Raceboat
Name/Title
RaceboatEntry/Object ID
1998.006Description
1998.006 "Cicada" ex "Davey Jones" ex "Rascal" ex "Empty Pockets" ex "Davey Jones" Boat Type: Raceboat Builder: Gar Wood Model: Baby Gar Length: 33' Beam: 7' 3" Original Power: Gar Wood conversion Liberty V-12 500hp Date Built: 1928 In 1922, the APBA restricted competition in the Gold Cup such that the boats racing in that event would also be useable as fast family runabouts. The Baby Gar speedboats were designed by Gar Wood and Chris Smith with the same idea in mind, and were built to be fast enough to compete in other major races of the 20s and 30s. 68 of these boats were built between 1922 and 1929, 8 of which are known to still be in existence. "Cicada" is one of these. The Museum has one other, "Snail", formerly owned by E.J. Noble, accession number 2000.019. "Davey Jones" was built in 1928 for Caleb Bragg, owner of the famous "Baby Bootlegger," which won the Gold Cup under the new rules in 1924 and '25. In the early thirties Bragg sold her to actor Keenan Wynn, who renamed her "Empty Pockets," and who later sold her to Evelyn Wynn, who named her "Rascal." In 1938 she sunk at the dock when the Hurricane of 1938 hit Long Island Sound and Evelyn sold her while she was still on the bottom. She was resurrected and renamed "Davey Jones" by Bill Leiber and Jack Kraemer, who was also the mechanic for "Hotsy Totsy," the boat that won the Gold Cup in 1940. "Davey Jones" competed in the K class in '39, '40, and '41 with her original Gar Wood Liberty V-12. It has been mistakenly reported that she finished 3rd in the Gold Cup in 1940; she in fact took third place in the 5-mile race for unlimited runabouts at the 1940 Gold Cup regatta, but did not compete in the race for the Gold Cup itself. In 1949 Kraemer and Leiber repowered her with a massive 1000 hp Allison V-1710 12-cylinder, and with that motor she set records for the K class at the Harwoods Trophy race around Manhattan Island in 1950 and '51. In 1950 her speed was 53.3 mph, and as the overall winner in 1951 she turned an average speed of 54.2 mph. She was given the name "Cicada" by the McGinn family, who used the boat for recreation on Tupper Lake before donating her to the museum for in-water use. At the time that the boat was acquired by the museum, it had been repowered with an original Gar Wood Liberty V-12, an exceptionally precious engine. Unfortunately, when Cicada was launched here at the Museum, there was a mechanical failure in the engine which resulted in extensive damage. One of the cylinder blocks was broken away from the crankcase, taking part of the crankcase with it. Since the Liberty is an overhead-cam engine, the cam was also damaged when the cylinder was forced into it. To repair this engine would be an extensive process, involving welding and machining of the crank-case, replacement of the one camshaft, possibly replacement of the cylinder, and testing and truing of the crank-shaft, which would require complete disassembly of the motor. Davey Jones was rescued from the scrap heap in the early 1980s, when, according to Mark Mason who picked the boat up, there were trees growing through the hull. The boat was completely reconstructed by Gar Wood Custom Boats in Brandt Lake, New York, and very little of it is original. It is in great shape now. The finish is good for the moment, but would need another coat to put her in prime shape. Along with the boat, the Museum was given a scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings relating to her history, which is in the Archives in Haxall Building. EVS 08 EVS09- After the accident, the Liberty engine was cosmetically restored. The offending cylinder, along with the intake manifold and carburetor from that section, is on the third floor of the Haxall building. EVS 3-4-14: Phone call out of the blue: "Have you ever heard of a baby gar called 'Cicada'?" Turns out the fellow on the line used to own the boat! Jay Ballance owned the boat from 69-73, purchased from Toney Ligowitz, who purchased it from Kraemer and Lieber. Jay operated it with the Allison. Had a "bustle" built on to counteract the torque (port side). "First of all, no one ever opened it up. You could do 70 and the engine still wasnt even breathing heavy." "Level as can be and very comfortable ride at 60 mph, 2200 rpm" "As soon as you got a little over 70 you could feel it start to twist the boat. That extension of the bottom probably picked up another 8-10 knots. That was an 80 mph boat." 24 X 24 prop. "there was an outboard bracket on the back, and you had to hang like a 5hp out to take it in and out of the slip." I had a 7.5 hp Evinrude. Was painted black when he had it. "almost looked like a fiberglass boat" "all hand-rubbed with pumice" Ligowitz had a boat yard ("Harborview?") Either right next door or a short distance from Purdy on Manhasset Bay.Collection
BoatsAcquisition
Accession
1998.006Source or Donor
McGinn, Richard A.Made/Created
Manufacturer
Gar Wood Boat DivisionDate made
1928Place
Location
Miami, FL USAEdition
Model: Baby GarNotes
Early Date: 1928 Propulsion: inboard Engine: V12 Liberty Aircraft Field 12: 500Other Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Other NumberOther Number
CF 3782 KLDimensions
Width
82-13/16 inLength
396 inLocation
Bartlett Point Barn 1
Leased to Lee Anderson
*Don Doebler Collections Storage Facility