What The Water Wings?

These go around your waist! Or Bloomers, don’t let anyone see your epidermis. Wow, I dragged that joke out of the 5th grade memory bank. Still works!

A huge thanks to our pals at “The” Antique Boat Museum, for a fun reminder that we are talking about fun stuff here.I love the fact that their is a museum about recreation and fun. No wars, or other depressing stuff that life is full of, but a museum of fun. Nothing exemplifies that like a set of flotation devices. Is it me, or do they look like Whoopie Cushions?

Cir 1904

Very cool

The ones pictured here are part of the collection. Ayvad’s produced flotation devices that aided swimming.  The Antique Boat Museum’s example looks like it dates from the early 1900s based on other examples.

Maybe you can hang this from your boat hook? Use your imagination

Adjustable for how ever floatable you are.

Apparently this device could support someone weighing 50 lbs or 250 lbs.  And don’t forget that a larger body needs less air in the device!  Oh boy.. YA..

YOU CAN SEE A SET OF THESE HERE ON EBAY

Also happening: The Antique Boat Museum will be hosting the 9th 1000 Islands Concours d’Elegance on June 29th.  This is a great opportunity for visitors to see antique and classic cars alongside the antique and classic boats in our collection.

Cars and boats!

And if you have an Autobahn thing, here is the link to the website to find out more. HERE

11 replies
  1. m-fine
    m-fine says:

    Those are like the great great grandfather of the foam pool noodle. Very cool.

    If you like museums of fun and are visiting NY this summer, on your way to or from the ABM in Clayton, swing by Hammondsport and check out the Glenn Curtis Museum which has old planes, old boats, and old boats that fly (or are they planes that float?). The displays include a liberty powered baby gar. Also head over to the Fingerlakes Boating Museum. No war time stuff there.

    If that’s not fun enough, there is always the Strong Museum of Play and National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester.

    Or maybe you could just go boating.

  2. Bilge Rat
    Bilge Rat says:

    We’ve been to both the Glenn Curtis Museum and the Fingerlakes Boating Museum. Fun interesting places on Keuka Lake with lots of history.

  3. Dick Dow
    Dick Dow says:

    …and a 35′ CC Commander in the background! It may be my imagination, but with the colors and a few other details on that boat, it appears that the basis of the image is a photo of “Itchin”, the boat that Ron Stevenson and I restored and enjoyed several years ago. Still miss that boat!

  4. steve
    steve says:

    I would like to see more pictures and information on the boat in the header today. Anyone have some insight?

    • Matt
      Matt says:

      Here is the tag attached to the photo. There is one on ebay right now as well. I grabbed the descritition on ebay. I dont have further info. It was a story that never was full enough to flush out. But one hell of a header

  5. Troy in ANE
    Troy in ANE says:

    That header is DAMN cool!

    It would make a great story if you could flush out “The rest of the story”. 80 MPH in 1937, there has to be information on that somewhere.

  6. George Burgess
    George Burgess says:

    Matt if your in Algonac for the “Where it All Began” Boat Show, stop by the Algonac/Clay Maritime Museum and I’ll show you the water wings that we have.

  7. Dave Hughes
    Dave Hughes says:

    Well – Matthews made “life rings” for the Martinique Express Cruiser that appear to be sized for “midgets”? :-O

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