A Perfect Symphony Of Color and Texture 1958 21-ft Chris Craft Capri From Katz’s Marina

,
I have had a weakness for this model Chris Capri for a long time. LOOOONG time. Yes I have Loved it long time. But have not seen one done to the extreme like this. Which of course is part of the Katz's Marina trademark.  So what is it that…

Happy Valentines Day. Are You Ready – A 17 Year Tradition

,
Its that special time of year again. You know, that day you forgot to do anything about. And yet, you do know in your deepest crevice of what left of your decomposing brain, that keeping your loved ones happy is a good thing. Considering…

The Lake Hopatcong Films, It Just Gets Better.

, , ,
Today we pick apart each scene looking for gold, and it does not disappoint.  Especially if you can connect the shots in a way that tell more of the story. It's a funny thing, not a funny HA HA thing, but observation. Today we have video…

It’s The Lake Hopatcong WoodyBoater Film Festival – Put Your Drool Cup On.

,
Today thanks to the eagle eye of Allen Mackin from Katzs Marina and Bob Kays we are introduced to the Mike Muha Film Archive. OH DEAR GOD! It's like going back in frozen time, and all the cool stuff that we covet in our little Woody universe…

Vintage Boat Cushion Brochure. mmmm Haven’t Seen One Of These Before.

,
As many of you know I have a weak spot for a cool cushion. They're up there with cool matchbook art. I think its the way so much can be communicated in a simple drawing. The colors are still a natural color, and well. Thats about it, it's…

It’s The Woody Boater Super Boat Ad Preview

Its that time of year where we focus way to much on the ads for the super bowl. As one of my co workers said. The problem with Super Bowl ads is they are designed for the super bowl.I recall working at Chiat/Day when they ran and produced…

mmmm Some Good Old Fashion Sausage

Wel here we are, another cold wet day. And there is zero chance of going boating here. Maybe down in Florida.. 40 days away I might add. So maybe a little sausage will warm up your day. Everyone has something to like on a sausage day. Maybe…

Last Call, T Shirt And Hat Designs

The designs are headed to the printer, unless we want to add one, or kill one. Just trying to see if these are good. They will be unleashed at lake Dora,

It Was Back To Normal For One Hot Second Here In Woodyboaterville

,
Between the hours of around 11 AM til 3 PM here at HQ it hit around 70, and we were able to take advantage of it. We were able to get Peal's GLENNA FAYE up on  the rail for a quick repair. Of course today the temps have dropped to back…

Turn Out The Lights – It’s A Sunday Slide Show

,
I sure have a weakness for some vintage slides. They are perfect for color images frozen in time. They are easy to source since people sell them all over ebay. I am never quite sure why, but every now and then some magic moments pop up,…

Two Orange Boats And A Trigger Of My Obsession With Orange

I have been seeing this monster on Facebook marketplace and it just does not seem real. It is named correctly I will give it that. But dammmmm! 34 feet. And lots of outdrives. And fuel. And more fuel. And then right after that in the marketplace,…

Bold Claim Week. The Most Mostness Of All Production Boats.

,
I know to many of us on the planet, the Riva is considered a snobby boat, or maybe a little beyond any dreams so ya might as well take shots at it. But deep down, ya gotta admit. Any Riva designed Woody Boat is about the most amazing boat…

Okay, You Started It, Bold Claim Week Most Beautiful Production Woody Boat Made? The Barrel Back? The Baby Gar? Everything From Canada?

,
Yesterdays story may have confused many, when I meant BOLD styling, I didn't necessarily mean nice styling. I qualified that for two reasons. One it can be rather subjective, and two, I can milk this theme for another day! So, here we go.…

More Bold Claim Week Bold Claims. Is The Cobra The King Of Production Woody Boat Extreme Styling? Or?

, , ,
Todays bold claim is about extreme styling in production models of classic boats. I feel the need to qualify that claim in the Production category, I suppose there is always some sort of crazy one of design out there.  And within this narrow…

StarCraft Introduces New 1957 Ski Champ – It’s Complicated, And Yet Makes Perfect Sense

,
Thanks to fellow WoodyBoater Thomas Gruenauer for sending this in from the big Toronto Boat Show. A Brand new 2025 1957 StarCraft Ski Champ limited edition boat. Yes, NEW, and yet, vintage all in the same breath.  Here is the copy from…

New Audio Feature Here At Woody Boater, Is It Worth It?

