Ready for Some Dark-Side Classics?

Recent postings on the “Dark Side” theme reminded me of a idea I’d like to bounce off of you, as a loyal SCA reader: What might you think of my camp-cruising motorboat vision—a small boat with modest outboard that draws raves at the launch ramp, and allows some of us to gracefully transition from sail to power…without shame or embarrassment (?)

Here’s the idea—probably harebrained, maybe brilliant—for your consideration:

Back in the 1950s and early 1960s, there was a surge of interest in small, trailerable outboard boats—mostly “express cruiser” designs in the 15’ to 21’ range. Boatbuilders all over North America were introducing attractive, affordable little cruising boats— some from leading industrial designers like Raymond Loewy (who turned Studebakers, locomotives and even refrigerators into works of art during his illustrious career).

During the first half of the 1950s, just before the rapid transition from wood to fiberglass boat production, many small outboard cruisers were built in plywood, helping inspire a tidal wave of homebuilt boats, as plans and early boatbuilding kits became available. But plywood was quickly eclipsed as manufacturers started producing fiberglass runabouts, small cruising powerboats and sailboats—the first serious production getting underway before the mid-1950s. (Some of this country’s first glass boats were built in 1952; early outboard cruisers began to appear in 1954, and by ’57-’58 they were everywhere.)

ABOVE AND BELOW are some nice examples of well-designed wooden outboard cruisers of the 1950s. Above is a 17-footer built by Norseman of Bellingham (with classic 50s color scheme), and below is a 19-foot Lady Clipper we restored, built in Tacoma by the Sigler Brothers. Both feature plywood hulls and cabinsides in solid mahogany. (Marty Loken photos)

In early years of the transition away from wood construction, companies tended to overbuild in fiberglass—maybe not trusting how bulletproof or durable the new building material might be. Their first-generation boats weren’t perfect, but they tended to be hell-for-stout…meaning most are still holding together, even if abandoned or left to molder in backyards. (We’ve dragged several free boats out of blackberry thickets. Once I gently removed a tiny fir tree growing in the muddy lower transom area of a classic-glass cruiser. As of last year, the tree stood 30 feet above the boatshop, its roots threatening to crack the building’s foundation.) So, anyway, some of the small cruising boats of the 1950s period were stronger and longer-lasting than many of today’s glass production boats.

Strong or not, it was the incredible, timeless design of some 1950s outboard cruisers that first attracted me to glass boats of the period. After having built and restored wooden boats since childhood, strictly for fun, we launched a boat-restoration enterprise in 1997, after buying The Wooden Boat Shop retail store in Seattle. In the late 1990s, our main focus was restoration of classic mahogany-planked runabouts, launches and smaller cruisers of the 1920s-1950s period…so we fully restored a lot of boats built by Chris-Craft, Hacker Craft, Gar Wood, Century and others.

Everything started to change when I moved away from Seattle in early 2000, downsizing to a smaller boatshop on Whidbey Island, and then another shop in the Port Townsend area. Wanting to diversify and gradually get away from work on showy mahogany runabouts, we happened across our first classic-glass express cruiser, a beautiful but derelict 1957 Skagit 17 Express, in need of full restoration.

This little 1957 Skagit 17’ Express cruiser was my first personal dip into the world of nicely-designed, rock-solid 1950s fiberglass cruisers. (I replaced the original fiberglass-framed windshield with windshield brackets from a 1930s runabout, just for fun.) The boat was given a new four-stroke outboard…far larger than I’d ever consider today.) Paint was one-part polyurethane, rolled and tipped, in the original gelcoat colors. Marty Loken photo

The little Skagit became the first of several favorite outboard cruisers we restored for our own use…and then many others we brought back to life for customers. So, up until about 2010, we unintentionally became known for classic-glass restoration work, and we came to appreciate trailer boats we were restoring, including cabin cruisers by Skagit, Bell Boy, Glasspar, Dorsett, Uniflite, Sabre Craft, and wooden outboard cruisers by Lady Clipper, Bryant, Norseman and Tollycraft…just to name a few Northwest brands.

ABOVE AND BELOW — We restored this 16-foot, 1957 Bell Boy cruiser for a customer, replacing everything except for the original glass hull and cabin mold. The boat looked all-original, except for the varnished woodwork in the cockpit area. Below is the new mahogany dash area, with small cabinet we added to house the customer’s compact stereo. (Marty Loken photos)

Back in the 1950s, most customers buying these little express cruisers were attracted, at least in part, to their speed potential, so they often went for larger outboard motors. In the 50s, that usually meant something in the 35-75hp range…lots of power, but maybe reasonable next to the 250hp outboards you see bolted onto today’s trailer boats in the same size range.

In asking readers to consider the idea of buying and restoring a 60- or 70-year-old outboard cruiser, we want to make a different kind of pitch: If you’re thinking of switching from your 5-knot pocket-cruising sailboat to a similar-sized “Dark Sider,” how about continuing to enjoy slow cruising speeds? You could cruise in a new/old kind of style, choosing an affordable 6-10hp kicker motor that’ll give you the same relaxed cruising speed you had with your trailerable sailboat. (Or you could go wild and choose a 25hp if you really want to go fast…or an electric outboard if you’d prefer almost-silent cruising?)

Overview of a comfortable and nicely-designed 21-foot Bell Boy cruiser, built in 1956 and restored for one of our customers. I found this boat as a total derelict on eBay, in the dirt outside of Reno, Nevada. Cost was about $100 for the hull and about $600 to have it transported to our shop near Port Townsend. See more photos and details below. (Marty Loken photo)

Stern view of the 21-foot Bell Boy. Original hull and cabin, but everything else replaced. (We built the custom cowl over the outboard, working from old photos, to help reduce engine noise in the cockpit.) Once again, this boat would be just fine as a slower-speed cruiser, maybe with twin 9.9hp four-stroke outboards. (Marty Loken photo)

We had way too much fun working on a new interior for the 1956 Bell Boy’s cabin. The owner wanted something that might have a 1950s diner feel, so inspired by other curves in the Bell Boy’s hull and cabin design, we came up with a small dinette table and bench seats (storage under); red Marmoleum on the floor; scalloped aluminum trim, a folding mahogany table to the left, and a massive double berth that extended almost from the cabin bulkhead to the bow of the boat…with porta-potti under a lid to the right and lots of storage under the generous berth. Overhead, varnished mahogany ply, vintage light fixtures and more usable space than in the original configuration (which consisted of a simple V-berth with tiny galley counter and dinette table in the middle). Yes, everyone was happy with this one! (Marty Loken photo)

The little express cruisers of the 50s typically offer sitting headroom, a small galley and eating-table space, the same kind of porta-potti setup you’re familiar with from days of cruising a small sailboat, and the option of a dodger, bimini top or full canvas over the rear cockpit.

Going slower in one of these 1950s camp cruisers could be fun, maintaining much of what you loved about your small sailboat…and as a bonus you’d get a lot of thumbs-up wherever you went.

If you’re intrigued, classic-glass (and old wooden) outboard cruisers can be found all over North America—some virtually abandoned in weeds or available for reasonable prices on Craigslist. (Even fully-restored examples cost a pittance alongside the cheapest aluminum fishing machine you’ll find, if it’s the kind we’re seeing these days with twin 150-300hp outboards.)

The classic-glass hulls are pretty easy to restore, and if there’s interest I’ll be happy to share restoration tips in one of the next Shallow Draft columns.

Finally, if you want more on the subject, check out fiberglassics.com for a list of 1950s-60s manufacturers…and let me know (below) if you have any questions, opinions or personal anecdotes on the subject. •SCA•