Happy Days

Like a proud father planning a coming-out party for his daughter, George Blosser is eagerly anticipating the fourth Saturday in September.

            Blosser won’t be showing off a young lady that day, but rather a gleaming grand dame who’s been lovingly primped into prime condition.

            Happy Days is Blosser’s meticulously restored 1956 Chris-Craft Continental, a 23-foot mahogany runabout powered by a 339-cubic-inch, 175 hp Chris-Craft engine. The vessel will be on display at the 19th Annual Smith Mountain Lake Antique and Classic Boat Show Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mariners Landing Resort.

            Blosser and wife Joan bought the boat last year from Dave Dollarhide, a retired pilot from Jacksonville, Fla., with whom Blosser flew Navy A4 Skyhawks in the late 1960s. The two later embarked on nearly parallel careers as commercial pilots with National, Pan Am and finally Delta airlines.

            Before purchasing Happy Days, the Blossers’ only contact with antique boats was several years of attendance at the annual SML show.

            "We found the members we met to be very interesting, very nice people," George Blosser said.

            So when his former flying colleague casually asked if they might be interested in purchasing an antique that had been hanging idle in his boat lift for 15 years, the lake lovers took the plunge. The couple decided restoring and operating the craft would be a fitting water-oriented complement to George’s passion for 1970 Oldsmobile 442s.

            Happy Days began its 14-month restoration with a trailer ride from Florida to North Carolina, where Gary Lowell of Lowell Boats, a restoration expert the couple had known while living in Greensboro, coordinated the project. The engine and transmission were remanufactured by Van Ness Engineering in Ridgewood, N.J.; dashboard instruments were rebuilt by Pat Powell from River Forest, Ill.

            "We used some of the best in their fields," said Blosser, who also noted that SML-based Virginia Canvas Works is constructing a cover and top for Happy Days.

            Hull and deck restoration required replacement of just a few planks — plus 15 coats of marine varnish. With the mahogany glimmering, Blosser finally eased the boat into SML in the spring.

            "Yes, it was indeed a happy day, and she’s given us many delightful cruises since," said Blosser, explaining that they retained the boat’s original name, a nod to the popular 1970s television show "Happy Days," which was set in the 1950s.

            In addition to getting to know his boat’s running characteristics, Blosser also was intrigued by its history. He obtained a copy of the original hull card (the manufacturer’s production document) from the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, where Chris-Craft donated its factory records. On the hull card was the ordering dealer’s name — Herman Dudd of Sturgis, Mich. When he searched for the name on the Internet, up came a recent obituary.

            Disappointed, but not willing to give up, Blosser contacted the obit’s writer, who put him in touch with one of Dudd’s heirs. Rebecca Dudd Shank was working at her dad’s boat dealership the summer the Continental was ordered for friends of her grandparents, who had a summer home in Maine. She easily recalled the transaction because, at 23 feet, the boat was considerably bigger than those typically ordered for Michigan’s tiny Lake Klinger.

            Blosser said Shank is attempting to locate the original order among her father’s extensive business records.

            "That would be a very valuable document for us to have as part of the boat’s documentation," Blosser said.

            Happy Days will be on display at the Sept. 19 boat show along with approximately 45 other antique and classic craft. Owners of the steam-powered launch Ben Gunn also will be on hand for a second straight year to offer free rides along Craddock Creek.

            Visitors to the show can stroll Mariners Landing's docks and meet enthusiasts who are always eager to talk about their
restoration projects. Food, music and
vendors of nautical gear, crafts and
collectibles make for a festive family event

            Admission is free; Mariners Landing charges $5 per car for parking.

For more information on the SML Antique and Classic Boat Show, visit woodenboats.net.