A Beauty from Bow to Stern
06/07/18 15:41
It's hard to say why Uncle Wally wants to sell his Century boat a mere one season after buying it and having it transported to NY from Texas or thereabouts. It's not for a lack of sentiment because I truly believe he loves that boat more than life itself and if he had his druthers he would surely keep it forever. How much does he love that boat? Enough so that he had it photographed professionally last summer by a very talented photographer based out of Saratoga Springs, NY. It's very care and maintenance has been entrusted to none other than the famous Fish Bros who specialize in the building and restoration of classic boats in the Adirondacks.
I have but one of many prints produced and likely distributed to friends and family far and wide hanging on our bedroom wall here in New Hampshire. I'm a sucker for any photographs of Lake George not to mention one that has Uncle Wally sitting front and center albeit well offshore and not immediately recognizable in the picture itself. Come to think of it I think his back is to the camera if I'm not mistaken. Nancy was initially against having the picture up on the wall but has come to welcome the peace and serenity it proffers.
In the brief conversation that I had with him a couple of days ago Uncle Wally says he now plans to buy a bow rider for the lake and will reluctantly sell his beloved Century. He offered to have it delivered to my doorstep were I to purchase it but, alas, I am not in the market for a boat. This is speculation on my part but I'm guessing the bow rider will afford he and his family a more practical approach to boating on the lake for the remaining weeks of the 2018 summer season. That is to say, until his daughter goes off to school for her freshmen year at Skidmore College after Labor Day.
This particular Century is a beautiful wooden boat rebuilt from stern to bow in the traditions of wooden boats built back in the 50's. It is perhaps one size down in length and width from that which our father owned and the difference in size once delivered surprised even Uncle Wally. Size aside, it is not a boat which lends itself to fun in the sun if you are a teenager wanting to hang out with your friends on the lake for a day doing what teenagers do. Seating capacity is limited and climbing in and out of the boat for a swim or other can be a challenge.
It's remarkable to me that I have not only not seen the boat "in person" but I have yet to even ride in it. Just to be clear, it is not for a lack of an invitation. Getting up to the lake has not been a high priority and while we have gone to visit the family there just hasn't been an opportunity to get out on the lake with Uncle Wally. I'm sure he would love to take us out and has said as much over the many months since he took possession of the craft. I should make it a point to get up there for a ride before he sells her. Speaking of which, did he ever get around to having a name stenciled on the stern of the boat? I know we made a recommendation of sorts and I know he had a couple of ideas but where it all went I'm just not sure.
Nancy is a bit apprehensive truth be told to get into a boat where for whatever reason she may not feel safe. I suppose if you ended up in the lake for some odd reason it wouldn't be the end of the world as long as you had a flotation device of sorts to hold on to. You are clearly at the top of the food chain so no worries there. And in the summertime you are more prone to getting waterlogged after prolonged exposure to the elements than anything else.
In the midst of all the mayhem were the boat to actually capsize, assuming you were caught beneath the craft looking to take advantage of the air pocket ala Mary Joe Kopechne, there is sufficient traffic on the lake during the summer months such that someone would more than likely stop and lend a hand. That assumes they stop long enough to hear you rapping your knuckles raw against the floorboards of the boat in a bid to attract attention. Screaming would be a waste of time given the density of the boat construction and it would likely waste precious time and air that you would not otherwise wish to squander away under normal circumstances.
Nancy inquired as one would expect of a prospective passenger if the boat had a back seat (you can't tell from the picture hanging in our bedroom.) I assured her that there was ample seating for the three of us were we to join Uncle Wally and in all likelihood there is a back seat. There is also an unmistakable solidity to riding in a wooden boat that you can't replicate in a fiberglass boat. Combine that with the wonderfully throaty drone of a flat six cylinder marine inboard engine running at 3000 RPM and the world is most definitely your oyster. Nancy might be a little cramped initially but is likely to throw caution to the wind once under way. If she wishes to further assuage her fears, she can certainly feel free to partake of an adult beverage or two prior to climbing aboard.
Not wanting this lifelong dream of his to slip away completely, Uncle Wally wistfully mentioned on our phone call that were he to get another boat like the one he is now wanting to sell that it would likely be closer in size to the boat he had hoped to buy the first time around. There are downsides to buying things unseen and had Uncle Wally seen this particular boat close up and personal prior to the purchase I think it's safe to say now that he would not have made the purchase.
Size and scale was never an issue when looking far and wide for a boat just like the one he had remembered from his youth but everything was bigger back then. Isn't that always the case? He was infinitely more focused on the specific model (Century) and year (early 1950's) and if not the precise year then the next closest year to that of our father's boat would have to do. If his initial reaction to the boat upon first seeing it wasn't enough, getting behind the wheel brought home an uncomfortable truth: the boat was not big enough. Or, put differently, it was not as roomy as he expected it to be. It's all water under the bridge now. The tides are shifting in more ways than one and Uncle Wally is looking to move on. His family agrees with that sentiment. I just want him to be happy.
