Download 2011 program - ACBS-tahoe.org

BABY ZACKAROO - David and Tammi Lyon of
Carmel Valley, CA enter a 1931 Dee Wite 17' Split-cockpit
model # 500 Runabout, Hull #5151 Built by the Dwight
Lumber Co. (1929 - 1935 ) of Detroit, Mi, this rare boat was
first brought to Lake Tahoe in the early 1980's by Herb Hall
of Sierra Boat Co. At 17' in length, it is the smaller of the
split-cockpit runabout produced that year, and cost $1,185.00
complete. The Lyon family discovered this boat in a
Monterey, Ca. antique auto warehouse in the summer of
1996, and brought the boat back home to Tahoe in the fall of
that year. Although she was in remarkably
original condition, the interior had been replaced, and a
previous owner had installed a post-war Graymarine motor.
In the Winter of 2000, the boat underwent a sympathetic
restoration; all top-side wood was removed and refastened, the original interior was reconstructed using period documentation,
and the correct Stewart Warner gauges were located and restored. All existing hardware is as delivered. In 2004, the original
Graymarine 6-1-93 motor was located and restored by Sierra Boat Co. Our research has located only one other surviving
Dee Wite 17' Split-cockpit Runabout. Baby Zackaroo has been featured in Classic Boat Magazine, and has received multiple 1st
place awards at the Lake Tahoe Concours.
Mountain Lyon - Lee and Sandy Chase of Los Gatos, CA enter a 1932,
28' Sea Lyon Triple Cockpit Runabout with a Lycoming-VF 325HP V12 engine.
Sea-Lyon runabouts were built by Howard Lyon, a former Gar Wood dealer,
starting 1928, in City Island New York. The boats were built in small numbers for
the elite of the era. By 1934 Sea-Lyon ceased operations, a victim of the
depression. Mountain Lyon was found about 17 years ago in a boat warehouse near
Clayton NY. It was in a state of decay often described as a "gray hulk". The boat
was hauled back to San Jose where I was able to buy it because the original buyer
decided not to do the project. The project was a total keel up restoration done over
a period of 10 years. I went to a lot of trouble to save as much of the original wood
as possible, but much of it was either rotted or cracked and had to be replaced. The
engine in the boat is a Lycoming V12, 325HP, which was offered by Sea-Lyon as
the top of the line engine for this boat. This is very rare and one of the most
awesome of all the vintage marine engines. Mountain Lyon won overall best of
show at the South Tahoe Wooden Boat Classic in 2010. Even with that fantastic
award, I have worked on correcting the faults found by the judges and am entering
again this year, just to see what the judges think of the changes.
Swan Song - Greg (Rudy) and Jennifer Rudloff of Auburn, CA enter
a 1934, 23' Deluxe Runabout Hacker with a Ford 475 HP engine named
Swan Song. Swan Song was rescued in 1987 from a barn near Lake
George, New York where she had been stored for over 30 years. Among
the many challenges she faced was a squirrel who had made his home in
the bottom of the middle seat. Acorns where everywhere being stored for
the winter, one had even sprouted and was growing out of the keel. At
some point a tree had fallen across the back deck crushing it all the way to
the engine. What was left of the engine, which is awaiting restoration, was
on its side in the bilge. Her front seat was removed and in its place were
two bucket seats which once belonged to a car. She was moved from New
York to Washington, without the squirrel, and then restoration began.
After three years of long nights and weekends using as much information available at the time, Swan Song became the beloved
family boat you see today. Over the last nineteen years she has given more than 1,100 hours of fun, water skiing,
tubing, wake boarding, and evening dinner cruises.
14 South Tahoe Wooden Boat Classic 2011