From the burnished brass knobs of a vintage wheelhouse to the gleam of well-varnished woodwork, classic wooden motor yachts are nothing less than floating dreams and their stories can only be told in full color. This collection is lavishly illustrated with 250 photographs that show off each boat's graceful lines and reveal the unique details that give these craft their irresistible charm. Feed your fantasies with the dozens of boats here, including famous luxury cruisers, built for the wealthy in the years between 1910 and World War II; classic wooden tugboats, many of them built in the late nineteenth century and prized for their power and rugged construction; and workboats that, once used only for practical purposes, are today being restored and put to recreational use.
Accompanying the photos are the fascinating stories behind these floating works of art, from their specifications, design, and construction to their varied histories, and the ongoing sagas of their decline, restoration, and return to modern life. Come aboard the incomparable Thea Foss, custom-built for John Barrymore; the former fishing vessel Halcyon, found destroyed by fire, half-submerged, and now restored to its original beauty; the Pam, built for Hiram Walker's grandson, who used it to commute between Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada; and the resilient Spindrift II, survivor of the 1938 hurricane and two sinkings; plus dozens of other unforgettable modern classics and vessels of a bygone age.
This fabulous collection--the result of thousands of miles of travel, hundreds of hours of interviews, and hundreds of rolls of film--is one that no wooden boat lover should be without.
How many times, on seeing a classic boat, have you wondered what stories it could tell? In Classic Wooden Motor Yachts, dozens of the most distinctive wooden motorboats ever built tell theirs, from birth through youth, decline, abandonment, and restoration.
Ron McClure traveled throughout the United States and Canada to select only the most distinctive and historically significant boats for inclusion. Each one is uniquely elegant, sturdy, comfortable, and noble. Together they represent the culmination of the wooden boat building and yacht joinery arts, which achieved their highest expression in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This tour of wooden motorboats, above and below decks, will provide many leisurely hours of discovery and enjoyment.
Praise for Classic Wooden Yachts of the Northwest:
"A stunning collection of images and stories that no wooden boat lover should be without. . . . Each boat in the collection has been lovingly photographed with a seemingly unerring eye for detail."--Nor'Westing
"This highly satisfying book will leave readers with a taste for more."--Dockside
