2015 Lake Tahoe Concours d' Elegance

A U G . 7- 8 • O B E X E R ’ S B O AT C O M PA N Y, H O M E W O O D

2015

2 • Lake Tahoe Concours d‘Elegance 2015

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n behalf of all the judges, escorts, technical advisers and judging staff, I would like to personally welcome all of you to the premier classic boat show in the world at beautiful Lake

Tahoe. This year we are featuring the largest concentration of vintage

marine V-12s anywhere in the world. From a judging perspective, the exotic V-12 powered boats are the cream of the crop. However, they are extremely difficult to judge because they are all unique, not just the boats, but the engines too. The complexity of restoring these mostly large craft is unparalleled in the boating hobby. Most of these boats cost more than cruisers double their size when new, and there is a reason for that. When you view this collection of 18 vintage V-12 powered beauties, know that this is a once in a lifetime occasion to cherish. This is my sixth year as Chief Judge, and it is a distinct honor and privilege for me to lead this professional judging team, and we certainly look forward to an up close and personal look at all the exhibited boats. My judging career started in the late 1980s at Clayton, New York, and I have been involved in hundreds of vin-tage boating events around the country. One thing I have learned is that every show is dif-ferent, and every show has its own composure and make up. My show travels have even taken me to other countries, and of all the events I have participated in, the Tahoe Concours d’El-egance consistently ranks No. 1 for me… this year will be no exception.

All of our judges come from various walks of life, and we have judges from all around the US. They range in age from 35 to 90; some are pro-fessional restorers, some are amateur restorers, and some just have a passion for classic boats. Each year we try to align the judges and escorts with their area of expertise; and with so many different boats in the Marque class; we will spread the talent across the entire field of boats. We use our own 100-point system and because multiple 1st, 2nd or 3rd place awards can be won in each class, each boat is judged on its own merit and only compared to other boats when select-ing perpetual awards. Our collective goal is to reward those who have restored their boats to the authenticity and standard as they appeared when they were shipped new from the factory. The awards will be presented Friday evening. The 2015 show features 13 classes for the 60 entries, of which a list is distributed to each team so they can do their own research prior to the show. This affords the team an opportu-nity to learn as much as they can prior to the show and reduces the amount of time required on the docks. Our escorts will meet with the boat owners and set up a schedule time for each boat to be inspected. In addition, we have mechanical checks done by individuals who inspect the boats as they arrive at the docks to insure engines, gauges, lights and other acces-sories are all operational. This information is provided to the teams and is incorporated into the score sheet. In my role as Chief Judge, I emphasize the

“Hobby” and ask each judge to make this an enjoyable and fun experience. One of the big perks of being a judge is talking to the owner and learning the history of the boat. Specta-tors can only look at the boat; judges really get to know the boat and get an up front and personal look of its history. One of the things that I enjoy most is walking the docks early in the morning and admir-ing the marina full of beautiful classic boats. When the sun is starting to peak over the tall pines and the air is clear and cold, I will re-flect back over the history of these classics and think about a time when quality boat carpen-ters spent their entire life building something that has been passed on to this generation. It brings to mind that we are only the caretakers of these craft, and we have an obligation as a judge to pass our hobby and passion on to the younger generation. As you make your way around the marina and admire the mirrored finish of these beauties, enjoy the moment, have a wonderful time at the show and tell the owners how much you appreciate their passion.

Terry FiestChief Judge

Tahoe Yacht Club FoundationConcours d’Elegance

OWELCOME

Lake Tahoe Concours d‘Elegance 2015 • 3


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HISTORYn 1972 a group of Tahoe Yacht Club members and friends got together to share their passion for wooden boats. From this modest beginning, the Lake Tahoe Concours d’ Elegance has grown to play a significant

role in the wooden boat community, as well as the Lake Tahoe maritime community. Since its induction in 1994 the Tahoe Yacht Club Foun-dation has hosted the Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance focusing on the continuing growth of the show, the quality of boat exhibits, the highest of judging standards and practices, and most importantly sharing the passion of wooden boats between exhibitors and public.

Each year the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation raises money for chari-table donation which is exclusively focused in providing educational opportunities originating in the Lake

Tahoe area that enhance expertise or understanding of maritime skills.

The Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation Perpetual Trophies HistoryPerpetual Trophies. The very word - “Perpetual” - enduring and unsur-passed, the continuing of tradition. Fulfilling a dream and receiving rec-ognition which will remain an ever-lasting benchmark in boating history.

Concours dreams and achievements are validated with first, second and third-place awards “in class” and with the presentation of special Perpetual trophies going to the most meticulous-ly-restored, highest-point boats. Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation now has 17 of these special trophies made possible by the generous assistance of endow-ers, many who have competed and won their own share of precious “Con-cours silver, crystal, and mahogany” over the past 42 years of this event.

The Lake Tahoe Concours D’elegance

I


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BOAT BUOY JUST $500 A SEASON

Looking Ahead

2016 Concours Marque Class:

Calling all Racing Runabout owners!!!

N ext summer, a Lake Tahoe boat-ing icon is celebrated with the featured Marque of Chris-Craft Racing Runabouts on their

80th anniversary.

What started as a low production, specially built follow-on to the short-lived 18-foot MYCCA series boats for a European racing class; in 1936 Chris-Craft o�ered for sale a stunning low-profile, lightweight 19-foot craft, painted blue and white – a combina-tion that really caught the boating world’s eye. Only fifty were made in the initial pro-duction from 1936-1938, in every conceiv-able color combination and six di�erent six-cylinder racing engines, mostly the high power-to-weight Lycomings.

It is only because of the prewar 19-foot Racer’s incredible rarity, so few are ever seen today. It wasn’t until late in 1947 Chris-Craft production that the 19-foot Racer was reintroduced, sharing much of its design with its predecessor. It was with this postwar version that its popularity and today’s cult following of the model was fully realized. The initial run of the post-war examples was painted boats, known as Red and Whites. The Red and Whites had painted canvas-covered plywood decks with cedar planked sides and bottoms over fir frames. The only varnished mahogany

on them was the transom and flagpoles. Opinions di�er whether this was to make them extra lightweight, or that the quality wood shortage after WWII forced them to be built this way – it was probably a little of both. Only 11 Racers can claim to actually be 1947 models (R-19-001 through R-19-011), as 1948 was the first full production year, with 176 examples built that model year. The Red and White Racing Run-about continued through the first quarter of 1949 production, until Chris-Craft’s supply of Philippine mahogany returned. With hull number R-19-206 of mid-1949, the all-varnished mahogany version of the postwar Racing Runabout was born – this being the version most of us are familiar with, as it remained little changed through the end of 1954 production before being replaced by the famous Chris-Craft Cobra. In all, 297 varnished postwar Racers were produced, 503 including the Red and Whites.

Most of the postwar Racers were sold to the western US, particularly Califor-nia. Around 100 of the existing examples call California home. Lake Tahoe has always had quite a fleet of racers, they are one of the best 19-foot boats to have when the lake gets rough, perfect balance of engine placement allows them to get the bow high at low speed to tackle big water. They are also fast, of course, as all but a few came originally with 145hp MB or 158hp MBL power, making an honest 40mph boat, even at Tahoe’s elevation.

Rare, fast, great looking, and surprisingly practical… what more could you want?

By Brian RobinsonLake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance

Baby Skip, a 1953 19’ Chris Craft Racing Runabout, owned by Edward and Deborah Scott of Oakland, Calif.

H20MARK.COM

CHRIS-CRAFT

RacingRunabouts1936-1954


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CLASSICAL CONCERT SERIESJULY 31- AUGUST 16

OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF LAKE TAHOE SUMMERFEST

WEEK TWOGUEST ARTISTS: Ana vidovic, Guitar & Jeremy McCoy, Double Bass

AUGUST 7 • Fri. 7:15pm OrcheSTrA cOncerT ‘SpAniSh Fire’

ALBÉNIZ / PIAZZOLLA / ARRIAGA / RODRIGO

AUGUST 8 • SAT. 7:15pm chAmber mUSic

meet the music-meet the musicians ‘Latin embrace’ BOCCHERINI / TORROBA / TURÎNA / GRANADOS

AUGUST 9 • SUn. 4pm OrcheSTrA cOncerT ‘hOLLywOOd in TAhOe’

