In addition to their emotional appeal, these little beauties-boats such as the Back Cove 29, Chris-Craft Speedster Heritage, Dyer 29, Hinckley T29R, Legacy 28, San Juan 30 and Surfhunter 29-win our hearts with their quality, versatility and lasting good looks.Īlthough the genetic pool varies greatly, these nifty small boats remain true to their original DNA. All of us love the styling of these boats, their complicity in our theft of a joyful hour or two after the workday, their quick and sure handling, their speed, the youthful image they create in our middle age and the confirmation that we have good taste. The reasons for our enthusiasm are not the least bit mysterious. Modern renditions have the same effect on me-and on a large number of other nautically obsessed individuals, if the current crop of handsome weekend boats is any indication. I don’t own a runabout of any sort, never mind a classic woody (though I’ve driven a few) but every one I see still raises goose bumps. That night, I dreamed of motoring along the river, my right arm resting akimbo on the monogrammed chrome boarding step screwed to the side deck. I can still remember a day about 50 years ago when I first watched a slick mahogany Chris-Craft rumble past our beach on the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, Penn. Although I gave up hot rods for sports cars, wooden runabouts continue to haunt me. I was hooked.įantasies often change with the times. I loved the staccato beat of lightly muffled V-8 engines-the sounds that came from the hearts of these old boats and cars were promises of speed and manliness. My teenage fantasies were so thoroughly crowded with wooden runabouts and hot rods that I nearly missed out on girls.

Old wood runabout