One More Is Saved! – The Owner Not The Boat
John Baas in his first inboard – 1955 Correct Craft Atom Skier
Apparently not all of us have $950,000 sitting around the house, but that should never stop you from enjoying your varnish addiction. This is one of the top things I love about this lifestyle. It’s not about the money and more about saving history and being out on the water. Whether it’s a million dollars or a $50 boat saved from a garage, it’s all the same emotion, the same everything. Fellow Woody Boater John Baas has it bad in the best way. He sent us his latest dive into the deep end of Lake Varnisha. You may recall Johns story on his love affair with his Chetek outboard. Take it away John.
Well, I’ve joined the club! My wife Pam and I have purchased our first inboard! It’s a 1955 Correct Craft Atom Skier. 14.5′ with the 4 cyl. Gray Marine flathead engine. She joins the Chetek outboard as #2 in the fleet. I’ve been kinda stalking this boat since the end of August when it showed up on Craig’s List. It was in the “for sale” lot at the Lake Geneva Blackhawk ACBS chapter show a few weeks ago. When it didn’t sell there for the asking price I made the owner an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Johns pal in crime, Jim Kaehny at the helm
My partner in boat buying crime, Jim Kaehny and I put the Atom Skier in the water today to see what’s what. She’s a sweet runner that only needs a little cosmetic TLC and a new port side windshield glass.
I think Jim likes the Atom Skie
While most of Woodyboatervile is last gasping and winterizing, Jim and I were “first gasping”. My first inboard and Jim’s first ride in a woody inboard. Jim is the woody outboard guy who got me into woody boating in the first place. It was a balmy 51 degrees on Potter Lake in southeast Wisconsin Saturday but we could have stayed out there all day!
Flyin’ in the Atom Skier. Love the drill! That says it all!
Nice boat John. Welcome to the club!
real nice I’m still in water to,Lake Erie Canada.
Sweet Little Inboard
Great find John!
Enjoy!!!!
What is the boat in the header?
That thing looks cool!
I am not sure type of boat is is? I shot this on my iPhone years ago at the Warner auction. It was just sitting out there by the road.
Once the woody is winterized (as it was this past week), it leaves more time to find that next project… A wonderful time of year. Congrats on your new inboard.
I made a deal last night for my next project and somehow convinced the Admiral we should add to the fleet… (In that order, BTW).
Now, I just have to get from Toronto to Long Island to pick ‘er up!
Let’s go water skiing!
Sweet little boat, John. Congrats!
speaking of saved, today i’m either gonna cut this 1937 chris craft utility up or shove it back in the weeds. it’s full of rot and not even a good pattern boat. what do ya’ll think.
Darn!
Hate to see the saw get any boat, but it doesn’t look like there is much there to work with.
Hey Thomas D. What were you thinking of doing with the 1937 chris?
A couple of sheetrock screws, plywood and paint and it will make a fine planter, has great drainage.
Anyone notice the goofy registration number on the Atom Skier? Here’s a head-on shot. Correct sequence is on the port side. I’d love to hear your theories as to how the other side got like that?
John
Maybe the couple that sold the boat was half Japanese.
(that is not a racist comment – English is read left to right and Japanese is read right to left.
I’m guessing the previous owner was a member of DAM (Mothers Against Dyslexia).
When you look at the reg numbers in the mirror reflection of the lake, it reads correct.
Great to see another Correct Craft saved and back on the water! If you have not already, check out the forum at correctcraftfan.com. There are quite a few woody owners there and full of great advice.
Congratulations on the boat!
Nice find! Wow, you’d be hard pressed to find a soft tiny wake like that in a current day skiboat; the question is can you still slalom ski? 🙂
John, Great little boat. One thing you will notice about them is how nice they are to work on, store and the ease of launching and retrieving. Of course you need to be careful on rough days, but I have so much fum in the smaller boats. Well, I may need to take that back, I enjoy all of them! LOL Love the license, as I was looking at the first picture, I was thinking Great Britain! Just when you think you have seen it all! LOL
The boat in the header is the Ramaley “Moona Hanas”