LUNN / HERRMANN / NINO ROTA / COPLAND / DOYLE

WEEK THREEGUEST ARTISTS: Nathan Hughes, Oboe & Paul Watkins, Cello

AUGUST 14 • Fri. 7:15pm OrcheSTrA cOncerT ‘herO’S pASSAGe’

paul watkins Guest Conductor WAGNER / STRAUSS / HAYDN

AUGUST 15 • SAT. 7:15pm chAmber mUSic

meet the music-meet the musicians ‘white nights, Golden moons’ RIMSKY-KORSAKOV / TCHAIKOVSKY

AUGUST 16 • SUn. 4pm OrcheSTrA cOncerT ‘The dAnUbe-bALTic expreSS’

MOZART / TCHAIKOVSKY / BEETHOVEN

Gourmet Food & drinks complimentary dessert buffet • Free parking

Internationally-renowned MusiciansJoel revzen Artistic Director/Conductor


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Alpenhaus SOLD $8,199,0003266 Edgewood Drive, Tahoe City

Painted Rock SOLD $4,800,0005048 River Road, Squaw Valley

Fleur du Lac SOLD $4,995,0004000 West Lake Boulevard, Tahoe City

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Celebrating the 43rdAnnual Lake Tahoe

Concours d’ Elegance Chase & Thunderbird: Partners in Preservation

AVAILABLE FOR SALE


The right connection makes all the difference.

/ChaseInternational @ChaseRealEstate

Tahoe City 530 581 0722 531 North Lake Boulevard

Squaw Valley 530 583 4400 1985 Squaw Valley Road, Suite 23

Truckee 530 550 2464 10344 Donner Pass Road, #B

Alpenhaus SOLD $8,199,0003266 Edgewood Drive, Tahoe City

Painted Rock SOLD $4,800,0005048 River Road, Squaw Valley

Fleur du Lac SOLD $4,995,0004000 West Lake Boulevard, Tahoe City

West Lake SOLD $5,750,0001380 West Lake Boulevard, Tahoe City

Fleur du Lac PENDING 2 UNITS $3,150,000 & $2,995,0004000 West Lake Boulevard, Tahoe City

®

North Shore • $1,695,0006575 North Lake Boulevard

Northstar • $3,650,0002208 Silver Fox Court

North Shore • $3,500,0008634 Brockway Vista Avenue

Squaw Valley • $3,495,0003058 Mountain Links Road

Martis Valley • $2,550,0009010 Versant Court

Tahoe City • $2,375,0001865 Tahoe Park Heights Drive

Your #1 regional leader.REAL Trends, a communications and consulting company considered to be the leading source of analysis and information on theresidential brokerage and housing industry, has reported that Chase International outpaced its competition in closed sales volume in the Reno/Tahoe market for 2012, 2013 and 2014 by a margin far greater than their closest competitor.

Celebrating the 43rdAnnual Lake Tahoe

Concours d’ Elegance Chase & Thunderbird: Partners in Preservation

AVAILABLE FOR SALE

THE LAKE TAHOECONCOURSD’ELEGANCEThis year’s 43rd annual Concours will again be staged at the historic Obexer’s Boat Company in Homewood, Calif., on Lake Tahoe’s beautiful West Shore with the two-day show open to the public on Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8.

PARKINGThere are more than 1,300 parking spots available throughout the Homewood community, which is within ¼ mile of Obexer’s Boat Company. The primary parking area will be located along Tahoe Ski Bowl Way, which leads to the Homewood Ski Resort’s south parking lots. These parking lots are an approximately 3-4 minute walk to the front gates of the Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance. There will be a free step-on/step-off shuttle service, which will continuously loop the Homewood community.

SHUTTLEPublic transportation will be available from the Transit Center in Tahoe City to Homewood for $1.75 each way. You may also purchase a 24-hr. pass for $3.50.

Departs Tahoe City: 9:27am - 10:27am - 11:27am - 12:27pm - 1:27pm - 2:27pm - 3:27pm - 4:27pm - 5:27pm

Departs Homewood: 10:14am - 11:14am - 12:14pm - 1:14pm - 2:14pm - 3:14pm - 4:14pm - 5:14pm

WHEN& WHERE

Show LocationHomewood, Lake Tahoe, CaliforniaObexer’s Boat Company

TimesFriday, August 7Show: 10 a.m .- 4:30 p.m.Awards Ceremony: 6 p.m.

