Home Again, To Hall’s Boat On Lake George For Mom’s Mink’s 70th Birthday!
A huge thanks to fellow WoodyBoater David Shepler for sharing his wonderful journey to Lake George and Hall’s Boats. The original home of Mom’s Mink, his amazing Gar Wood. Looks like David sure had a fantastic time! At the bottom of this story is the original story we did on Moms Mink. Take it away David.
A friend and I are here in Lake George NY with Mom’s Mink. We have the boat in the water now docked inside Hall’s Marina where she was delivered 70yr ago last April. BTW this lake is gorgeous! Huge! We left home port in Indiana at 6am Wednesday.
First fuel stop! Not out of Indiana yet!
Arrived at the Econo Lodge in Lake George 12hr and change later. Thanks Patty for the clean room & great accommodations. If you look you can just see the lake over the roofs across the street.
Next day stop into Hall’s Marina where the Gar Wood was delivered 70yrs ago!
Nick Lamando the owner of the Marina was great to let us walk around the facility.
Hall’s Marina is like walking back into a time capsule. 3 boat houses full of Woody boats
She’s home again!
And another boat house on the water. And there is more. This place is cool!
1928 Baby Gar purchased new by Hilbert Hall the original owner of the Marina.
Now owned by his Grandson. Still stored at the Marina in the water. Powered by 6 cylinder Scripps motor. Very cool!
First day on Lake George. We where told we needed to stop by the Algonquin to see the upstairs bar built by HackerCraft. HackerCraft was built on lake George till a few yrs ago as I understand.
Great place for lunch. Went by the Sagamore resort. I was told later we should have docked and went in to see the history there. We did not get a chance to.
Lake George is beautiful clean water beautiful old & newer home. Lots of history!
2nd day started out raining. So took the time to replace the voltage regulator. I was able to buy one at the local parts store. Took about a hr to tune it and we were ready to roll as soon as it stopped raining!
So we drove to lunch at the BoatHouse Resturant another popular restaurant on the lake. After a great lunch & beer the rain had stopped. We got the boat out went back to the Boathouse to get picture from the water.
After the picture at the BoatHouse we were told to stop in the Blue Water Manor.
This place was my favorite. Beautiful views! New owners are doing a lot of additions with several more in the future.
This morning we where able to take a short ride around the lake. Just a great morning ride!
We then had to put the boat on the trailer. Nick is going to store the boat for me for a few days while we join my wife & our local Children’s Choir in NYC including my youngest daughter Natalie. They are performing in Carnegie hall, St Patricks Cathedral just to name a few places. We return to lake George Wednesday evening. Thursday morning we left for Algonac Boat show MI. traveling thru Niagara Falls & Canada across Blue Water bridge at Port Huron.
I want to send out a big thank you to Nick & crew at Hall’s Marina for hosting us for a few days! Just a great place to visit!
Thanks, David Shepler
Here is the story from 2011 on Mom’s Mink! Worth a good read to understand the emotion that David has preserved! Thanks David again, for reminding us all what this is all about!
Wow! What a lake! Another one to add to our lust of places to get wet!
Lake George is one of the lakes that should be on every WoodyBoater’s bucket list. Great water, scenery, history, and a lot of wood boats.
Thanks Matt! Great job!
It was a fun week that went off with out any problems.
Kids did awesome in NYC. some great stories there also.
Algonac was a great show to finish with. Great weather this year!
Jim Lundy (WW-II fighter pilot in first story) the last of the original owners passed away in 2012. I am still in contact with his son Scott.
Scott told me that his grandfather on most mornings would pack a thermos full of coffee and take a ride around the lake to waive to the neighbors.
While riding around the lake this time I would wonder if those two where riding along with us?
Matt thanks again!
You betcha Dave!
Great story David. Thanks for sharing and it was fun having you and your beautiful GarWood join us in Algonac a few weeks ago. I hope to see you again some day in Michigan. I think your brother waved at us last weekend as we were cruising Lobdell Lake in Water Lily!
GREAT story!
I guess I missed the 2011 story. I don’t think I lived in WoodyBoaterVille back then, but I like seeing followup stories on boats that were covered years ago.
The timing is funny since just yesterday I got a text from my friends Larry and Ellen Jamieson who made the trip to Lake George to bring Mi Piace back home to Cobbossee after a couple of years of absence.
Four years ago my family and I spent a week in Lake Placid and spent a day on Lake George on our way back. We had read a story in Woody Boater about the Boathouse Bed & Breakfast on Lake George. It’s a stunning place. But the best part is the (newish) 33′ Hackercraft which they offer tours on for non-guests as well as guests. Speaking of Lake Placid, we had lunch at the breathtaking Lake Placid Lodge. After a fire the historic lodge was rebuilt in true Adirondack style, with absolutely no expense spared. They, too, have a modern Hacker Dolphin for guest tours of the lake, where peaking out of nearly every boathouse is another stunning classic.
Well, WoodyBoater did it again. I have had a trip to Lake George on my bucket list ever since I bought my Hacker in 2010. Ronnie and i were thinking of going next year, without a boat, just to tour the region. BUT, NO not now! This story has convinced me I got to haul the Coronado out there and visit all those neat restaurants and resorts that are in this story, by water.
I also like the idea of making Hall’s Marina the Base Camp, and renting a room there for a couple of days. Thanks David for one of the best laid out stories with fantastic photos I have seen in awhile.
I’ve got the hoist’s that Mom’s Mink hung from when she lived on Lake George. Jim Lundy traded them to me for some engine work back in the mid 90’s.
It would be cool to see them
Jim, What are the hoist like? I might be interested in buying them if you are not using them.
Great lake !..Stopped there once on way from show at Winnepesaukee to Clayton with boat in tow. Stopped by the Sagamore which was then ACBS headquarters…and then by the Hacker place on West side of lake where they oohhed and aahed over my Chris Craft racer.
Thanks for a great story David and maintaining the stewardship of “Mom’s Mink”. The original owner Jim Lundy was a member of our Blue Ridge Chapter and always attended our events with “Mom’s Mink”. Great guy and a good steward for maintaining that Garwood for over 40 years. His son Scott attended with him. RIP Jim, thank you for your service to this country.
Another wonderful place to visit. Woody boater has given me so many great places to visit in the short year and half that I have been reading. Thank you Matt
Dave’s story brought tears to my eyes. I am so happy that he is the new owner. Hope to meet him someday! So may stories I could tell. Everyone who knows the Mink will attest to its beauty. Thank you Dave Shepler for the restoration and communication with Woody Boater!