Not a car, but VERY interesting! 1932 Gar-Wood triple cockpit $370,000

[George Smolinski]

Marketplace - 1932 Gar-Wood triple cockpit | Facebook

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About This Vehicle

 

 

Exterior color: Brown · Interior color: Green

Fuel type: Gasoline

 

Seller's Description

https://instagram.com/garwood1932?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr 1932 Gar Wood 28ft Runabout. To the best of our research, “Liberty” is the only remaining Gar Wood 28ft Triple Cockpit with an original Gar Wood conversion engine. Only four of the 28-55 runabouts were built in that year, according to records compiled by Tony Mollica. Gar Wood purchased and marinized the World War I engines as a way to provide lightweight 400 hp engines, first in the Baby Gar 33ft boats and later in a small amount of 28 footers. The Scripps V-12 engines would not be available for a few years later, so in 1932 if you wanted performance, the Liberty V-12 was the option of choice. . Sierra acquired this boat as a complete derelict, sometime in the 70’s. Much of the boat’s hardware was missing but the engine was still there. Restoration was started in the early 80’s and at the time it was one of Sierra’s most extensive restoration proj……

Reno, NV

Location is approximate

 

Seller Information

Jonathan Perez

 

 

 

 

 

(9)

[m-mman]

For those folks who have become bored with maintaining a RR Phantom III with solid wood bodywork and want something else to take up their time.  

[Dave Wells]

My family and I rode in a very similar wood boat on Lake Tahoe while on vacation in the late 1950's. The speed and sound was very impressive. The driver (pilot?) spun a 360 degree turn at one point during the ride at an angle close to 45 degrees, splashing all of us in the back seat with cold spray, then shut the engine down to idle and quietly coasted. He announced we were floating above a depth of close to 1/4 mile of water. At that point, my mother, a non swimmer, nearly fainted. That was the last boat ride she ever took in her 94 years on earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[edinmass]

We have an active member here with an identical 1931 model.

[AdamInNH]

I know less than zero about wooden boats - probably a good thing. What I do know is this one is +killer+. 

[alsancle]

As somebody who was part of a family that regularly used a wooden boat for almost 60 years, I can tell you that they are beautiful, but they make antique cars look like an easy hobby.

Edited December 20, 2023 by alsancle (see edit history)

[George Smolinski]

3 hours ago, edinmass said:

We have an active member here with an identical 1931 model.

Maybe that member could weigh in & give us more information about these magnificent boats.

[NewOldWood]

Not your daddys Gar Wood.....methinks.... Undoubtedly restored (rebuilt) with some type of a watertight bottom. Even if it has a traditional spar varnish finish on it, todays varnishes will last quite a few years if not left out in the sun all day every day, unlike the twice (at least) a year affair it was back in the 30s. If it has a urethane clear coat finish on it, it will hold up even better. Hard to beat the ride quality of a wood boat, much softer and quieter than glass.

[Gearheadengineer]

1 hour ago, alsancle said:

As somebody who was part of a family that regularly used a wooden boat for almost 60 years, I can tell you that they are beautiful, but they make antique cars look like an easy hobby.

Heck, even fiberglass boats can make antique cars look like an easy (or at least inexpensive) hobby. 😀 No marina fees on my cars. 

 

This is a gorgeous boat and I would love to see and hear it in person. We have a couple of wooden boat shows near me and they are great fun to attend. 

[NewOldWood]

21 minutes ago, George Smolinski said:

Maybe that member could weigh in & give us more information about these magnificent boats.

I don't own one but here's a thread on a 37 Gar Wood tripple cockpit that I restored recently. 22' and without the cool Liberty engine, but other than that very similar to this one.

 

[Leif in Calif]

That Liberty V12 is such a neat engine. Over 20,000 were produced for WWI.  It was sketched out in a 5 days at the New Willard Hotel in Washington D.C. by Jesse G. Vincent of Packard and Elbert J. Hall‎ of Hall Scott. Vincent tends to get more credit but the design is closer to the engines previously produced by Hall-Scott. Hall-Scott made large gasoline engines for busses and trucks in Berkeley California, up through the 1950's. They were always overhead cam, and their downfall was that they never developed a diesel. 