Saturday, August 8Show: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Roar-O�4 p.m.



KAT I E TYLER | 530 .277 .1012 | K T LAKETAHOE .COM

BRE# 01442453

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V-12 Enginenoun \v?- ‘twelv ‘en-jan\

An internal combustion engine whose cylinders, 12 in quantity, are arranged in two banks forming an acute or right angle.

“Your boat has a V-12? Wow, I bet it really goes fast!” It is as simple as that. Faster, faster was the dream and eventually the reality. Thanks to men such as Garfield Arthur Wood, Christopher Columbus Smith, Col. Jesse Vincent, Elbert Hall and many others, our boats have increased in speed over the decades. But what drove them to find this speed you ask? Racing, of course!

Here is how the V-12 engines found their way into our boats.

T he internal combustion engine started out pretty slowly in the 1880s and with lots of flaws. The potential usages were seen by many as a new form of motive power, re-

placing human exertion. This was especially true for fishing boats. Small two-stroke, single and two cylin-der engines were being manufactured by a few fledg-ling companies knowing they were going to strike it rich with this new technology. Operation of these ear-ly engines was difficult. Getting them to run smoothly on the crude fuels available of the day was always a challenge. And reverse was NOT going to happen in a hurry! Like the automotive industry, improvements came fast from a large number of new companies, all vying to be the best. Early improvements to these new marine engines made a huge difference and the race was on! New models were being introduced at a great pace. Engine models for fishing, work, pleasure and even racing were being sold.

The first known V-12 was actually designed as a marine racing engine. Although, its first usage was for a Russian airship, it was designed as a marine engine and is believed to have ended up in a yacht in Hong Kong. The 1,120 cubic inch engine was built in 1904 by the Putney Motor Works and was known as the Craig-Dorwald engine. It was a 90 degree (angle between left and right cylinder banks), 150 Horse Power design on an aluminum crankcase with paired cast iron cylinders. Not until 1909 did another manu-facturer build a V-12 engine for the boat racing world but competed poorly. These early engines were not from production runs but “one-off” builds.

The quest for speed in racing and the coveted Gold Cup and Harmsworth Trophies were part of the drive for race boat builders to look for larger power plants for their boats. The Gold Cup race started in 1904 and year after year the elite on the east coast had boats built and searched for engines to go faster

By Lew Dobbins | Marine Engine Historian and Restoration.

than the competition. Chris Smith had been building race boats for several customers, and his partner, in the early teens. But the tides for Chris-Craft would change forever when in mid-1914 Chris Smith designed and built the Miss Detroit I. She was a hydroplane inspired from discussions at the January 1914 New York Boat Show. Everyone was still talking about displacement hulls and how to reduce friction and drag. Smith stated that “he only needed water to keep the engine cool”, thus his new design of a hydroplane hull. This type of boat bottom design utilizes a step or steps to reduce the wetted surface when on the plane. Thus the amount of boat bottom in contact with the water is less than with a conventional displacement hull. The boat, powered by a 250 H.P. Sterling Race Model R inline 8 cylinder engine, won the 1915 Gold Cup and took the race away from Manhasset Bay, NY. This 1915 win brought the Gold Cup Race to Detroit for first time in 1916.

Miss Detroit I had been put through a lot in her short career and was to be retired prior to the 1917 season. Unknown in the boating world at that time, Garfield A. Wood stepped up, bid on and purchased the boat for $1,800. This was the amount still owed to Chris Smith by the owners, the Miss Detroit Power Boat Association. From this point back in 1916, Gar Wood negotiated for the controlling share ownership of the C.C. Smith Boat and Engine Company. This leverage proved prudent as his racing projects would generally take priority over daily production, but more impor-tantly, any race competitors of Gar Wood wanting a new race boat. He and Smith then started construc-tion of the Miss Detroit II with the same 250 H.P. Sterling engine. Gar won the 1917 Gold Cup held that year in Minneapolis, and thus started a very famous racing dynasty. In order for Gar to continue winning, like others, he needed more power!

