John L. Hacker’s 125 Year Old Punt Boat Could Be Yours.
1900 Double ended punt boat designed and built by John Hacker
Today we have what could be one of the coolest finds since the Thayer IV find years ago here. Is this one of John Hackers first designs and build? Born in 1877 he would have made this boat at the age of 23. And started Hacker Boats in 1908. So this is a boat that precedes any official history. I will copy paste the Hacker history bit from Wikipedia below. Everything here lines up.
In our Arts barn
Okay, how has this come to us here at WoodyBoater. Well, Our Art, as in not that Art, But Art Armstrong who lives on Harsens Island in Michigan near Detroit, has it in his garage/barn/shop.
Our Art
Art is a stand up guy, and his story is as follows. NOTE, HIS – TORY is a very close meaning.
“A little information on the boat supposedly John L Hacker built this boat in 1900 later on he and my neighbor guy named Art Rooks works we’re fishing and hunting buddies together quite often and they always had a bet who would catch the biggest or whatever the bet was and one of them would put up a bottle of Hooch and John put up his 14 foot double ended punt boat anyway my neighbor won and so he has had this boat all these years and I got it from him in the early 1980’s so that’s the story.
As you can see from the inside shot the ribs are shot. and With the boat he gave me a bundle of new rib material which I have still.
Needs some work, OR leave it the FiretrUCK alone!
All thats missing in this is a paper trail or some sort of mark on the old wood. But really? Would that even have happened back then. And for the record, if Art says this is the story, it’s the story. AND, the ultimate testament to it, is why would someone even make up a story like this. AND save a boat like this for over 125 years.
Hacker, Kitty Hawk-1911
The John L. Hacker history according to Wiki.
Hacker was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 24, 1877. For four years, while working at his father’s business as a bookkeeper, he attended night school and took a correspondence course in order to become an accredited marine designer. Once qualified (at the age of 22) he set about solving a number of problems that inhibited speed and performance in motor boats. Pleasure boats of the 1900 era were narrow, round bottomed launches that plowed through the water instead of planing over it as boats do nowadays. Hacker’s first major task in boat design was to try to solve the problem of “squatting”, which occurred with all the canoe-stern shaped powerboats of the 1900s. His theory was that if his boats were going to go fast, they would have to “plane” rather than plow through the water, but the tendency to plane was considered an unsafe mode that was to be avoided. Nonetheless, he built a test craft to prove his new theories—a 30-foot (9.1 m) runabout. The boat’s propeller and rudder were mounted under the transom and a strut was used to position the propeller shaft. The boat also featured Hacker’s revolutionary “V”-hull design, which produced stunning speed and efficiency at low horsepower.
This image is part of the WoodyBoater collection
John L. Hacker in his shop. Woody Boater Archives
SO? Whats it gonna take? A proven passion to care for this boat. This is not going to go to some hoarder. Oh boy, I am looking in the mirror right now. You will have to care for it, and maybe enjoy the rabbit hole journey you will be taking to paper trail the story. Like an image of John in the boat? Anything. And that is possible if you are into this, MIRROR again. Whay am I even doing this story? Why am I not reporting LIVE from Harsens Island right now? I have the space? I, I , I , OH no.. SAVE ME! Save it, Save us all.
Art is the man!
I would put money on his story being true. This historical treasure has to go to a next caretaker that will appreciate it as Mr. Armstrong has!
I am with you Greg. Our little niche of History has yet to be all paper trailed to death for financial reasons. It’s one of the things I am most in love with in our community. It’s not about the money but the passion and desire to protect the history of power boating in America
John Hacker had already come a LONG way by the time he partnered up with Russ Pouliet and designed hulls for the Belle Isle Boat and Engine Company of Detroit in 1925.
Between he and George Crouch, I’m not sure there could have been any sweeter and more speedier designs than from the imagination of those two.
Being a Chris Craft guy I didn’t realise or even think about a Hacker Museum. How would I contact someone there?
I have contacted the Algonac Boat Museum but they just don’t have the room.
Isn’t there a Belle Isle Museum or maybe one closer to Mt. Clemens where he had his operations?
I dont think there is a Hacker museum, BUT Hacker Craft is still a stron business and would be at home there and would make great social media for them.
Matt do you have a contact?
Yes there a Belle Isle Museum but it is small and I doubt if they have room either.
A side note of the Belle Isle Museum:
As a 10 year old I got to ride in the Miss Pepsi race boat which is in the Belle Isle Museum. My grandfather knew Chuck Thompson hew was launching it at the Algonac Chris Craft plant hoist for some testing. What a thrill!
It would be nice if it stayed in Michigan. What about the Les Cheneaux Maritime Museum in Cedarville, MI? They might have the interest and the room for it to display.
Otherwise, if Art is struggling to find a home for it, I am planning a boat workshop addition to my pole barn in the spring, temp controlled and could design a place for it, to preserve it in Central Michigan. It would be fun to research it further, tell it’s story and display it at some of the local Michigan boat shows. That may be where some additional stories come up about it.
But if Matt or Murdoch or someone in the Algonac area, or a museum etc.. wants to take it, preserve it, that’s fine. I just want to make sure Art has options.
We have room at Howe Marine and already have a number of historical vessels there, including original and new Hackers both.
Plus, a Belle Isle Super Bearcat due in residence next year.
Happy to help in anyway Art and maybe it might get Matt to Indian River one day!!!
Try the small craft collection at the Mariner’s Museum.