I have but one of many prints produced and likely distributed to friends and family far and wide hanging on our bedroom wall here in New Hampshire. I'm a sucker for any photographs of Lake George not to mention one that has Uncle Wally sitting front and center albeit well offshore and not immediately recognizable in the picture itself. Come to think of it I think his back is to the camera if I'm not mistaken. Nancy was initially against having the picture up on the wall but has come to welcome the peace and serenity it proffers.
In the brief conversation that I had with him a couple of days ago Uncle Wally says he now plans to buy a bow rider for the lake and will reluctantly sell his beloved Century. He offered to have it delivered to my doorstep were I to purchase it but, alas, I am not in the market for a boat. This is speculation on my part but I'm guessing the bow rider will afford he and his family a more practical approach to boating on the lake for the remaining weeks of the 2018 summer season. That is to say, until his daughter goes off to school for her freshmen year at Skidmore College after Labor Day.
This particular Century is a beautiful wooden boat rebuilt from stern to bow in the traditions of wooden boats built back in the 50's. It is perhaps one size down in length and width from that which our father owned and the difference in size once delivered surprised even Uncle Wally. Size aside, it is not a boat which lends itself to fun in the sun if you are a teenager wanting to hang out with your friends on the lake for a day doing what teenagers do. Seating capacity is limited and climbing in and out of the boat for a swim or other can be a challenge.
It's remarkable to me that I have not only not seen the boat "in person" but I have yet to even ride in it. Just to be clear, it is not for a lack of an invitation. Getting up to the lake has not been a high priority and while we have gone to visit the family there just hasn't been an opportunity to get out on the lake with Uncle Wally. I'm sure he would love to take us out and has said as much over the many months since he took possession of the craft. I should make it a point to get up there for a ride before he sells her. Speaking of which, did he ever get around to having a name stenciled on the stern of the boat? I know we made a recommendation of sorts and I know he had a couple of ideas but where it all went I'm just not sure.
Nancy is a bit apprehensive truth be told to get into a boat where for whatever reason she may not feel safe. I suppose if you ended up in the lake for some odd reason it wouldn't be the end of the world as long as you had a flotation device of sorts to hold on to. You are clearly at the top of the food chain so no worries there. And in the summertime you are more prone to getting waterlogged after prolonged exposure to the elements than anything else.
In the midst of all the mayhem were the boat to actually capsize, assuming you were caught beneath the craft looking to take advantage of the air pocket ala Mary Joe Kopechne, there is sufficient traffic on the lake during the summer months such that someone would more than likely stop and lend a hand. That assumes they stop long enough to hear you rapping your knuckles raw against the floorboards of the boat in a bid to attract attention. Screaming would be a waste of time given the density of the boat construction and it would likely waste precious time and air that you would not otherwise wish to squander away under normal circumstances.
Nancy inquired as one would expect of a prospective passenger if the boat had a back seat (you can't tell from the picture hanging in our bedroom.) I assured her that there was ample seating for the three of us were we to join Uncle Wally and in all likelihood there is a back seat. There is also an unmistakable solidity to riding in a wooden boat that you can't replicate in a fiberglass boat. Combine that with the wonderfully throaty drone of a flat six cylinder marine inboard engine running at 3000 RPM and the world is most definitely your oyster. Nancy might be a little cramped initially but is likely to throw caution to the wind once under way. If she wishes to further assuage her fears, she can certainly feel free to partake of an adult beverage or two prior to climbing aboard.
Not wanting this lifelong dream of his to slip away completely, Uncle Wally wistfully mentioned on our phone call that were he to get another boat like the one he is now wanting to sell that it would likely be closer in size to the boat he had hoped to buy the first time around. There are downsides to buying things unseen and had Uncle Wally seen this particular boat close up and personal prior to the purchase I think it's safe to say now that he would not have made the purchase.
Size and scale was never an issue when looking far and wide for a boat just like the one he had remembered from his youth but everything was bigger back then. Isn't that always the case? He was infinitely more focused on the specific model (Century) and year (early 1950's) and if not the precise year then the next closest year to that of our father's boat would have to do. If his initial reaction to the boat upon first seeing it wasn't enough, getting behind the wheel brought home an uncomfortable truth: the boat was not big enough. Or, put differently, it was not as roomy as he expected it to be. It's all water under the bridge now. The tides are shifting in more ways than one and Uncle Wally is looking to move on. His family agrees with that sentiment. I just want him to be happy.