Member Boats: 1943-1954
Boats presently or previously owned by members of the Heartland Classics Chapter.
The Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS) has designated age classifications which include boats of all hull material and purposes. Although well known for wooden pleasure craft of the mid 20th century, the members’ appreciation of historic craftsmanship and styling blended with the purposeful utilitarian use of all vessels leads our members to be guardians of all types and ages of watercraft.
Cin City
1946 Chris Craft Sportsman 25′ “Cin City” owned by Jim Frechette
1946 Chris Craft 25′ Sportsman.
Many years ago my wife, Cindy, and I saw one of this model at a show somewhere and we both fell in love with the size and comfort level of this boat. We finally made the decision to find one and I located this boat in Michigan. The wood looked rough but all the hardware was included. With the help of a friend,I drove up to get it with an empty trailer and loaded it up. We had to stop after a few hours of driving because what hardware that was on the boat was starting to come loose from the dry wood and rough road. We pulled everything off and continued home.
The boat received a new bottom, sides and deck. There was no engine included with the boat as the original was a Scripps 208 and it had been removed years before to power someone else’s classic but I found a used Crusader 454 at the local marina at that became the new power. It has been a smooth, reliable powerhouse that can push the boat over 40 MPH even with several passengers.
Magic
1947 Gar Wood 19′ Runabout Deluxe named Magic owned by Alan Downey
No Big Deal
1947 Century Standard, 14′ with Johnson 10 hp outboard motor owned by Ken and Ro Everett.
Kreb’s Kraft
1947 Chris Craft
17’ Deluxe Runabout
KB 121hp
Owned by Mark & Gina Engel
Lady In Red
1948 Higgins 19′ Sports Speedster
Ford 185hp
owned by Brian & Susan Gumm
Andrew J
1948 Higgins Deluxe Sedan Cruiser “The Andrew J” owned by Jeff Oppenheimer
1948 Higgins Deluxe Sedan Cruiser 26’
Powered by a Chrysler Crown 115 hp
Owned by Jeff Oppenheimer or Monrovia, IN
The Andrew J was found in a barn in Oklahoma and towed home in an ice storm early in 2012. The boat was restored and brought back to life by Dan Nelson of Nelson Boatworks in Minnetrista, MN. Her hull is painted Okoume plywood.
The Andrew J is the only 1948 26’ Deluxe Sedan Cruiser known to exist. She is appropriately named after the founder of Higgins Industries, Andrew Jackson Higgins. Andrew’s daughter, Dawn Higgins Murphy, still resides with her husband Bob near New Orleans and has sanctioned the name.
She is powered by the original 115 HP Chrysler Crown engine and runs eloquently through the water with the same hull configuration as the swift PT Boats of WWII, built by Higgins Industries.
In the past few years, she has won many awards including the prestigious Best of Cruiser Class-Preserved at the 2012 ACBS International Boat Show held at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri.
Summertime
1949 Chris Craft Sportsman 25′ “Summertime” owned by Clay & Patty Thompson.
Of the 208 25’ Sportsmans built, this is hull number 166. Built in 1949, it is one of only 12 that have the twin engine option, and at a cost of $8300.00 in 1949, a very expensive boat indeed! We really enjoy this boat and use it often, and although the interior is somewhat worn, it is still the original red leather it came with in ‘49.
GERONIMO
1949 Stancraft 21′ named Geronimo is owned by Clay and Patty Thompson.
Ain’t She Sweet
1949 Century Sea Maid “Ain’t She Sweet” owned by Michael Vannier of Loveland, Colorado
Nameci
1950 Chris Craft 22′ Sedam “NAMECI V” owned by Eric Grimshaw
1950 Chris Craft Sedan Utility 22′ Hercules owned by Eric Grimshaw of Tulsa, OK
“Nameci” is named after Eric’s father who was the Ice Man.
Mischief
1950 Chris Craft Sportsman 22′ “Mischief” owned by John & Carolynn Thompson
1950 Chris Craft 22’ Sportsman Powered by a Chris Craft MBL 158 hp
Owned by John & Carolynn Thompson of Marshfield, MO
Mischief is a 1950 22 foot Chris Craft Sportsman (Hull number U-22-1530). She was delivered to Milam Brothers Marine Service, a Chris Craft dealer on Lake Hamilton at Hot Springs, Arkansas, on March 14, 1950.
We purchased Mischief in August of 2012 from Jan and Larry Hinton after their 14 years of stewardship, becoming at least her fourth caretakers.
The owner before the Hinton’s, Ed Stidham, found Mischief in a warehouse in Little Rock, Arkansas in late 1992. Upon seeing the less than water ready boat, Mr. Stidham reports his wife exclaimed — implying what he had gotten into with the purchase of the boat — “You should call it Mischief .”
Mischief was reintroduced to the water on September 10, 1994. It was originally powered by a 130 hp Chris-Craft motor, but now is powered by its second motor, a 1956 Chris-Craft MBL 158 HP motor. Among the improvements made by the Hinton’s were the “new” motor, a middle bench patterned off the 22’ Chris Craft Sedan model, and returning the floor and dash to original.
Home port now for Mischief is on Table Rock Lake, Missouri.