with the V12Faster, faster

{


Prior to the U.S. entry into WWI, the British govern-ment had contracted with Glenn Curtiss for a new V-12 aircraft engine. When the test engines were re-fused by England, Wood was able to acquire one of the very few prototypes of the Curtiss model V-4 twelve cylinder engine. Shaving as much as 70 pounds weight from the engine and making modifications to increase the top RPM to 2,000 and horse power to 400, it was installed in the latest Smith built racing hull for Gar, the Miss Detroit III. The new boat and engine would win the Gold Cup for Wood in 1918 and the same en-gine in the Miss Detroit IV would repeat in 1919. After these four consecutive Gold Cup wins, Gar set his sights on the UK and the Harmsworth. Bigger boats with more power were needed and the winning V-12 was removed and put away. It is thought that this Cur-tiss-Smith V-12 version and one other non-marinized or stock aircraft engine are the only survivors of its model in the world and that it was the first successful marinization of an Aircraft engine. This feat would be repeated countless times for a century to follow.

The war in Europe had placed a temporary halt to the Harmsworth Trophy after the 1913 racing sea-son. When racing resumed in 1920, competitors saw the first V-12 engine used in the Harmsworth. Gar brought the trophy home to the U.S. that year from England with the Smith built Miss America I,

a Liberty powered single engine boat. His experience with the Miss Detroit III and her Curtiss V-12 in the Gold Cup races proved the need for bigger engines. And the Liberty would pave the way to more race wins and the first production V-12 engine in our pleasure boats. But where did the liberty come from?

The most famous of the engines used by the Allied Army Air Corp was the Liberty V-12. Entering into WWI, the U.S. was rated 14th in global aircraft tech-nology. Responding to the Joint Army-Navy Technical Board call, meetings were held in May of 1917 in the Lafayette Hotel in Washington D.C. with a group of military and auto company representatives. The prin-ciples would be Elbert J. Hall, Vice President & Chief Engineer of Hall-Scott and Col. Jesse G. Vincent, Vice President of Engineering at Packard. The outcome was to take design attributes from the Packard model 1A-905 and the Hall-Scott A-5, A-7 and A-8 series aircraft engines. The Liberty was born in a hurry out of this union.

While inline 4, 6 and V-8 cylinder Liberty engines were built for test, only the V-12s were built and flown in large quantities. With a bore of 5 inches and a stroke of 7 inches the V-12 has a displacement of 1,649

V12, 18

“Gar won the 1917 Gold Cup held that year in Minneapolis, and thus started a very famous

racing dynasty. In order for Gar to continue winning, like others, he needed more power!”


THE ART OF BOATS - TAHOE WOODIES

a captivating, modern giclee and metal print collection of

Tahoe’s Classic Wooden Boats created by Rob Retting.

An acclaimed professional photographer, Rob has

produced this series, which is on exhibit at select locations in the

Lake Tahoe area.

rettingphotography.com | [email protected] | 775.233.6820

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btGatekeeper’s Museum

V12From page 17

cubic inches (27 Liters for the metric crowd). With its twelve one-piece cylinder barrel/head assemblies and overhead cam architecture mounted on a lightweight aluminum crank case, the full throttle aircraft horse power rating created was 421 at 1,700 RPM. This was significantly higher than engines of the day. The wartime demand for engines was so great that Buick, Nordyke & Marmon, Ford and Lincoln also built these engines under contract and to the same specifications set forth by Hall-Scott and Packard to insure adequate supply and interchangeability. Of the 20,842 WWI Liberty V-12 en-gines built, more than half were on the surplus market after the war, for much less than original cost. These 400 plus H.P. engines found their way into boats for racing and pleasure.

