Boat lovers hit lake this weekend
For those who own wooden boats, it’s a way of life rather than a mere hobby.
“It’s like an old car but even more special because they’re made for the water,” said Les Watson, a member of the Inland Empire Antique Classic Boats Association. “It’s like driving an old ‘57 Chevy down the road when you’re in the water and all your problems just go away.”
Watson and other wooden boat enthusiasts will have their obsessions parked at the Coeur d’Alene Resort boardwalk – many of them beginning today – for the 22nd annual Wooden Boat Festival.
Farther down the lake, the First Annual Lake Coeur d’Alene Performance Boat Regatta will be at the Carlin Bay Resort Marina to benefit the American Lung Association.
The Wooden Boat Festival is a chance for boat lovers to swap tales of their love of mahogany, the stories of how their boats came to be and an opportunity to mingle with the public. Some boat owners will offer rides to spectators who attend the event.
“It’s something about being an antique,” said Watson’s wife, Valerie, who is on the board of the antique classic boat club. “It’s like those guys with old cars – it’s the same with wooden boats.”
On the lake Thursday afternoon, Brad Hill kicked up the V8 engine on his 28-foot, 1929 Gar Wood and cruised across the slightly choppy water with wife, Sandi, sitting beside him.
The Hills resurrected the boat, redoing the topside wood and repairing the bottom of the hull. And they added the big engine. The original was a Chrysler Majestic Straight 8 with 150 horsepower, Brad Hill said. The new motor has about 390 horsepower, but he said that doesn’t mean the craft now hits Mach 3.
“The architects built the speed into the shape of the hull,” he said. “You’re not going to go any faster unless you put a (General Electric) jet engine on the back. Then you might fly.”
The Hills said they consider the Gar Wood, christened “Cheyenne,” the favorite of their fleet of five wooden boats, but they take them all out for spins.
Hill said part of the magic of wooden boats is their nostalgia, as well as their durability. He said there isn’t much upkeep other than refinishing, which they just did. The previous finish lasted 11 years.
“When these boats were new, they didn’t think they’d last more than seven or eight years,” he said. “Then they got fooled. This one is 76 years old.”
While the Hills and other wooden boat fans spend time at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, power boat enthusiasts will be on the other side of the lake at Carlin Bay Resort raising money for the American Lung Association.
Organizer Mike Shill said the Coeur d’Alene Performance Boat Association didn’t intend on having the event the same weekend as the Wooden Boat Festival – he’d rather not compete – but that they had already scheduled the festivities.
Shill said all boats are welcome, not just the “hot rods of boats,” as he called the performance watercraft.
Organizers decided to raise money for the American Lung Association after one of the performance boat organization’s members was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Joe Ruddach said his wife’s cancer is in remission, but they thought the boat show would be a good way to give back.
“We approached the association, instead of them coming to us,” Ruddach said. “Not many in Idaho do it for them, let alone Idaho, so it’s a good thing.”