[Dave Wells]

Definition of a BOAT: A hole tn the water that you throw money into.

Not unlike an old car, but a car would be a hole in your driveway.

 

 

 

[Ed Luddy]

Lovely boat and a work of art. My good friend had a late 60's 31 ft Trojan woody, twin 318 Chrysler power that I loved touring on. The way they cruise thru the water is totally different than Fiberglas or metal boats. I was docked beside him at the marina with my plastic Sea Ray. For the 1st few weekends of the season it was always running the bilge pumps with very little breaks. Hard to sleep, and plenty of trips to the head!

 Once the teak swelled up it was much better.

[DrumBob]

$370K for a wooden boat? Sure, it's very nice, but still. 

[m-mman]

2 hours ago, DrumBob said:

$370K for a wooden boat? Sure, it's very nice, but still

It’s not just a “wooden boat” it is a Gar-wood with the original WWI surplus aircraft engine.

 

Considering the cost of restoration I suspect that the seller will be losing money. 

[TAKerry]

23 hours ago, Gearheadengineer said:

Heck, even fiberglass boats can make antique cars look like an easy (or at least inexpensive) hobby. 😀 No marina fees on my cars. 

 

This is a gorgeous boat and I would love to see and hear it in person. We have a couple of wooden boat shows near me and they are great fun to attend. 

My wife has wanted a horse for years. I purposely have built where they are not allowed, LOL. She says I have hobbies and that would be hers. My response is that my cars and motorcycles dont eat when theyre not in use. Pick a similar hobby!

 

I live at the top of the Ches Bay, 5 rivers in our county, very much water oriented. Have never owned a boat. I have thought about it over the years, but I think better of it. I have a friend with a couple of them and for gas money I can spend a day on the water. Get my fix for a couple of years.

 

[alsancle]

20 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

My wife has wanted a horse for years. I purposely have built where they are not allowed, LOL. She says I have hobbies and that would be hers. My response is that my cars and motorcycles dont eat when theyre not in use. Pick a similar hobby!

 

I live at the top of the Ches Bay, 5 rivers in our county, very much water oriented. Have never owned a boat. I have thought about it over the years, but I think better of it. I have a friend with a couple of them and for gas money I can spend a day on the water. Get my fix for a couple of years.

 

My mom has always had a horse.  In fact,  right now her last horse is "out to pasture" but she is still paying a boarding fee to feed and care for it.  No longer at a dressage facility so a fraction of what it costs to be in one of those barns but still paying.

 

My dad said to me many times that the horses were a great "investment" as they kept my mom busy and let him do whatever he wanted.

[Gearheadengineer]

53 minutes ago, alsancle said:

My dad said to me many times that the horses were a great "investment" as they kept my mom busy and let him do whatever he wanted.

Hmm. I suspect that is what my wife says about my car habit. 🤔

[Gearheadengineer]

I love boats and I love being on the water. Just don’t EVER calculate the cost per hour of fun.
 

[Ed Luddy]

19 hours ago, m-mman said:

It’s not just a “wooden boat” it is a Gar-wood with the original WWI surplus aircraft engine.

 

Considering the cost of restoration I suspect that the seller will be losing money. 

A well restored Gar Wood  with this engine, restored and documented is more than a boat. It's prime example of wooden hull 

Thunderboats. Artisan Craftsmanship, World beating, wooden sculpture that is beyond the reach of even moderately wealthy people. 

 In this condition anyway. Cost of buying is 1/25 of restoration fee's. Then the maintenance level required to say run it in the vintage Detroit area, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River meets can make anyone's eye's water!

[DrumBob]

On 12/21/2023 at 12:57 AM, m-mman said:

It’s not just a “wooden boat” it is a Gar-wood with the original WWI surplus aircraft engine.

 

Considering the cost of restoration I suspect that the seller will be losing money. 

I was not aware that these things go for so much money. I like these old boats, but that's a LOT of money. 

