Vintage Vision

Patriotism, craftsmanship and style: The pre-World War II Chris-Craft line of recreational boats is a tribute to these American values and has become the fascination of antique watercraft hobbyists across the country.
    Local boating enthusiast Mike Mutchler cruises Smith Mountain Lake in his 1926 Chris-Craft triple cockpit, taking pride in the rich history the boat represents. “Flapper” will be the featured vessel when the SML chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society hold its 22nd annual show and festival Sept. 15 at Mariners Landing in Huddleston.
    “I’ve always admired antique boats,” said Mutchler, a retired General Motors vice president and engineer from Detroit who once lived not far from Algonac, Mich., where the original Chris-Craft plant was located. “To me, they’re an expression of American craftsmanship because the wooden-boat concept, especially the runabout concept, was invented here in the United States.”
    Mutchler’s attraction to antique boats, along with his expanding collection, played a key role in his decision to move to SML 12 years ago with his wife, Dolores.
    “When I retired, we were looking for a lake that did not freeze and a lake where I could build a boathouse for the boats,” said Mutchler, explaining that doing so helps protect vessels from sun exposure and water damage.
    “One of the attractions antique and classic boat lovers have to Smith Mountain Lake, I think, is the lake itself,” he said. “It is very user-friendly. It’s very easy to keep a boat here on the lake, one of the few places you can build a boathouse to house and protect your boat.”
    Mutchler owns four antique boats, but “Flapper” is the showpiece.
    “It is the oldest and largest boat I own,” he said. “It was a complete basket case when I found it. It had to be redone from the keel all the way up over three years’ time at a professional woodworking shop in Michigan. The engine has been rebuilt twice.”
Mutchler said “Flapper” was originally used for demonstration and testing at the Kermath Engineering Company, which was working to expand horsepower in its engines.
    “I’m assuming Kermath used it until close to 1930 and then sold it to some private individual in Michigan. The owner previous to me found it in a barnyard in Michigan. Someone had run it into a rock, broken the keel and abandoned it where it sat for many years,” said Mutchler. “He and I were neighbors in Michigan. He was a large-scale classic boat collector and realized he wouldn’t get around to restoring ‘Flapper,’ so he sold it to me.”
    In its restored condition, “Flapper” is a vintage vision with a gleaming wooden body stretching 26 feet in length and housing a 1,300-pound, 69-inch Kermath engine from the late 1920s. Mutchler enters his vessels in boat shows, mostly those local to Smith Mountain Lake and his part-time Florida residence, cruises SML in them with his wife, children and grandchildren, and keeps a careful maintenance regimen. For Mutchler, each aspect of owning antique boats is equally enjoyable.
    “I usually like to run each boat at least once a week. When I get back, I chamois the whole thing off so it doesn’t get water spotted. I check the engine, check the oil, then cover it back up so the sun doesn’t deteriorate the mahogany finish,” he said.
    Dolores Mutchler said she doesn’t mind her husband’s attachment to the boats, “Flapper” in particular.
    “It’s his life,” she said. “Ever since he quit work he’s been working on that boat. He enjoys it and as long as he’s healthy enough for it, I don’t mind. I have my sewing and he has his boats.”
    Mutchler said he looks forward to displaying “Flapper” at SML’s show and festival, one of the most anticipated annual events at the lake.
    “’Flapper' is being featured because it is one of the oldest boats on the lake,” said Mutchler. “It is the only one around with an old Kermath engine in it, which is a rare find.”
    The Mutchlers enjoy adding to the historic emphasis of shows by dressing in 1920s costume. Dolores said she decides whether to wear her old-fashioned bathing suit or a long skirt with pantaloons and parasol based on the weather.
    “We wear the costumes to fit with the time frame of the boats. The women of these early eras wouldn’t have been wearing modern clothes; they would have been wearing long dresses, jewels and pantaloons,” she said.
    The popularity of the SML show demonstrates the area’s strong representation of antique and classic boat enthusiasts, which Mutchler said he’s confident will continue to grow.
    “The antique and classic boat interest here is becoming quite popular. I expect the club, which has about 74 members now, will get bigger,” he said. “Similar clubs in other areas of the country have combined shows with one another and with antique automobile clubs as well. We might start to see that sort of thing develop here too someday.”

Want to Go?
22nd SML Antique & Classic Boat Show and Festival
 
What: In-water display of approximately 50 antique boats from up and down the East Coast. Family-oriented event with music, food and a variety of craft and collectible vendors.

When: Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Mariners Landing Resort Community and Conference Center, Huddleston

Cost: Free. However, donations will be accepted for the SML Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, which supports local charities.

More info: 630-696-6052, mikruss@aol.com or woodenboats.net