Vintage Race Boat Shop

We maintain vintage wooden boats,

by providing year round maintenance

and treating each boat with special care.

About us

Also building reproduction vintage boats.

Click here for details

Bill John - owner/driver

Donnie McLean - riding mechanic

Jim Kondrat - special projects

Vintage Race Boat Shop

PO Box 332 - 7 King Street

Wolfeboro, NH  03894

603-569-5824

John1948@metrocast.net

Click here for the 2012 Vintage Circuit !!!

What's new ???

About us

Trading Dock

Our Vintage Boats

Vintage Newsletter

Reproduction Boats

Saturday Gatherings

Around The Shops

2012 Schedule !!!

Photo Archives

Reproduction Boats 

The Early Years

Boat Racing-1926

Boat Racing-1927

Boat Racing-1928

Boat Racing-1929-1

Boat Racing-1929-2

Jersey Speed Skiffs

Vintage Regatta-2001

Vintage Regatta-2003

Vintage Regatta-2005

Vintage Regatta-2007

Vintage Regatta-2009

A message from the Owner/Webmeister

Bill John

Links

Currently In The Shop.....

   Ladybug - a 22 foot Hacker Craft Runabout

Owner/Driver - Jack Bragdon

In the Fall of 2011 Ladybug was hauled to the Vintage Race Boat Shop for a survey, sea trials, winterization, storage and then complete refinishing in the spring. Then on the afternoon of October 29th, just before the first snow flakes of great October blizzard began, we launched Ladybug and ran sea trials on Wolfeboro Bay to find the source of a reported vibration. Upon close inspection at speed, we found that the drive shaft was bent and also rubbing on the wood around the shaft log hole, causing a vibration and harmonics that resonated throughout the boat. The boat had been repowered, but care was not taken to allow proper clearance around the shaft log. We then returned to the docks, winterized the motor and hauled Ladybug to winter storage as the first snow flakes began to fall. That night it snowed well over a foot of snow, but Ladybug was tucked away under cover in winter storage, safe and sound. Ladybug is now back in the shop for bottom detailing, new drive shaft, attention to detail around the shaft log hole and complete refinishing with four thick coats of Epifanes varnish!

Click here for Project Photos !!!

Compulsion - a 21 foot Gar Wood Speedster

Owner/Driver - Bob Mueller

A conversation and a handshake lead to our third reproduction project, a  21 foot Gar Wood Speedster named Compulsion. The hull is an aft cockpit, Gar Wood Speedster speedster design, very similar to our beloved Obsession. In fact, we spent a lot of time measuring the lines of Obsession and made only a few modifications. This new hull was constructed of white oak frames with Honduras Mahogany planking, and powered by a 383 Chevy “stroker” motor. The bare hull and motor were transported to our Vintage Race Boat Shop in February of 2008 where work began on the project completion, and we ran the boat at the vintage regatta in Clayton, NY that summer in August of 2008. The Gar Wood deck hardware had not arrived from the chrome shop in time for Clayton, but we went anyway. Our new hull design ran very well, and the boat ran at the front of the pack all weekend long. We had a great time at Clayton, running lots of hot laps on the course, in fact there were 6 speedsters running side by side at Clayton. What fun, and it happens again this year!!!

Click here for Project Photos !!!

Last Update: May 17, 2012

What's New!!!