Wooden boats and cars lure hundreds of visitors

By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY

Senior Writer

The annual Antique and Classic Boat and Woodie Car Show, sponsored by the Rim of the World Historical Society, lured hundreds of car and boat enthusiasts to Lake Arrowhead Village on Saturday, June 8 to witness an impressive collection of historic vehicles and to mingle with like-minded individuals in a well laid out and scenic setting, overlooking Lake Arrowhead.

The boats were moored in the docks in front of McDonald’s, where over 500 visitors went out onto the Arrowhead Lake Association docks to get a closer look and admire their gleaming beauty, floating in the water in the bright sunshine.

Awards for the Woodie and Antique Boat awards were presented to the recipients on Saturday evening at the Burnt Mill Beach Club on the south shore of Lake Arrowhead. Capturing Best of Show honors, as well as Best Chris-Craft, Best Restoration and Farthest Traveled in the Antique Boat category was “Whisperwood,” a 34-year-old Chris-Craft that Richard Allen from Rancho Santa Fe bought 15 years ago from its original owner, Chris Smith. When asked why he named it Whisperwood, Allen told the Alpine Mountaineer, “I wanted something with wood in its name.”

Noting that he had won Best of Show three times in 15 years with three different boats, Allen, who grew up in a family back in the 50s and 60s that always had boats and that liked to waterski, said he had his friend Richard Theye completely refinish the boat, which included adding 20 coats of varnish on the exterior parts. Allen added that only 18 of these boats were made and that Smith, the original owner, is the grandson of the inventor and founder of the Chris-Craft line of watercraft.

Chuck and Kathy Michael captured Best of Show and Ladies Choice honors for “Kath,” their 1955. 21-foot Chris-Craft Cobra. Chuck said the Cobra was built in 1955 as a special showboat for Chris-Craft, with a limited production of 500 boats. Kath’s original owner was Charlie Mapes, owner of the Mapes Resort and Casino in Reno. Noting that he bought the boat from the Mapes family, Chuck said, “There’s more varnish on Kath than a Baldwin piano.”

Chuck and Kathy also won first place at last year’s Lake Tahoe Concourse, again with Kath, which, according to Chuck, is a rare boat. “It’s believed that only 11 have survived, worldwide. It’s like driving an Indy car, fast and lots of noise!”

Another Best of Show award was presented to Jen and Bob Randall of Costa Mesa for their 1938 British racing green Ford Deluxe. The Randalls also took home the Jerry and Carol Helt trophy.

“Tiger Lily,” another Chris-Craft, was making its perennial appearance at this year’s Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Show. Owner Donna Pock from Clairmont said Tiger Lily had, at one time, belonged to Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, who once had a home in Lake Arrowhead. Tiger Lily stands out due to its unique style, which includes tailfins akin to a 50s or 60s Chevrolet or Pontiac. Pock said she doesn’t use the boat on a regular basis, but only floats it to the boat show each year.

In the Best 1959 and Newer category, “Risqué,” a 22-foot, 1967 Century, owned by Norma and Mark Caine,  garnered a first-place trophy.

“Ezduzit”, a 19-foot, 1954 Racing Runabout, owned by Maggi, won the Best Postwar Double Cockpit award.

The Best Prewar Double Cockpit trophy went to “Cracker Jack,” A 19-foot, 1941 Garwood Custom, owned by William and Dawn Davidson.

Best Triple Cockpit went to John and Toni Ginger for their 25-foot, 1937 Garwood named “Ginger.”

Best Engine trophy was “U.S. Blues,” a 15-foot, 1953 Nunes Brothers supercharged flathead V-8 belonging to John and Michelle Martinez.

The Oldest Boat in Show trophy was awarded to Tim and Linda Vandereen for “Dutch Treat,” a 23-1/2-foot, 1932 Hacker Dolphin.

Richard Allen won yet another award; this time it was the Best Contemporary Boat trophy for his “Whisperwood,” a 1990 Chris-Craft Model 103.

The Best Century trophy was won by Chuck and Delores Tobin for their 19-foot, 1958 Century Resorter, “Ira Rose.”

This year’s featured boat and Skipper’s Choice award-winner was “Matiamou,” a 21-1/2-foot, 1967 Riva Olympic, owned by Ben and Anthy Price. Matiamou has a long history of winning awards, which includes the 2017 Payette Lake Wooden and Classic Boat Show, as well as the 2017 Lake Arrowhead show, last year’s Lake Tahoe Concours d’ Elegance and last year’s Lake Arrowhead show.

Judging the boats this year was Rob Cassell, past president of the Southern California Chapter of the Antique and Wooden Boat Society of California. These boat owners travel to shows throughout California and some western states to show off their hard work restoring these antique boats, and their pride shows. Many said that the Lake Arrowhead show is their favorite because of the beauty of the lake and the friendliness of the visitors to the shows.

CAR AWARDS

The car awards were presented mid-afternoon on Saturday as the cars sat along the shoreline of Lake Arrowhead. Garnering top honors in the Best ’39 or Older Woodie car category was a restored 1938 Ford Deluxe owned by Bill Stankard from the Northern California community of Orcutt and presented by Bob Randall from Costa Mesa. Randall said the rare model has been completely revamped with a new engine, radiator transmission, steering system and undercarriage. When asked what encouraged him to get involved with antique automobiles, his wife spoke up and said, “I did, I’ve always liked woodies and it’s a lot of fun going to these car shows and other events and meeting and getting to know like-minded car people.”

Winning the Best Lakeside Woodie award and the Parsons Family trophy was a 1969 teardrop trailer, pulled by a Morris Minor station wagon owned by Yucaipa resident Sheldon Jones, who said they were brought here from England.

Best 40s Woodie award and the McKeown Family trophy was awarded to Dave and Donna Sampson from Highland for their gray 1940 Ford Deluxe.

Best 1949-1953 Steel and Wood Body award and Tom and Valerie Long trophy was presented to Tom and Mary Dorow from Hesperia.

The Longest Drive award and Jim and Nancy Miller trophy was presented to Wayne and Mary Jane Yada from Visalia for their 1939 Ford Deluxe.

Cindy Burnett of the Rim of the World Historical Society said she was excited the show went so well and that so many locals and visitors came to the village to see it. Several historians, including Russ Keller and Duane Banner, were in the sales booth at the entrance to the boat docks and spoke about the olden days at Lake Arrowhead Village and how these wooden boats were seen at the lake in the 1940s and 50s, often being driven by movie stars and how the old village was the site of entertainment and recreation for decades.