Yesterday mid day we added a new feature to Woody Boater, audio reading of all this glorious copy. Why? Well, because it's possible, and may help some who have difficulty reading this magnificent prose.  So? How does it work? See that little…

Russians, a Hooker, and a Nuclear Sub.

, ,
The pond is huge! At least a foot deep, with a big barn fan in the corner, it allows the operators to run motor boats, submarines, and sailboats alike. Live-ish from the 28th Annual Cabin Fever Expo held January 17 & 18 2025 in Lebanon,…

Driving A Boat With Emotion

,
We have touched on this before, but the other day while driving the Boatress's Navigator it hit me how removed from reality I was compared to driving the WILLYS. WOW, And then I went down the rabbit hole regarding boats as well. With GPS,…

The Algorithm Says I Want This.

,
Okay, I did not see this coming, and I am sure neither did you.  Lawnmowers! Vintage Lawnmowers. Restored lawn Mowers. What the hell? So, how did this happen? The facebook marketplace algorithm. WHAT? I guese based on my  serching it decided…

Syd’s Dippy Text Message Museum

,
Okay, no matter how you read todays headline, it makes sense. Of course it could say Matt's Dippy and that would only mean one thing, so at least Syd's got that going for him, he has the boat to back up the statement. In fact Syd has had this…

WHO SNIPED ME! YOU, YOU, YOU!

Well, it happened, I was trying to lay low on this amazing little work of art , not that Art, but this art, from ALGONAC BTW, It was on ebay, and a rather nice affordable piece of history. Now, the term SNIPE? Thats a term for last minute…

Mahogany & Chrome Some Fun Watching On These Cold Winter Days

,
Are you stuck inside? Seen everything on Netflix and whatever streaming service you have? Well, here is some fun watching for sure. This is a wonderful series of roughly 1 hr videos on different topics of our little universe. They are very…

Matchy Matchy Day – From Super Fine To You Get The Gist

  Do you have a mini version of your obsession?  Well it's time to share in our Mini Boat Show today.  Now mind you it doesn't have to be exact, although sometimes thats part of the fun.  For example.       I…

The New T Shirt Designs For 2025 Lake Dora Event

Here are the two designs to be available at the Lake Dora event in 2ish months. This year there will be a tent and and cant wait to see you all again, AND get a good boat ride in. and In, and in.. and on, and on.  I am on the fence about…

Weber Week Comes To An End. Thank You Holly

Well, there ya have it. A week of nothing but magnificent boat photos. No toilet seat stories, jeep updates, Mr B, updates on my Covid...again. Railway photos of new plants I planted. Shots of Wayne in the background. Begging for money, videos…

More Weberness. Glorious Weberness On Weber Week

As promised there is more amazing images for us to enjoy on this cold Sunday. I am so grateful to Holly for sharing these all with us. Especially this time of year when we need them. …

Webber Week Takes A Turn.

,
As part of Webber week, we have this short series of photos that make me ask? Whats going on here. Holly guess it was durring some hard turns to get some shots and the bow, dug in. A little deeper than one would hope. STAY TUNED…

Keeping The Positive Vibes Going For 2025 – Thanks Holly Webber

, , ,
Today we have some more Webber joy, Holly's images bring a smile to my face, and heart. I love how one can find the soul of each photographer in these shots. The shoot outs we feature here are some of my favorite moments of show reporting.…

Another Peaceful 2025 Day Of Woodyboating Thank You Holly Webber

,
A huge thanks to Holly for saving the day/week with more magnificent photos from 2024. It raises my spirit and hope for a wonderful summer this year.  

Peace, Love, And Kindness For 2025

Sorry for the late start this morning, our family is safe and okay in New Orleans, thank you for the emails. Today and the rest of the week we are going to feature some amazing images from Holly Webber that remind us of all the good in the…

Rebuilding Gary Beck’s Mail Box

As I slowly emerge from the Covid fog that has consumed me this time. Now I am in the can't taste of smell anything faze. I was able to take advantage of a little good weather, 65 degrees and rebuild the mailbox that has been hit by building…

Found Negatives From The Kays Files

Bob Kays found these old negatives that he had never seen before and had them printed. They are from 1956 or 1957, before Bob was born. Shot at the same house he lives in during the summer on Raccoon Island in the middle of Lake Hopatcong…

The Best Of WoodyBoater 2024

,
It's getting close to the end of 2024 and today we celebrate the best of a special year for classic boating. Values are up-ish, interest is up, and ages are down. Or maybe I am just getting older. We are in a good spot for a community.…

Going Down The Gar Wood Rabbit Hole, No Really.

