Classic Wooden Runabouts! Wow, Lets See!

Introduction by William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill

Time to celebrate the classic, vintage wooden runabouts of yesteryear.  You know the ones with the varnished mirror like finishes, bronze hardware, vintage gauges, many with bare bones, visible hull frames and hard wooden seats.  The builders I remember most were Chris Craft, Century, Gar Wood, Lyman and Thompson boats of less than 22 feet (7 meters) in length.

I love the styling of these vintage boats, but just as exciting as their appearance and sex appeal there was something indescribable about the sound of the inboards and outboards of the day at full throttle that thrilled me as a boy.  The sight of the old boats rocketing across the water, glistening in the light of day, sometimes obscured completely by plumes of white spray added to their sense of power and liberation, an exhilaration I experience to this day.

Anyway,  this post is a tribute to the pretty old girls of so many years ago, the forerunners of the magnificent boats of today.  Feel free to ogle or take one for a spin in your minds eye. That's what they're there for.

Classic Wooden Runabouts

William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill is the author of the book, Lubber's Log published by Llumina Press; a boating primer and adventure story about a couples experiences in moving up to a bigger boat.  

You can visit his website here.