Pardon Me
Name/Title
Pardon MeEntry/Object ID
1986.021Description
Pardon Me is one of the most memorable runabouts ever built. Charles P. Lyon, a custom boat connoisseur who spent his summers in Chippewa Bay in the Thousand Islands, commissioned naval architect John Hacker to design the boat. He previously commissioned Hacker to design his well-known express commuter Vamoose. This time Lyon asked Hacker to design a craft that would truly be a super runabout. Lyon selected the Hutchinson Boat Works of Alexandria Bay to be the builder, and was so eager to get started that he forced construction to begin before the design was actually completed. The premature start led to changes and frequent disagreements among the designer, builder, and owner throughout construction. When the boat was finished she was a magnificent craft with a double-planked bottom and double-planked sides. The huge Honduras mahogany hull was so superbly proportioned that from a short distance she appears to be a traditional triple cockpit runabout. However, under the foredeck are a complete galley, head, and sleeping accommodations for four. There is a walkway over the main engine to the large aft cockpit. The workmanship, appearance, details, and design of the craft are flawless. The mechanical aspects, however, needed additional time to work out. A multitude of problems needed to be corrected. Lyon, who was ill, had little patience for the problems and at the end of the first season returned Pardon Me to Hutchinson and directed them to offer the boat for sale. Three years later Dick Locke of Harsens Island, Michigan, reportedly offered $12,000 for Pardon Me and became the next owner. He renamed her Lockpat III and added her to his fleet of custom boats. After Locke died, the boat was sold and then seemed to disappear for more than thirty years. Renamed Pardon Me once more by the new owner, she appeared at the Clayton Antique Boat Show in flawless, pristine condition to a delighted audience that for so many years had feared for the safety of this marvelous craft. When the opportunity presented itself, Tony and Jim Lewis purchased Pardon Me and brought her to Clayton where they presented her to The Antique Boat Museum, where she continues to be a significant presence on the St. Lawrence River. Packard V-12 Marine Engine A powerful marine engine built by Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit, MI. Packard produced over 12,000 of these 12 cylinder engines for PT boats between 1940 and 1945. The "mosquito fleet" excelled as gunboats during WW-II and the Packards in them performed heroically. Packard guaranteed their marine engines for 500 hours, but as things got hectic in the Pacific in 1943, PT engines were logging about 1,000 hours prior to being rebuilt. These engines, which cost taxpayers as much as $23,000 each during the war, were sold cheaply after the war, as little as $250 for a new engine, still in the crate. They were purchased then for the big race boats. This is a Model 4M-2500 which developed 1350 HP @ 2400 RPM. The following information is from the web site of Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA [http://www.battleshipcove.com/pt-power-plant]. "P.T. Boats were powered by three 4M-2500 Packard Marine Engines developed by the Packard Motor Car Company specifically for the United States Motor Torpedo Boat program. The Packard Marine is a powerful high-speed supercharged, lightweight engine of the aviation type. Basic characteristics: 60 degree Vee-type twelve-cylinder; Liquid cooled; 4 stroke cycle; Fuel - 100 octane aviation gasoline; Horse power 1200 hp - 1940, 1350 hp - 1943, 1500 hp - 1945. Increases in horsepower were made to compensate for the constant additions of heavier armament put on the boats during WWII. P.T. Boats achieved 45 knots top speed during shakedown testing but averaged about 40 knots under normal combat conditions. " Engine info from Everett Smith 1994.Collection
BoatsAcquisition
Accession
1986.021Source or Donor
Lewis, James P.Acquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Artist
John L. HackerManufacturer
Hutchinson Boat WorksDate made
1948Place
Location
Alexandria Bay, NY, USAEdition
Model: Custom RunaboutNotes
Early Date: 1948 Propulsion: Inboard Engine: Packard V-12 Model 4M2500 MPH: 45+ Cylinders: 12 HP: 1800Dimensions
Width
10-1/2 ftLength
48 ftLocation
Room
Center AisleBuilding
*Don Doebler Collections Storage Facility*McNally Yacht House
Bartlett Point Barn 2
*Don Doebler Collections Storage Facility
*Cleveland E. Dodge Memorial Launch Building