With the demand for more speed by racers, sportsmen and rumrunners alike, several boat companies and specialty machine shops started to offer these surplus aircraft engines, converted for marine use. Water cooled exhaust manifolds, marine transmissions with reverse and electric starters were applied to the engines to make them reliable daily drivers. As early as 1920, Chris Smith was using the “Grant-Liberty Aero-Marine Conversion”. These were used in the early Gar Wood boats that were actually built by Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company (soon to become Chris-Craft). Auto Engine Works (AEW) of St. Paul, Minnesota, marinized many of the Liberty engines under the name “The Capitol Liberty 12” and Model “LA-12”. The “Liberty 12” is the first Capitol conversion of the V-12 engine with an earlier AEW model K transmission and can be seen in Henry Ford’s Hacker Craft EVANGELINE. The later “LA-12” version came with a larger reverse gear and some additional improvements that can be seen in MISS CATALINA 5. Capitol Gear, as they were most commonly known by, was one of the most popular conversion companies. They offered many different surplus, marinized, water-cooled, aircraft engines including the OX- 5, OXX-6, D-12 and Conqueror from Curtiss. Hispano- Suiza 150, 220 and 330 H.P. V-8s and a larger V-12 were converted by Capitol and made great light weight racing engines. One of the larger Capitol conversions was the large Wright (Capi-tol T-12) Tornado V-12 (also known as the Wright Typhoon) of 1,947 cubic inches producing as much as 720 H.P. One of these engines can be seen in Teaser, a 1924 Nevins built 40’ race boat, currently a part of the Tahoe Maritime Museum Collection.

Gar Wood went on to start the Gar Wood Boat Company in 1921. These boats were the finest a gentleman of means could buy. While he still had controlling interest in Chris Smith’s business, records show that he had the first 24 Baby Gar hulls built at the Smith plant in Algonac, Michigan and shipped to his Gar Wood factory in Pointe du Chene for outfitting. Gar’s partnership with Chris Smith ended in the mid 1920’s.

By late 1921, Gar Wood Industries was converting several dif-ferent makes of aircraft engines at their Detroit Marine- Aero Engine plant. He was able to purchase 4,500 new sur-plus Liberty engines for a fraction of their original cost from several manufacturers. Part of the purpose of this division was to supply engines for the new Gar Wood Boat Company. And part was to support Garfield Wood’s own racing habit. “Gar Wood Liberty” engines were offered in two different forms. The stock conversion (425 or 450

H.P. at 1,850 RPM depending upon year) was the most com-monly used but in 1925 a few of the larger boats had the new TS-25 model, 500 H.P.! This engine was advertised to push Gar Wood boats to 55 MPH!

The Gar Wood engine department changed the exhaust and carburetion around on the TS series. The stock Liberty utilizes two Zenith model 52 two barrel carburetors in the valley between the cylinder banks and exhaust manifolds on the outside of each bank. One carb feeds the intake plenum

for the front six cylinders while the other carb feeds the rear six. The TS-25 (“T” for Twin-Six or 12 cylinders, “S” for Super Carburetion and the number was the year produced) has 4 carbure-tors, 2 on each cylinder bank on the outside of the cylinders and a pair of 6” diameter water-jacketed exhaust manifolds in the valley between cylinder banks. This conversion also required the swapping of cam shafts from one cylinder bank to the other as intake and exhaust valves have now traded sides. The TS series of engines were listed by Gar Wood into the early 30s but were gone by 1936. The regular 425 H.P. Gar Wood Liberty or T series was still listed in 1936 but all Gar Wood engines were no longer available by 1940. CHALLENGER with a TS-26, a beautiful 1926, 33’ Baby Gar can be found plying the blue waters of the West Shore of Lake Tahoe most summers. The boat Liberty, an original 1932 Gar Wood 28’ runabout still has her Gar Wood con-verted Liberty engine.

By the late ‘30s there were more choices for engines for Gar Wood boats with fewer Liber-ty V-12s being installed. With this, his engine division was eventually dissolved after close to 20 years of operation. Gar Wood was still in search of more speed and world records. Gar would partner with Jesse Vincent and the Pack-ard Motor Car Company for higher horse power marine engines. Along with autos, Packard had an extensive aircraft and marine engine program.

Packard built many marine engines specifically designed for racing in the ‘20s and ‘30s. With Packard-built engines, Gar Wood was the fast-est man on water and held more speed records than anyone else prior to WWII.

In the early 1930s, the surplus engines were starting to dwindle and many were becoming too out dated to be used reliably. Gar Wood was resourceful in always looking for newer engines for their production boats. The Curtiss D-12 was another of his special option, converted surplus engines for a stock boat. Capitol Gear marinized quite a few of the D-12s in the early 30s. Heather, formerly Wampum, is a beauti-ful 33’ Baby Gar residing on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe with a Capitol D-12. Blind Faith is a Tony Brown/ Western Runabouts modi-fied 25’ Chris-Craft runabout that for a time also sported a D-12. She too can be seen on the West Shore regularly, now with modern power.

