This Weekend The 41st Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance Celebrates The Alan Furth Collection
Alan Furth was one of the largest and most well respected wooden boat collectors in the hobby. In 1990 his diverse collection of over 75 boats was legendary, and even today with different owners, those same boats are still recognized as being from the “Alan Furth Collection” at one point in their lives. That provenance will always set those particular boats apart from the others, regardless of their condition or value.
After Alan retired from the Board of Southern Pacific Railway, he and his wife Virgina spent their summers at Lake Tahoe in California, where the majority of Alan’s collection was located. Alan enjoyed sharing his rare and unusual boats at events like the Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance. So legendary was his collection, that the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation is featuring boats from the Alan Furth Collection as the Marque Class for the 2013 Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance this weekend.
One of those rare wooden boats was this 1935 Dodge Model 102-A 17′ Split Cockpit Runabout (then named “Kama’aina”), shown here with Alan during the 1987 Lake Tahoe Concours – which was then held at Tahoe Boat Company in Tahoe City.
Alan Furth aboard KAMA’AINE – Tahoe City, CA (Circa 1987)
Alan Furth was also one of the first at Lake Tahoe to insure his boats with Hagerty Marine Insurance when they launched their innovative Agreed Value insurance policy for classic wooden boats in 1984.
It’s exciting to see that 20 classic boats from the Alan Furth collection of all shapes, sizes and manufacturers will be on hand this weekend at the Sierra Boat Company Marina in Carnelian Bay, California for this year’s Lake Tahoe Concours. Over 60 other world class antique & classic boats will also be on display, which makes this event one of the premier boat shows in the country each year.
Sierra Boat Company Marina 2012, where the Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance featured the Riva Aquarama as the marque class boat.
To preview this year’s show, here is the list of selected boats for the 2013 Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance show on August 9-10, located on the west shore of beautiful Lake Tahoe. Check it out – it may take a few seconds for the list to load, but it’s fun to read the descriptions, short stories and history of these outstanding wooden boats.
This year a pair of stunning restored 1929 28-foot Chris-Crafts will be presented to the world for the first time after an extensive 6 year restoration by Mike Green from Maritime Classics Boat Center. “Topper” is a 1929 28′ Chris-Craft 15 Limousine powered by a very rare 225HP 8 cylinder Chris-Craft A-70 marine engine. “Hijacker” is a 1929 28′ Chris-Craft 14 Runabout which is also powered by another rare 225HP Chris-Craft 8 cylinder A-70. I have had the privilege of seeing this pair of 28 footers while they were being restored in Oregon, and they are two simply fantastic 84 year-old boats. – Texx
“Leading Lady” – a rare 1940 24’6″ Gar Wood Model 198 Custom Utility will be there.
And if you are interested in attending the show, to learn more about the show and related events throughout the weekend, you can Click Here to go directly to the Tahoe Concours website. It will be an experience that you will never forget. – Texx
2013 Roy Dryer poster for the 41st Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance
Our extensive coverage of the 2013 Antique & Classic Boat Show from Clayton, NY last weekend at the Antique Boat Museum will continue on Wednesday. Stay tuned for those great reports from contributor “Cobourg Kid”. – Texx
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That is a great quote from Alan Furth.
Looks like it will be a fabulous show.
Yes Troy, it always a great show with a vast collection of rare boats. Always lots of original Tahoe boats that have been on Tahoe all their life, including some amazing, rare Gar Woods triples.
Thank you for a beautiful presentation. My lifetime has been filled with a primary passion for the avocation of wooden boating. Our family began in the Great Depression building personally designed wooden boats by my Father, named after my Mother, and for several of those years, our annual event was some type of boating trip on the mighty Ohio river. Later in life I personally created a “Primitive Cool Wooden Boat Company” and acted as a Broker between 1988 and 1992 after work in my chosen profession of attorney at law. Your articles are wonderful and bring out the best memories that exist within me on a beautiful cool day with white caps spraying water while cruising in pure pleasure boating. I appreciate your writing and photography and would love to be part of your process of allowing others to enjoy this passion I speak of that has never never me for five decades. Kevin Michael Callihan, Hometown; Greenup, Kentucky, Living now in Athens, Ohio. Thanks again for your kindness in skilled presentation of my love for wooden boating.
Texx – I still love looking at that picture from last year out from the judges room with all of the Aquaramas in the harbor!
Me too Marty… Seeing all those Aquaramas gathered together was great.