Member Boats: 1961-1965

1961 Owens Sea Skiff 26′ “Pu Haps” owned by John & Marilyn Davenport

1961 Owens Sea Skiff 26′ Flagship 175

Owners: George and Stacy Reaves
Jenks, OK
1961 Crestliner Explorer
Name: Bassie
Purchased in 1971 by George’s dad this boat has been on the Potomaic River, the Tennessee River, the Mississippi River as well as other destinations through out the south east. She spent the majority of the 1980s cruising Pickwick Lake in Tennessee. In 1995 she was parked in a barn until she was pulled out for restoration in 2013. Currently she is being completed gutted with all of the structural wood being replaced as well as several fiberglass issues slated to be repaired.

Forget Me Knot was manufactured by Lyman Boatworks in Sandusky, Ohio.  She has known home ports in Sandusky and Port Clinton, Ohio, Young Harris, Georgia, and since 2018 in Shell Knob, Missouri.  In 2010, Forget Me Knot had her keel, stem and partial ribs replaced.  The Rambler Fireball V-8 was rebuilt in 2011. 

The boat is really more of a restomod than a true, original classic.   Zanetta (Everyone just calls her “Z”, by the way,) and I acquired the boat permanently in 2009 and being our only boat, take it out often. Being just 2 years older than the boat, I basically grew up with The Splinter.  I have many, many fond memories of this boat, from water skiing with high school and college friends, to Z and I having our first date on it some 39 years ago.

Neil and Zanetta Hoehle
Solon, Iowa

Owned by Chick and Karon Wheat, Jay, OK

Wheaties  (the Sabre) was found advertised in the Kansas City newspaper about 1986 – 87.  Some guy’s wife was trying to sell it for her husband’s bail money.  The boat was originally sold in 1962 by Link’s Landing (one of the largest Century dealers in the country at that time) located on Lake of the Ozarks.  It had sat in a pole barn where the horses could get in and crib on the gunnels.

Usually one of the last pieces of wood to rot in a wood boat are the engine stringers; however I had to replace the port side and the back half of the starboard side.  The original Gray Marine engine was an American Motors 327 (238 H.P.) and a good engine.  Working under the idea that bigger is always better, I found a Gray Marine Buick (280 H.P.) and squeezed it in.

Not much passenger room, but fast and fun. The name Wheaties suits it well.  Our granddaughter was the first to ski behind her.  The boat was finished for the 2007 Grand Lake Boat Show and has been a great little boat for us.

I found it on Craigslist. When I went out to look at it, it looked pretty good for the age I noticed the transom had dry rot – the weight of the engine had it sagging. The old fisherman’s wife said it sat in the barn for 20 years because her husband went into a nursing home for dementia. He passed away so she was looking to sell the boat to someone who would give it a second life.

I felt for her. Their son told me when he was young he went on many fishing trips on it. This is my first boat, the first thing I  did was rebuild the transom I removed all the rotten wood and replaced it with all fiberglass.  Then I looked around for a shop that would work on it. I found one in East Alton, Illinois. I will not mention the name because of the debacle. The original owner of the shop sold the shop to his upholstery detailer. During this transition, he lost the building but told none of his clients. For 1 1/2 years, the boat was gone. I did some detective work and found his girlfriend’s number who so happen to be the manager of the original shop. I got a hold of them, he had no choice but to get the boat back to me. Of course, the replacement motor I bought from him was rubbish so he gave me another motor.

I had the motor checked out and the mechanic said it was in really good shape for its age. Well, I have been stranded on the water on two occasions.

Bottom line, the boat was built the year I  was born in the state my family originated from, that’s a whole other story.  I’m determined to get her back on the water. My son’s name is Jason so my daughter chose the name Argo III. The saga continues. 

Lucky Debonair  was first delivered at Link’s Landing on The Lake of the Ozarks.  Link’s Landing was the largest Century dealer in the country.  The boat was obtained by the owner as a gift to his daughter.  The boat didn’t turn out to be what she had hoped, so my grandfather purchased the boat from the Landing later that year, and it has been in his and my possession ever since.

Lucky is made of African mahogany with a fiberglass cap and a gull wing top.  We used the boat for many years on local lakes and rivers until it was in disrepair beyond our means.  Lucky was stored in various barns, railway bays, and warehouses until 2010 when it made the voyage to Macatawa Bay Boat Works in Douglas, MI where it underwent a 3 year preservation process.

Originally the boat had a 352 Ford Interceptor, which unfortunately was in disrepair.  We made the painful decision to put modern power in the boat.  In its first summer we put 60 hours on the boat, so a cracked block was not an option.

We love to use this boat every chance we get.  Lucky Debonair was the thoroughbred that won the Kentucky Derby in 1965.  The Sabre was part of Century’s thoroughbred fleet.  This particular hull number was the first off the line for 1965, and this thoroughbred was the first to cross the finish line, so although it’s not a female name, we couldn’t resist.

Lucky spends his time running around on inland lakes, mostly in Missouri, Illinois and Michigan.  On a nice calm day, we even venture onto the “big Lake”.  Last October we enjoyed a long late weekend on this great host lake, Table Rock!  We have a 2 week trip to northern Michigan planned late this summer, with most weekends in between spent on Lake Springfield, IL.