The marine engine builders took advantage of the increases in technology that were driven by military need. More horse power was being created with smaller displacement engines. Stronger, lighter weight materials allowed for higher engine speed at much less weight. Between the wars, companies such as Scripps, Kermath and Lycoming developed medium weight V-12 engines for commercial and plea-sure boat use.

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Scripps from Detroit built true marine engines as well as marinized the Ford and Lincoln Zephyr flathead V-8 and V-12 auto engines. Their marine engines were built from 2 to 12 cylinders. They built engines for any appli-cation from the early days of marine motors into the late 50s. The Model 202 series of 6 cylinder flathead engines were in the 200 H.P. range (5” bore x 5.75” stroke, 677 C.I.D.) and the model 302 flathead (4.25” bore x 5.25” stroke, 894 C.I.D.) V-12s were built in large quantities for many years. Flathead engines were less expensive to build than overhead valve engines as they had fewer parts but also were shorter in height allowing for great-er under hatch clearance. Boats with these engines were common on Lake Tahoe. The 25 and 28 foot Gar Wood boats of the mid to late ‘30s boasted 40 MPH on Lake Tahoe when equipped with the V-12. Jake Obexer of Obex-er’s Boat Company ordered and sold more V-12 equipped boats than any other Gar Wood dealer. The Scripps model 302 V-12 (and it variants) were introduced in 1933 and built into the 50s and used in great numbers during WWII. While their stroke being a little smaller than some marine engines, this produces a very distinct sound. These engines can be seen and heard in many of Tahoe’s triple cockpit

runabouts including BIG BOY, a 1937 28’ Gar Wood; HAE DAE III, a 25’ 6” Gar Wood; Wild-cat, a 1931 28’ Gar Wood; ATHENA, a 1933 28’ Gar Wood.

Kermath was a large competitor with their marine engine line including some converted auto engines such as the Lincoln Zephyr V-12 engine in BILLIE BEA II. They were an early adopter of overhead cam/valve construction. While building everything from 2 to 12 cyl-inder engines, they are mostly known in the pleasure boat circles for their larger engines. The Sea-Wolf 6 cylinder (5” bore x 5.75” stroke, 677 C.I.D. 225 H.P.) and Sea-Raider V-12, introduced in 1935 (5” bore x 6” stroke, 1413.72 C.I.D. 450 H.P.) were used in large numbers by many boat builders. George Whittell Jr. commissioned the Hacker de-signed Thunderbird. When built in 1939 (de-livered to Tahoe in 1940), she was equipped with 2 Sea Raider V-12 engines. Some records claim that the Sea Raiders installed in Thun-derbird were rated at 550 H.P. each. Kermath company records for 1940 show the two, 700 pound engine producing 300 H.P. at 1,600 R.P.M. and only 450 H.P. at maximum revo-lutions of 2,200 R.P.M. Like Scripps, Ker-math was gone halfway through the fifties.

Lycoming built a series of marine engines from 4, 6 and 8 cylinders to the model UF, a 1,010 cubic inch (4.75” bore x 4.75” stroke) V-12. This 2,250 pound engine is a beautiful and reliable design utilizing only 4 main bearings. This is quite rare for a V-12 engine. Most have 7 main bearings, one supporting the crankshaft between each pair of cylinders. The model UF is also an overhead cam design with both intake and exhaust manifolds between the cylinder banks, “in the valley”, uncom-mon for many marine engines of the late 20s. One of these engines can be seen and heard each summer on Lake Tahoe in the 28’ 1932 Sea-Lyon, Mountain Lyon While only producing 325 H.P. at 2,500 R.P.M. it swings a large propeller and can move the boat along quite well. In 1932 this boat cost $7,000 while the engine was $3,750 new by its self. A few years earlier, a Gar Wood Liberty engine was over $6,000! While the model UF is certainly more interesting than the 4 and 6 cylinder engines, Lycoming built thousands more of these smaller utilitarian engines. War has continued to source technology, improvement and new toys for the surplus market. This was true of WWII when new and rebuilt Allison and Rolls-Royce V-12 aircraft engines found their way in to the post war race boats and hydroplanes. While generally not used in any production boats due to size, these engines produce between 1,000 and 3,000 H.P. depending on their preparation and created the most amazing sound for anyone to appreciate as they race. These engines definitely put the “Thunder” in the “Thunderboats”, a nickname for piston powered unlimited hy-droplanes. One Allison V-12 can be seen and heard in the 1954 Staudacher built, Hacker designed hydroplane My Sweetie John Francis. Lake Tahoe’s own Thunderbird today sports a pair of marinized Allison 1,710 cubic inch V-12 engines.

