My First Boat!

[BroadHopper]

I use to hang out around Goodhue's in Glendale. (Marine Patrol HQ). He and his son Tuppie were heavy into fast boats. The marina was a Mercury, Hydrodyne and Hydrostream dealer. Tuppie would take me out in his toys and I was hooked!
My first was a home built hydroplane that someone left at the boatyard. My Dad bought me a Quicksilver outboard which was a bit more than I can handle when I am 14 years old! I use to terrorized all the Boston Whalers that the Lake Shore Park kids had around the mid 60's. Gary Cook had a 13' with an Evinrude 70!
Since than I have graduated to a Hydrostream Viper, 4-Winns Liberator and now a Formula F-223 LS.

Live on the Lake was good.

[VtSteve]

My first was an old 12' aluminum Sea Nymph with a 5hp Gale Buccaneer outboard. I wasn't allowed to use the motor, so I used to row the boat the length of Meredith Neck down to the coves at the end, sometimes all around Sally's Gut and beyond. Once I was allowed to use the motor, I frequently travelled to the Golden Horseshoe, the Weirs, down to Glendale and sometimes much further.

My dad had three boats we used later on. An old Lone Start, probably 18' or so, a 17' Glastron outboard, and a 21' Galaxy stern drive. We drove around in those boats constantly back then.

The first boat I bought new was a 1994 Larson 175 with a 4 cylinder Volvo stern drive. Had that one on Winni back then for a long vacation. I bought a new 22' Stingray cuddy in the winter of 2007, after nearly ten years boatless. It's been a great 3 years, except for lat year's the summer that wasn't.

Near as I can recall, I have been on the boats of my family's friends since I was five years old, and have driven and/or owned a boat since 1964/1965 range. If it weren't for golf, I dare say I wouldn't spend much time on land in the summers at all.

[Cal]

1964 16' Thunderbird with a 75 hp Evinrude. 46 years later I'm still running the Thunderbird logo

[Silver Duck]

I had been hanging around a small sailboat racing club in the town where I grew up (as often as I could get away with as a guest) for a couple of summers.

The summer I turned 12, I was finally old enough to become a junior member in my own right, but needed to own a boat that matched one of the club's one-design racing classes to qualify. My Dad helped me find an old, wooden Snipe class racing sloop (I still remember the sail number, 1969).

Lord, I loved that boat! I spent every moment I could racing and/or messing with her for the next six summers. I can still picture her clearly!

Thanks for bringing back some very good memories!

Silver Duck

[SIKSUKR]

Your gonna love this one. My first boat was actually half, yes half of a styrofoam sailboat. Yup, that's what I said. Dad bought a styrofoam, maybe 8 foot sailboat. He would let us paddle it around since I didn't know how to sail. Young SS thought it would be a good idea to jump into that boat from the dock and this became one of many lessons learned of what not to do. Of course I broke the boat right in half. After a few days my backside redness had faded and little SS's engineering skills started perculating. I was left with the back half so I fastened poly sheeting(plastic poly bag) to the broken off bow with duct tape. The stern still had the rudder attached so that was my motor. Simply moving that rudder back and forth created forward movement and voila, I had my first boat! Albeit only 1/2 a boat and about 3 feet long, but it was mine.

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

Your gonna love this one. My first boat was actually half, yes half of a styrofoam sailboat. Yup, that's what I said. Dad bought a styrofoam, maybe 8 foot sailboat. He would let us paddle it around since I didn't know how to sail. Young SS thought it would be a good idea to jump into that boat from the dock and this became one of many lessons learned of what not to do. Of course I broke the boat right in half. After a few days my backside redness had faded and little SS's engineering skills started perculating. I was left with the back half so I fastened poly sheeting(plastic poly bag) to the broken off bow with duct tape. The stern still had the rudder attached so that was my motor. Simply moving that rudder back and forth created forward movement and voila, I had my first boat! Albeit only 1/2 a boat and about 3 feet long, but it was mine.

Sounds just like the Snark. I remember it well. It could be purchased at K-Mart for cheap. NB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snark_sailboat

[John A. Birdsall]

Well you have to go back one step in the spring of 1957 my father launched his boat that he had building all winter. an 11' plywood boat, He put the biggest motor the plans called for on it, a 6 hp elgin. He launched the boat on the south side of Echo Point, and took it directly around the point to the boat house. just a two hour tour.....he went and got the car and trailer and put it away and went to the boat dealer and bought a 12 HP Elgin. that piece of junk was on and off the boat all summer. In the fall we pulled the boat and on the way home stopped at the kingston boat dealer and did a good trade, He got every penny back on the 12 HP and bought an 18 HP which we picked up in the spring of 58. well this boat woud go fast. And I was just 12 and relatively light weight so I could not operate this by myself. In the winter of 58-59 my dad and I built a 6' boat. It was supposed to have a outboard made into an inboard and away we go. But we put the 6 hp on it.
I got into the boat and sat in the back and it would push water, not go fast until I leaned on the bow, If it did not hit 40 it is a miricale. Grandma was on the peir taking movie pictures. On monday morning dad was going to work and by orders of my mother he was to take the outboard home with him. That boat was fun, but it was dangerous too. It turned up as a tobogan one winter for the neighbor. and then it was a garden. Oh yeah 1959 was perhaps the last time my father was allowed to drive the Puddy-tat, which is yet another story.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I use to hang out around Goodhue's in Glendale. (Marine Patrol HQ). He and his son Tuppie were heavy into fast boats. The marina was a Mercury, Hydrodyne and Hydrostream dealer. Tuppie would take me out in his toys and I was hooked!
My first was a home built hydroplane that someone left at the boatyard. My Dad bought me a Quicksilver outboard which was a bit more than I can handle when I am 14 years old! I use to terrorized all the Boston Whalers that the Lake Shore Park kids had around the mid 60's. Gary Cook had a 13' with an Evinrude 70!
Since than I have graduated to a Hydrostream Viper, 4-Winns Liberator and now a Formula F-223 LS.

Live on the Lake was good.

I know Tup pretty well, his son and my son go to school together. I walked by his house this morning when I went to check out the new ramp at Lee's Mill. When I see him next I will get some stories out of him!