[edinmass]

21 minutes ago, DrumBob said:

I was not aware that these things go for so much money. I like these old boats, but that's a LOT of money. 

 

Actually not a lot of money. A restoration would easily top a million dollars today.

[Ozstatman]

Gar Woods Miss America X at the Packard Proving Grounds  museum near Detriot. Powered by a Packard V12 engines, each producing 7,600 hp!

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Ozstatman (see edit history)

[George Smolinski]

2 hours ago, Ozstatman said:

Gar Woods Miss America X at the Packard Proving Grounds  museum near Detriot. Powered by a Packard V12 engines, each producing 7,600 hp!

 

I wonder if it ever gets wet anymore or is it a trailer queen. Be a shame if it’s never in the water.

[Fossil]

9 minutes ago, George Smolinski said:

I wonder if it ever gets wet anymore or is it a trailer queen. Be a shame if it’s never in the water.

Be a shame if it was never heard again.

The sound of those engines on water is a sound that's so impressive. You have to hear it to believe it. 

I've not heard this boat but others and the growl is truly impressive. 

 

 

[Marty Roth]

On 12/20/2023 at 7:30 PM, Ed Luddy said:

Lovely boat and a work of art. My good friend had a late 60's 31 ft Trojan woody, twin 318 Chrysler power that I loved touring on. The way they cruise thru the water is totally different than Fiberglas or metal boats. I was docked beside him at the marina with my plastic Sea Ray. For the 1st few weekends of the season it was always running the bilge pumps with very little breaks. Hard to sleep, and plenty of trips to the head!

 Once the teak swelled up it was much better.

Our family kept our all wood 22 ft Trojan with Grey Marine inboard at the High-Mar, and also Atlantic Highlands Marinas from the mid 1950s through the 1960s, generally maintaining it at our home on a semi-annual basis. We split time between boating in the Sandy Hook area, sometimes crossing the narrows to get a Hot Dog at Nathan's in Coney Island or fishing off Acid Rocks - and then following Dad's interest in Flying out of Linden Airport , first with the Cessna "171" (a 170, converted to tricycle landing gear), later a Piper Cherokee 180D, and ultimately a Beechcraft Bonanza.

[alsancle]

This was in the family for 60 years.   Was a factory 430 Lincoln boat. Lots of great memories but a pain in the ass on many levels.

[Ed Luddy]

 This is the last Harmsworth Trophy winning boat. Very local to me. The Miss Super Test boats were world class winners. The Hayward's are well respected and a monument is erected on the family side road outside of Woodstock Ontario to Bob Hayward who was killed racing on the Detroit River against the Gar Wood's. 

[Gearheadengineer]

4 hours ago, alsancle said:

Lots of great memories but a pain in the ass on many levels.

That’s boating!!! 😀

[Scott Bonesteel]

Spent several years on the high seas as a commercial fisherman/engineer and I know that there is no saying truer than 'A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money.'  However, this one is ONE BEAUTIFUL HOLE!  Price seems reasonable for what must have been an astronomical cost of restoration/maintenance.  Way out of my price range but gorgeous none the less.

[Tph479]

My brother bought a wood boat last month. He tried to take it on a maiden voyage with one of my other brothers the same week he bought it. The second it rolled off the trailer it started to sink. The recently divorced seller was getting rid of it to fund a set of new aftermarket parts for his new girlfriend. I don’t know who got the better deal on this transaction.

[Fossil]

Wooden boats and airplanes are both expensive to own. Having owned and maintained both, airplanes are definitely a bigger money pit than older boats. Making a bad choice in any hobby can be .

Are there any free hobbies?

 

[Marty Roth]

2 hours ago, Fossil said:

Wooden boats and airplanes are both expensive to own. Having owned and maintained both, airplanes are definitely a bigger money pit than older boats. Making a bad choice in any hobby can be .

Are there any free hobbies?

 

There are likely some, but other than sitting on a bench, watching people, or walking the neighborhood above and beyond my normal morning exercise, I can’t think of any which would do anything for me.