The Judges Have Spoken At Lake Tahoe!

“Big Boy” 1937 28′ Gar Wood 746 Custom Runabout restored by Sierra Boat Company (The boat not the boy…) – Photo courtesy Steve Natale
The Judges have scoured through the boats, peered under the dash boards and crawled under the engine hatches with their years of knowledge and keen eyes… The scoring sheets were tallied and the awards were presented last night for a packed house at the 41st Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance in California. Here is a list of the Perpetual Trophy Winners.
41st Annual Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance
2013 Perpetual Trophy Winners
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JORDY CARLTON OVERALL BEST OF SHOW TROPHY & BEST GAR WOOD BOAT OF SHOW
“BIG BOY” 1937 28′ Gar Wood 746 Custom Runabout #5925 with a 316HP 12 Cylinder Scripps 302 – Stephen & Janice Hamill of Alamo, CA
BEST CHRIS-CRAFT BOAT OF SHOW
“HIJACKER” 1929 28′ Chris-Craft 14 Runabout #3042 with a 225HP 8 Cylinder Chris-Craft A-70 – James & Sondra Wright of McMinnville, OR
BEST BOAT OF SHOW UNDER 23 FEET
“MARY SUNSHINE” 1941 19′ Chris-Craft Custom Runabout #48873 with a 145HP 6 Cylinder Chris-Craft MB – John & Mary Fellows Russell of Portland, OR
BEST MARQUE CLASS BOAT OF SHOW (Alan Furth Collection)
“NERVOUS” 1954 19′ Chris-Craft Racing Runabout #R-19-498 with a 158HP 6 Cylinder Chris-Craft MBL – Brian/Tim Robinson of Fallbrook, CA
BEST ORIGINAL TAHOE BOAT
“ORANGE CRATE” 1964 21′ Besotes Race Boat with a 375HP 8 Cylinder Ford – Ed & Deborah Scott of Oakland, CA
BEST RIVA BOAT OF SHOW
“SAPHIR II” 1963 22′ Riva Super Ariston #521 with a 290HP 8 Cylinder Chrysler – David & Diane Paul of Los Angeles, CA
BEST NON-PROFESSIONAL RESTORATION
“SWEET & LOW” 1951 19′ Chris-Craft Racing Runabout #R-19-343 with a 158HP 6 Cylinder Chris-Craft MBL – Bob & Nikki Robertson of Nevada City, CA
MOST ELEGANT BOAT OF SHOW & BEST ENGINE OF SHOW
“TOPPER” 1929 28′ Chris-Craft 15 Sedan Limousine #3031 with a 225HP 8 Cylinder Chris-Craft A-70 – James & Sondra Wright of McMinnville, OR
BEST PROFESSIONAL RESTORER
Mike Green – Maritime Classics of Traverse City, Michigan For “TOPPER” and “HIJACKER”
BEST OF SHOW ORIGINAL PRESERVED
Sponsored by GoldKey Boathouse & Marine Service Center
“TIEVOLI” 1969 27′ Riva Aquarama with (2) 220eaHP 8 Cylinder Crusader – Bill & Mary Jo Shepherd of Lafayette, CA
DICK CLARKE PERPETUAL FOR ELEGANCE & STYLE
Bernie Atkinson
THUNDERBIRD PERPETUAL TROPHY MOST UNIQUE
“STRICTLY BUSINESS” 1931 19′ Western Cooperage Western Clipper with a 75HP 6Cylinder Chrysler Crown – Roy Dryer of Chicago Park, CA
Congratulations to all the Perpetual Trophy Winners.
Here’s a few more photos from this morning at the show docks.

Smiling faces all around for “BIG BOY” – Sierra Boat Company’s Peter Lyhne, Chief Carpenter for the winning restoration project.

“Triple Time” 1937 25′ Gar Wood 740 Custom Runabout #6072 with a 316HP 12Cylinder Scripps 302 – Dr Venter of La Jolla, CA
Stay tuned for more photos from the Lake Tahoe Concours as they stream in over the wireless.
Texx
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Thanks for the report Texx. Looking at Topper I am left wondering where this boat was originally used.With a completely sealed cabin the owner must have been regularly been cruising in cold weather or heavy seas.Great lakes boat? Also how the heck do you get in and out of that cabin? I assume you lift up on the chrome lever but how does the hatch stay up while you climb in, particularly in a rough seas .. I am assuming here must be some contraption that locks it up and down but without hydrolic struts it would be a bear to use even in calm conditions. Very odd configuration but it must of had a purpose.Of course if the hull was stained black I would conclude that someone was using this thing to transport booze on the Great Lakes
CK – Here is what was published in the Concours Program on “TOPPER”.
This boat, featuring a Van Mourick limousine top, was originally shipped on a “show” cradle from Chris-Craft in Algonac, Mich., to California on March 16, 1929 for the Northern California Boat Show in San Jose. Hull #3031 is a model 15 DeLuxe Cabin Sedan runabout, originally costing $5,850.
It was found in derelict condition in the Sacramento delta in the 1980s. Jim Wright purchased it from Dave Wright (no relation) in 2006. It carries the extremely rare Chris-Craft 825 cubic inch A-70 V-8 engine – the original “big-block” V-8. Less than a dozen of these are in running condition today: Only 117 28-ft. runabouts were produced for 1929, 32 were sedans, and fewer still were limousines.
Mike Green of Maritime Classics restored “Topper” alongside “Hijacker” over a six-year period.
In regards to how the ingress / egress works with the Limousine top, other than the center section swings up to open, I don’t know much more. Hopefully one of the experts will chime in.
Every time I see an antique triple with one of these Limousine Tops, I imagine a rich banker using it to travel to work from Long Island to Manhattan, across the Hudson River back in the late 20’s. Maybe the people were smaller back then and could squeeze in through the opening…
Very cool option though. – Texx
…..which begs the further question—what about ventilation?
I looked over a 1931 (approx) 28′ Gar Limousine at Tahoe 2 years ago. One entered the owner’s seating area by lifting a window panel/door aft, which was hinged in the roof. To do this, one stepped onto the engine hatch and down in the interior. I honestly felt is was very ungainly and not really very useful. I don’t know who built the limousine top for the Gar, but I don’t think it would have been a very high volume or competitive business so it may be the same company. Mayer, Green or Robinson can easily clear this up for us.
Congrats to mike green. Plenty of effort and Tim well rewarded.