As our 80 to 95 year old converted surplus aircraft engines are becoming harder to maintain and more costly to restore, an al-ternative has been found for the boat owner wanting the “Daily Driver” while still maintaining a V-12. The Rolls Royce Merlin 1,650 cubic inch V-12 as used in the Spitfire and Mustang fighters were very successful engines in combat. The Merlin was built in over 60 different models depending upon the host requirement. Another model of the Merlin designed before the start of WWII was the Meteor. This was made from Merlin hardware but it was not supercharged and had 2 Zenith car-buretors in the “Vee” between the cylinder banks. This engine would go on to be the workhorse of the British built Cromwell and Centurion Tanks. These engines were built until 1964 while spare parts were built into the 1990s to overhaul engines in the tanks still in service during Desert Storm and into this century. The Meteor Mark IV-B version has been built in large numbers and has a rating of 650 H.P. and variants can produce between 750 to 1,500 foot pounds of torque.

As history seems to continue to repeat its self, after the Gulf War, surplus Meteors are today available at reasonable prices. Several of these engines have been marinized by various parties as replacements for some of the earlier and more fragile en-gines. A wonderful example is the Meteor V-12 that ultimately replaced an early Gar Wood Liberty in the wellknown 33’ boat Dispatch, a 1931 Baby Gar triple cockpit runabout. This boat has been on Lake Tahoe its entire life until this year. Marin-ized Meteors are also finding their way into new boats built to elegant older designs. Two such boats built and used on Lake Tahoe are the 33 foot Wild Horses T-44 and the newest, Split Second, a 34’ race boat inspired by a John Hacker design, with an amazing sounding (and looking) Meteor engine. Henry Kai-ser’s aluminum decked 1931 Gar Wood race boat HORNET II also has a fresh Meteor V-12 installation this season.

These are just a few of the exciting, more common or historical V-12 engines used in our boats. There are many more military and pleasure V-12 engines that deserve to have their story told as well. We are grateful that many fine examples survive in beautifully restored and new boats on Lake Tahoe and around the world and will be seen and appreciated for generations to come. ³ ³ ³

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“We are grateful that many fine examples survive in beautifully

restored and new boats on Lake Tahoe and around the world and will be seen and appreciated for generations to come.”


5300 W. LAKE BOULEVARD | HOMEWOOD, CA 96141 | P ( 5 30 ) 5 25 - 7962 | F ( 5 30 ) 5 25 - 0703WWW.OBEXERSBOAT.COM

On Tahoe’s West Shore

Obexer's Boat Company is Lake Tahoe's first full-service marina! Sitting proudly on the beautiful West Shore, we boast the deepest launch ramp on the lake and offer travel lift and forklift launching, slip and buoy season rentals, year-round storage, Certified Mechanics on duty, a Restoration Shop for all your wood and fiberglass repair and our Chandlery, which houses everything from parts and accessories to buoy boats and Obexer-Wear!

Obexer’s Water Sports is the place to get out and experience Lake Tahoe! With the newest equipment, best instructors and friendliest staff, we offer jet ski rentals, wakeboard and wakesurf lessons, tubing and boat charters.

The sandwich counter at Obexer’s General Store is famous for its creations! Stop by early for our breakfast burritos or bagels; for lunch try the special of the day or our famous brown sugar peppered bacon on your specialty or custom-craft deli sandwich. Before you go, be sure to cruise our aisles for artisan cheeses and superb wine and craft beer selections.

The Lodge at Obexer’s, positioned across from the lake, is the perfect place to retreat after a day of play. Come enjoy our rustic mountain lodge with its beautiful modern decor and sumptuous beds outfitted with luxurious high-quality linens. Every thought has been given to make your stay a relaxing experience.

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