Classic
Boats - Wooden Boats
About Us
Mitch arriving home at Lake Minnetonka with 3 Classic
Chris Craft runabouts in tow
The first time he tried this,
he had a wood support in the back of the GMC. After going about 100 feet the
support broke, and the boat came down on top of a 1950's Chris Craft Capri,
which just sat there on its trailer thinking "I told you so."
Mrs. Mitch would have said that too, but
she wasn't there. Now he uses a nice metal cradle with adjustable pads. Amazingly,
the highway patrol has nothing to say about this, instead they just buy the
boats, well ok, one cop bought one boat a few years ago. Mitch
had used his cell phone to report a really bad driver, and they sent a patrol
to nab the guy. After awhile, the patrolman called Mitch back on his cell phone.
Mitch was plenty worried that he was in violation of something, but instead
the officer asked, "Are those boats for sale?" He ended up buying
one, joining the ACBS and getting very much involved with wood boats.
Same load, different angle
How We Got Started Selling Antique Wood Boats
It was about 1980 when Mitch bought a 16 foot Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout
from his father for $100. His dad had gotten the boat years earlier from the owner
who did not want to deal with it after it sank. Not realizing that there were
other people interested in this, he restored that first boat without the company
of other wood boat enthusiasts.
Then when the boat was almost done, we became aware of the existence of the Antique
and Classic Boat Society. What a revelation that was! Here were people who knew
where to buy all the necessary supplies, and who didn't think there was anything
crazy about restoring an old wood boat. Most people in the boat club seemed to
have more than one boat, and as Mitch began to attend club meetings he started
to get in the spirit of that mind-set. Soon, people were calling him offering
restorable woodies for sale, and he bought every one he could get his hands on.
It didn't take long before we realized that we had too many boats and Mitch started
to sell some of them, but as soon as one was down the road, another would take
its place in our driveway. Back then, we sold Chris-Craft Sportsmans in good condition
for about $2,000. We had two great customers, (Ray and Bob), who really got us
started, as they bought about 20 boats each. These guys are not related, just
cut out of the same cloth.
Our Focus Today
Today, more than ever, we want to help you find the right boat, and all the supplies,
parts and services you need to enjoy many pleasant hours of classic boating. We
never want to leave you "hanging", without the resources you need to
make your experience a pleasurable one. We can arrange for storage, transportation,
bottom paint, varnish, deck striping, carbureator clean-up, upholstery, engine
rebuilding and spot light repair among other things. And if you are a do-it-yourselfer,
we will give you as much direction as you care to receive.
Antique
Boats Home|
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For Sale |
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Boat Insurance
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Craft Marine Engines |
Mitch LaPointes
Antique & Classic Wooden Boats & Motors
3824 Sunset Drive, Spring Park, Minnesota 55384 USA
Phone: 952-471-3300