Beautiful Noise
1950 Chris Craft 22′ “Beautiful Noise” owned by Dave & Virginia Hess
1950 Chris Craft 22′ “Beautiful Noise” owned by Dave & Virginia Hess
Hull Number: U-22-1477
Model: 22ft Sportsman. 1950
Engine: Chriscraft ‘M’ 6 cyl. Hercules block 125 HP
Owner: Dave Hess
Purchased from Colin Jensen of Souix City, IA in 2003 Original dealer was at Minnetonka Lake in Waputa, MN Original owner were Bud & Opal Phillips who bought it from dealer above and made Lake Okoboji, IA it’s first home.
Original boat name was OPAL after the first owner’s wife’s name.
I did a complete restoration in winter of 2012-2013 and renamed her BEAUTIFUL NOISE after the popular Neil Diamond song.
Current home: Capitol Beach Lake, Lincoln, NE.
Diana
1951 Chris Craft Riviera 20′ “Diana” owned by Stuart Perry. Homeport is Lake Hamilton, Arkansas.
Prosperity
1951 Chris Craft Special Runabout “Prosperity” owned by John Ables of McKinney, Texas.
WayCool
“WayCool” is a 1951 Chris Craft 17′ Special Runabout owned by Nelson & Karen North of Drasco, Arkansas.
Maid in America
1952 Century Sea Maid owned by Karl Dietz of Ft. Worth, Texas.
I found her on an online dealer website and after several questions, emails, and survey, I made an offer and a deal was made. I drove to Traverse City to meet the owner and to drag her back to Fort Worth, Texas. She was in excellent shape and the long trip home was uneventful.
When I got home, I was talking to a good friend in our local wood boat club and mentioned that I just bought a nice 1952 Sea Maid 18’. He asked if I had any pictures and I sent him several. He particularly asked about a picture of the dash. I sent him one and he immediately called back and said, “I can tell by the instrument cluster that I used to own that boat”! We compared hull numbers and he was correct! What are the chances?
He went on to give me the history of the boat since his ownership. My friend purchased the boat from a man in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2007 as a partially disassembled gray boat. He did a few stringer replacements, etc., but the project soon lost momentum and the boat sat for several years. He ended up selling her to a friend that was an experienced wood boat restorer in Austin, Texas. In 2016, he completed a complete restoration of the boat, including a no soak bottom, new A&A interior, and a rebuild of the Chrysler Crown M47S engine.
He sold the boat to a man who lived on Lake George, New York, so she left Texas and she was shipped to the Northeast.
The new owner loved the boat but after a year she proved to be too small for that large lake and he sold her to a man in Traverse City, Michigan who wanted it as a gift to his son. She was then shipped to the Mid-West. As it turned out, the son changed jobs and left the area and his plans didn’t include taking the boat. His Dad owned at least 5 other wood boats and decided to sell her.
That’s when I came into the picture. When I bought her and brought her back to Texas, her “Great Loop” travels included Indiana, Texas, Texas, New York, Michigan, and finally back to Texas where she was rebuilt.
“MAID in AMERICA” will remain on Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas for many more years!
Both boats are on lifts in covered boathouses at the Fort Worth Boat Club. They both run great and I take them out weekly all year long.
Somewhere With You
1953 Chris Craft 19’ Holiday
Hercules 129hp
Owned by Randy & Heather Garver
Rescue Thom
1953 Thompson Super Deluxe 16′ “Rescue Thom” owned by Russell West
Name: Rescue Thom (The boat was used for a period as a search and rescue boat on the Great Miami River in Ohio as late as the mid-1960’s, hence the name). It was bought by John & Carolynn Thompson from a couple who used it on Burntside Lake in far northern Minnesota. In 2018, Rescue Thom was sold to Russel West.
Homeport: Springfield, MO
1964 Penn Yan
1964 14′ Penn Yan Captivator
Mercury 50hp
owned by Todd Weitekamp
It was in really good structural shape so minimal work had to be done. I had to fix a spot on the transom but nothing too major. This boat has been in our family for 50+ years and we really enjoy taking it out and reliving glory days. All of us kids learned to ski behind this boat and will still pull a slalom skier out!
Originally it was powered by a 35HP Mercury but in 1972 it was repowered by a 50HP electric start. This was a cosmetic restoration only. Stripped to bare mahogany and refinished. This was a deluxe model back in the day. Very fortunate to now own this family heirloom and use it regularly. 
Kathleen aka Sans Susea
1954 Chris Craft Special Sportsman 20′ with hardtop once owned by Don & Kathy Parker
She underwent a complete restoration in early 2000 and had been in the water only 3 times after her multi-year restoration which included a West System bottom, engine overhaul, new upholstery, and refinish. All wood is original.
Since that acquisition, converted her 130 hp M engine to 12 volts, added new floor covering, new aluminum fuel tank, new prop and strut and an additional gauge panel that includes fuel gauge, switches for front and rear bilge pumps, fume detector, 12 volt outlet, and she now sits on a new trailer.
The Kochs had the people at Hacker Boat Company, in Lake George, NY, do additional work, which included replacing the two damaged planks. Along with that, the sides, decks, top and transom were completely stripped and refinished as well. She was renamed “Sans Susea”.
Now, this gorgeous boat is seen on the Finger Lakes during the summer in central New York.