Currently,
they have twelve people working at their facility, including
themselves. They are hands-on owners. The division of labor
between Tom and Larry goes pretty much according to their
inclinations. For Tom, that is the leather upholstery, the
finishing, the hardware, administration and marketing. Larry is
responsible for the research and development of the designs, the
set-up of new boats, the signature Gar Wood windshields, and the
power plant. Their families are involved in the business as
well. Two of Tom's sons, Tom and Joe, along with Larry's son
Greg are full time workers in the business, along with Joe's
wife Amy. Two other sons, Mike (Tom's son) and Larry, Jr. are
working part-time while still in school.
What impressed
me the most about the structure of Gar Wood Custom Boats is the
dedication to quality and the passion everyone has for
perfection, consistently produced. For example, Tom describes
the process for selecting wood for a new boat. He said, "Grading
wood for planking is a challenge. It cannot be met by using
traditional production methods. You need experience, patience
and art."
All of the wood used for the sides and deck is African mahogany, ribbon
grain. The wood is purchased and then re-sawn and planed in
their shop. Matching planks for similar grain results in more
spoilage than would be allowed in a factory setting. Each boat
is built one at a time starting with the jigs for setting the
frame. The frame pieces are taken from patterns that have been
developed over time. While storage of many different boat
patterns is a challenge, the Turcottes have uniquely solved this
problem by labeling, organizing and storing them in the rafters
of the set-up building. The well designed jigs and patterns are
the key for crafting consistent, high quality boats.
The first boat
restored by Gar Wood Custom Boats was a 33 foot Baby Gar, then
called Davy Jones. It was entered in the Lake Winnipesaukee
Antique and Classic Boat Show and won a first place award. In
the early 1980's, a Gar Wood utility they restored was entered
in another Lake Winnipesaukee show. While Tom could not recall
the name of the boat, he remembered that the owner showed the
boat and that evening took his girl friend on a boat ride to
propose to her. The next day, when he came up to collect his
award, he told the audience, "She said Yes." I was at that same
awards dinner and remembered that the owner received a standing
ovation. I was also able to supply the name of that boat: In The
Mood.
Their most popular boats are the 22 foot Streamliner and the 28 foot
triple cockpit boats. Also, more recently, Tom says that
people's appetite for "go fast boats" has changed to "go to
dinner" boats. People want easy handling boats that provide a
great ride. This has resulted in great interest in their 33 foot
gentlemen's racers, with seating for five in the rear and three
in a forward cockpit. Since the display of their 40 foot
runabout, Mahogany II, at both the Lake Winnipesaukee and
Clayton, New York shows, there is growing interest in this boat
as well.
The new
designs for the 40 foot runabout and 33 foot gentleman's racer
have bottoms designed by the Ray Hunt design group and have more
of a deep vee to provide a much smoother ride.
Why do people buy wooden boats? Tom says, "It's the nostalgia, the
beauty and the grandness of a wooden boat. They are equal to
modern fiberglass models with no leak bottoms and modern power."
All the frame members are treated with penetrating epoxy. The
power plants used by the Turcotte brothers are stock MercCruiser
marine motors. That way, any MercCruiser marine dealer can
service the power plant. They use a standard procedure for
installing the power plants and incorporate all the Coast Guard
marine requirements.
It is the
design of the Gar Wood boats that most attracts new adherents.
"The pronounced crown of the decks, the formal stem line, the
folding V-windshield, streamlined cabins, distinctive shear
lines, and wide covering boards" draws people to Gar Wood boats,
says Anthony Mollica in his book Gar Wood Boats: Classics of a
Golden Era [p. 54].These characteristics are all seen in the
reproduction Gar Wood boats as well.
In addition to
owning the rights to the Gar Wood name, the Turcotte brothers
own other Gar Wood produced items. These include a 1946 Gar Wood
bulldozer and a mid-1940's Gar Wood crane. These pieces of
antique equipment are maintained and used at their facility
today.
Interestingly, Tom Turcotte said that his business has grown through the
years as the Antique and Classic Boat Society has grown. The
mission of the Antique and Classic Boat Society is to preserve
the history of wooden boats, and that tradition is mirrored in
Tom's own desire to restore and reproduce the classic designs of
Gar Wood. While the majority of their business is building new
boats, they still do restoration and refinishing work. The
Turcottes display their boats at antique and classic boat shows
around the country. From these shows, new people see his boats
and realize they too could become an owner of a contemporary
classic, customized to their own desires and needs.
As impressive as magnificent Gar Wood boats are, the most notable aspect
of Gar Wood Custom Boats is the passion everyone has for the
boats. They take the time and have the patience to make each Gar
Wood boat a masterpiece, for they truly are works of art.
I want to
thank Tom and Larry Turcotte for spending an afternoon with me.
They took the time to explain and show me their entire process,
and I was very impressed.
Here is their
contact info:
Gar Wood Custom Boats
20 Duell
Hill Road
Brant Lake,
NY 12815
518-494-2966
www.garwoodcustomboats.com
That’s all for now Gang,
Bill John
Vintage Race Boat Shop
603-569-5824 (Shop phone)
http://www.vintageraceboatshop.com