It's a good thing I am not into one brand of boats, I love them all, and for me, I guess, I connect with Chris Craft mostly I suppose because of the marketing, and lifestyle they embodied. But if I was deep in the woods with Gar Wood I would…

One Owner 1967 Sea Ray, Ya Ya I Know.

,
Well, I know you know how I feel about plastic boats. BUT, and there is always a but when it comes to blanket statements like that. The early ones are VERY VERY cool. LOOKING! I still argue that they don't share the ride with you. You are…

A Warm Decal Day In December

Yesterday it was around 65 here in Reedville. After some Zoom calls, I ran down to HQ and just opened her up and let her breath. Nothing like fresh air and being able to be outside, a little drive in IKE with Mr B and then back to Zoom calls.…

Is This the Perfect Jeep For Us?

SONOF A *$&$^$*#(@)@)@(*&^^%^!!!! Another cool truck/boat/whatever I gotta have and can't. This is some sort of torture. It's orange, love orange, it's a jeep, AND GASP! Wood paneled truck! 1976, the year I graduatI have never seen…

I Sure Love Me A Cool Tether Boat – Warning: Story Wonders Off It’s Tether

I found this on ebay the other day and thought. Mmmm thats cool, and for sure dont need another bad habbit to be collecting. Some of these are more expensive than actual size boats. But, they are about the best thing next to a real one.…

One Very Insane Wicked Cool Wagemaker Race Boat

,
THIS is what its all about. A wonderful vintage Wolverence with all the goodies. the Mercury Super 10, the lettering, the name, the original decals. The trailer. All of it. This is a museum piece, or drive to the show condition AND LEAVE…

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Ordianryville

, , ,
To be overly transparent, I have been questioning my passion for this passion lately. And yes, it's a normal thing this time of year to feel that way. But I oddly really used WECATCHEM several times this year, as well as Stinky. Little use,…

Old Wood, Or Old Wood? Or Maybe Old Wood?

For the record this isnt some sort of Sr dating thing, it's a fun behind the scene at the sausage being made with a wonderful photo. In this case its the photo from Brock Horsley regarding his boat in the boat house up in Michigan. The image…

WOW! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

, ,
Yesterdays comment could not have been any better, and frankly eye opening. We live in a universe of quick headlines that incite the lemmings of social media to pose for selfies and blah blah blah about how "fabulous" the fill in the blank…

Looking For Old Playgrounds Of The Ordinary And Not Famous

,
I am working on a project for later, and the idea is to find out more about some of our pasts fun places. And yes I know many are still fun, but somehow passed by by the Gen X,Z influencer crowd. You know, the kind that has ruined Austin, and…

What’s Behind The Barn Door? Sausage.

Today we have a good old fashioned Sausage Day.  Ya, at least its not a who killed Jeff story. BTW, I would like to point out that the Woodyboaterville Police did a great job hunting down the killer in just three days. Amazing. Anywho,…

Where In The World Is Kent O?

,
We just got this in from Kent O. Smith who has been on a break Some of you in the WoodyBoater world have wondered where I’ve been. Well, I’ve been hanging out on Eastern Long Island – where I’m from – and it’s been a great…

Big Jeff Captured In Cabin In The Hills Of Lake Hopatcong.

BIG Jeff, has been captured hiding out in Big Jims Cabin, nestled in a basement on a hill top in New Jersey. Captain Kays released the mug shot of Jeff after his capture. WARNING! WARNING! Graphic Images, you may…

Big Jim Sport Camper Goes Off The Grid. And It Doesn’t Bode Well For Joe! – WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME.

,
Today, we go off the rails. Okay, off the rails was about 4 years ago, today we are going camping off the grid. I  found this BOX only on ebay for sale, And was intrigued?  WHAT IS THIS? So may questions, and how time has changed…

Rest In Pieces lil Rusty

,
Well, thats that. A saws all and some PB Blast and Poof, a Willys is reduced to some scrap rusty metal. On a good note, there is a good solid frame and some goodies I am giving away to a local pal who works on these things. The metal scraps?…