annebelle" has been…
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Dreams Do Come True- An Antique Boat Barn Find Story.

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Imagine for a second that you see this flyer. For us.. For the Pickers out there, this may as well be a Playboy pin up. The year is 1990, winter is coming, and the thought of winter projects are in the cold crisp air. To fellow Woody Boater…
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A Heart Warming Story About Storage. Yes I Said Storage.

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It's not often one gets to be emotional about storage. But thanks to Don Hardy from McCall Boat Works and his side business Shamrock Classic Boat Storage we can get about as close to an emotion as one can get...The story starts the same way…
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A Franchini Family Barn Find Story – A Classic Wooden Boat with Fins?

I had the pleasure of meeting the Franchini Family in July at the 2009 Maritime Heritage Festival in Portland, Oregon organized by the Columbia-Willamette Chapter of the ACBS. Since then we have stayed in touch sharing boating stories, information…
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Barn Wood III- Smitty's Return.

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One of the cool things about this type of publication is that we can report in real time. So in a sense, if you are reading this, you are sharing in the discovery of hidden treasures as it is happening. The story on Barn Wood was only to be…
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Barn Wood II, This Time It's Personal.

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I had started to do some preliminary research on these boats as soon as my interest had been kindled. The boat was shipped on May 28, 1948 and the original owner was J. Dee Gardner of J. Dee Gardner Hotels Systems, Salt Lake. I do not have the…
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Barn Wood. A Rare 1948 Chris Craft Barn Find.

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Fellow Woody Boater Paul Harrison and roving Reporter Texx share this cool story. In what now looks like the beginning of Barn Find week here at WoodyBoater.....I first saw the boat on Woodyboater in the summer of 2009, in a submission of photographs…
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