Runabout
Garform
Name/Title
RunaboutEntry/Object ID
2001.008Description
Accession Number 2001.008 Name: Giabor Type: Runabout Builder: Garform Model: Sportabout Length: 16'8" Beam: 5'8" Date: 1948 Shortly after the conclusion of World War II Gar Wood, Jr. and his father experimented with various synthetic materials developed during the war years, testing them for their application to small boat construction. Their goal was to develop a material ideally suited for building standardized boat hulls that would be light, strong and virtually maintenance-free. The result would be boats that could effectively operate with a smaller engine that would consume less fuel and reduce the initial purchase price of the boat. The prototype 16-foot craft was built in 1946 on Fischer Island in Biscayne Bay, Florida, where Gar Wood Sr. resided and worked on new projects. The test runs were very positive and after a few modifications the design was finalized. Gar Wood, Jr. opened the Wood Marine Engineering Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In early January 1947 he was ready to begin full-scale production of his fiberglass boats that would be known as the Garform. This was the first epoxy resin fiberglass standardized boat in full production in 1947. Wood called the new material "Nautilite." In 2001 a National Boating History Committee, reviewing significant non-wooden boats that deserve recognized as classics for design, construction and overall performance, designated the16-foot Garform runabout as the most notable non-wooden craft of the era.Collection
BoatsAcquisition
Accession
2001.008Source or Donor
Cox, Robert O.Made/Created
Manufacturer
Garform Inc.Date made
1948Place
Location
Tulsa, OK USAEdition
Model: SportaboutNotes
Early Date: 1948 Propulsion: Inboard, gasoline Engine: Gray Phantom V-drive MPH: 35 0 Cylinders: 4 HP: 45Dimensions
Width
5-11/16 ftLength
16-11/16 ftLocation
*Cleveland E. Dodge Memorial Launch Building
*Don Doebler Collections Storage Facility
Haxall Building First Floor Lobby
Room
Center AisleBuilding
*Don Doebler Collections Storage FacilityBartlett Point Barn 4
*Cleveland E. Dodge Memorial Launch Building