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Restored Lady A Will Be Featured at Hessel
Since winning in Les Cheneaux, the Lady A won Best Launch in September 2007 at the Geneva Lake Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show in Wisconsin. It also won Best Interior at the 2008 Vintage Car and Boat Festival in Petoskey Saturday, June 21. The Lady A is an "owner's launch," explained owner Chuck Andrews. Originally, it would have been secured to the top deck of a yacht, swung outboard, and lowered to water level for use. The boat was used to transport its owner between an anchored yacht and shore, he said. The coupe was designed to shelter its owner from wind, rain, and spray, while the chauffeur, or operator, sat in the front cockpit forward of the engine compartment. A sailor stood in the aft cockpit to assist in landings, Mr. Andrews explained. His ownership of the elegant launch is result of lifelong interest in wooden boats. Mr. Andrews built several when he was a teenager, and several more during his early years of marriage. When he purchased a home on Orchard Lake in southeastern Michigan, his interest in wooden boats expanded, and he acquired several Chris Crafts and Century vessels. Over time, Mr. Andrews became less interested in power and speed vehicles and sought leisurely paced cruises. This is how his quest for a launch-type boat began. He found a lead in Rudder, a publication by the Antique and Classic Boat Society. Lady A was in Grand Rapids, having been transported on a trailer from Florida. No history of the boat before its transport to Michigan was available, and it was in bad repair. He found the vessel appealing because of its manageable length, peculiar seating arrangement, and unusual operating configuration. To evaluate the boat's potential, Mr. Andrews enlisted the help of a boat restoration professional, Don Danenberg of Danenberg Boat works in Manistee.Mr. Danenberg concluded that Lady A could be restored. The hull was in reasonable condition. The interior was in modest shape, despite the effects of severe deterioration. Owing to exposure, the deck had deteriorated, however, so replacing several planks would be critical. Mr. Danenberg worked on the hull, which had been constructed by Consolidated Shipbuilding as revealed by a carved logo in the shear plank. To obtain drawings of the hull and several components, Mr. Andrews traveled to Mystic Seaport Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut, where he also discovered marketing documents. Mystic Seaport holds a lot of information about Consolidated boats, Mr. Andrews said. Owing to a similar, gray boat he discovered in Annapolis, Maryland, he was able to gather joinery and hardware details, allowing him to precisely replicate the coupe and hardware. The coupe was replicated in as authentic a manner as possible, he said. The boat contained a Universal Marine Engine. The original was a Speedway engine. A Speedway was not available, so Mr. Andrews obtained a marine engine in southeastern Michigan through Mike Murley of Fair Haven. Mr. Murley supervised the restoration of the engine, a fourcylinder, 40-horsepower Gray Phantom, which had downdraft carburation. Such engines were built for a limited time in the mid 1930s. Much of the vessel's equipment is original, and using examples from the Annapolis boat and the drawings from Mystic Seaport, the rest was replicated by Mr. Danenberg and other local craftsmen. It took five years for the Lady A to be completely revamped. "It definitely was worth that wait," Mr. Andrews said. Lady A has been entered in several shows this year, and has won People's Choice or Best of Show several times. The vessel's home port alternates between Orchard Lake and Glen Lake. |
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