Hall's Boat - Boatworks - Boat Sales - Boating Club

Recent Work

This was a popular model for Fay and Bowen, although very few exist today. This boat remains in very nice shape, with a sound structure and no rot. All hardware is present - including the awning brackets - and in good shape. The finish has been recently renewed. The engine runs well and Chinook has won ACBS awards as recently as 2006. This hull is in near-original condition. She has been re-powered by an appropriate engine, and is ready to launch. Several bottom seams have been refastened, caulked, and payed; bottom repainted; topsides re-coated; engine repaired, cleaned and painted; new fuel tank.

Construction

Carvel planked, cypress on bent white oak frames, copper riveted. Seams caulked with cotton and payed with polyurethane marine sealant. Oak sheerstrake, covering boards, and coaming. Laid mahogany decks on oak beams. Laid cedar sole. Mahogany ceiling, and oak bulkheads and joinery.

Finish

White topsides, green bottom. Sheer strake, rubrails, deck, coaming, ceiling, bulkheads and interior joinery all varnished. Interior of hull and cockpit sole painted gray.

Upholstery

Wooden benches, varnished light color, wicker chairs

Hardware

Brass - Excellent condition

Gear

Charming and comfortable wicker chairs with cushions, stern pole with flag.

Trailer

Custom Bunk - good condition.

Open launches like Chinook were common in the early 20th century, before the advent of the runabout. These early boats took design cues from famous speedboats and military vessels of the day. With the modest horsepower available for small boats then, early powerboat designers were very sensitive to the efficiency of their hulls. Sharp bows cut through the water, and light construction eased the load on the motor. The torpedo stern was developed to allow a round-bottom boat to develop a very flat run with hard bilges. This countered the stern’s tendency to squat at speed, and prevented a power-sapping, rolling stern wave from forming. Above the waterline, the torpedo stern shape reduced windage, but more importantly kept the weight of the boat and crew off of the stern area, allowing the boat to ride at a level trim. Also, stylistically, it harkened to the fastest vessels of the day, such as Herreshoff’s famous Now Then, and Herbert J. Leighton’s Adios. Chinook’s high coaming at the stern end of the cockpit was to prevent the water that washed up that stern when backing from spilling into the boat.