Art & Inspiration That BOAT looks like a CAR

In the mid to late '50s there was a rash of boats that took on the looks of some American cars. I came across this one sitting on a side street in Missouri and I thought someone took fiberglass molds from a '57 Mercury. It was for sale for $125 but the trailer was NOT ready to go and I was 800 miles from home so it stayed there.

Some of you must have some of these boats that look like cars.

LET's SEE 'EM.

 

I've seen a few towed behind classics in shows. They are really cool. For $125 it's a real shame you could not have grabbed it.

 

Now this is a boat

 

There's a Ski boat on wheels that has driven up here from Texas a couple of times for the Yellowstone rod run. I passed him on the highway so I know he actually drove it, not trailered. Wish I had pics.

 

I've got an old speedboat hull I'll sell cheap if you really want one.

 

There is this guy that pilots around San Diego bay...
http://www.public-domain-image.com/vehicles/ship-boat/slides/boats-woody-woodies.html

 

That needs a Fonzi....

 

Here's a cool one I ran into on the net awhile back...I thought it was so cool I saved a pic to my computer.

 

Here's another pic of it. The advertisement said it is a 1956 Clippercraft. Looks like the batmobile to me

 

Their Fez's must'a blown off?

THe Mercury boat is cool!
I wonder if the Mercury car tail lights would actually fit on it?

When they were new, I usta like the hell out of some of them but thought some were just cartoon boats.

As a kid growing up in the '50's I looked at these early GRP boats thinking the makers were searching for shapes that didn't look like they just pulled a mold off a wood boat and made it in glass.
I used to pedal down to the Long Beach Marine Stadium and watch the races and water skiers and see these boats, and being a futurist from an early age, I couldn't understand why some companies were making glass boats still with wood lapstrake looking hulls.
All those bends weren't easy to make in glass cloth anyway and just looked "old" to me.
Remember, there was no nostalgia for "The '50's" IN the '50's!
The tradition of the '50's was to strive towards the new future as fast as possible.
I remember my only regret when seeing these car design boats was when they didn't get it right... when the boat didn't come close enough to the car they were copying and ended up looking like a Walter Lantz interpretation of one in a cartoon.

I was just thinking about where this road vehicle design idea has gone with small water craft today.
Instead of car-looking boats it's motorcycle inspired designs, starting with the Jet ski's that look and helm like Ninja or CBR bikes with a hull under them that have grown into full size multi passenger runabouts that still look like REALLY BIG jet ski's that still have that race bike inspired style to the deck shapes.

It's fun lately to see those '50's boats them coming out of the garages and on the water around here lately.
I see them putting around the Los Alamitos Bay every once in a while.

That Black one looks Virgil Exner inspired!

 

http://www.fiberglassics.com/galleries/bitb/default.htm

Here's a few... you may recognize where the tail lights came from on one of them.

 

The boat with the Merc look is a Hydrodyne, I have a friend that has 2 of them. That's an outboard model, the IO has a really great hood scoop.

 

Anheuser-Busch Ginger Ale? Must have been during prohibition.

Loved the details on the thing, though. Anchor nerf bars, forward and rearward facing canons to clear the road of obstacles and tailgaters, the nautical cowl vents, the bell to signal other cars that you intend to to have cocktails on the after deck, ...

Did you see the way the captain is scowling? I think he might have been contemplating the possibility of bringing her about to port to fire a warning shot across the bow of the nosy paparazzi who took that photo.

In any case, though, it seems a bit weird to me that the guy brought his attorney and his accountant along on his date. I mean, geeze, what sort of shmuck does that?

 

Lots of boats in that era with tailfins and the automotive look of the future!

 

there was one for sale with 57 chevy fins for sale about a year ago around here I just didn't have the $5500 to put up for it

 

You're right. They also came out with Bevo, a soda like drink to keep afloat back then.

Ever in St.Louis, ya gotta tour the brewery

 

Try Fiberglassics.com...tons of cool stuff in there...

 

I'm intrigued by boats as well.. picked this one up this past spring... awaiting a transom replacement to be seaworthy... But at least it's dry in the garage!

just an old Lake N Sea (later bought by Chris Craft)

 

Some photos from the dusty corners of my computer...

 

This picture was taken in Washington DC the year was 1924. the names of the people in the picture are "Helen G. Sweeney, Adolph Busch, Joseph Gallegher, Henry Glyn." Helen, who as Miss Washington represented the District of Columbia in the 1924 Miss America pageant, was also Miss Treasury Department that year. She's shown here in front of the Treasury building in a nautical-themed car bearing the insignias of Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser, promoting the company's beverages during the Prohibition years.

 

Your boat illustrates the fact that those who create for the sake of creating do much better work than those who create for money. Nice job.

Now you just have to give it the RAT ROD LOOK....

 

Here's one I saw at a show last year...

 

oops.....maybe I read this thread wrong........

 

Careful.....The "r" word isn't taken kindly to around here. People get blasted for that sort of thing.

 

My 60 Glasspar G3, built in 59. Has fins on it but not as extreme as some others. The coolest part of these boats is they were built in Olympia about 20 minutes from my house until the factory there burnt down. This one has been in my family for about 30 years now.

 

My dad had one of those Herters Chrome Fiberglass Duofoil Flying Fish boats when I was a kid, those things were built like tanks.

 

My dad had this one for a bit, Chris Craft Silver Arrow:

 

you should have smacked him for putting Suzuki on it!!!!!!!

 

old boats are so cool. keep the pics coming!

 

<object width="425" height="344">About as woody as you can get


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q8LdCyUtqcI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></object>