Runabout, Double-Cockpit
Chattahoochee
Name/Title
Runabout, Double-CockpitEntry/Object ID
1994.006Description
1994.006 "Chattahoochee" ex "Sir Barton" Builder: Henry Thibault Model: Unknown Original Power: Gray Marine 6-60 s/n 367A Current Power: Original Length: 25' 6" Beam 6' 5" Date Built: 1926 or 1929 Henry Thibault was a builder who supplied all types of power craft for islanders, running a small scale shop in Clayton. It is not known how many men he employed, but it is known that his sons, Robert and Benjamin Thibault, worked for him for a time but did not continue the business on thier own. Thibault also ran a tour boat at one time, and had motor boats for rental. Henry's son Robert was also a Captain, particularly for one family, the Wrights of Grindstone Island, for whom he worked for many years in the 20s, 30s, and 40s captaining boats that had been built by his father. One of those boats is still in service, a lovely sedan launch built in the early 1920s. It is owned by the descendants of the Wright Family, the Holts and Larssons, and summers in the same boathouse that it was built for. Chattahoochee is a blend of runabout styling and displacement launch design and construction. It has two cockpits with the engine in the middle and the helm forward, as the runabouts built by Chris Craft and others in the 1920s did, but this cockpit layout sits in a semi-displacement hull rather than a planing hull. The boat is built of cedar instead of mahogany, but it is stained dark and varnished to give the boat the basic appearance of a mahogany runabout. Some refer to these hybrids as 'transition models;' similar boats were built by Fay & Bowen and other companies which had previously produced semi-displacement boats. EVS 08 This boat was built by Henry Thibault in 1926 or 1929, and was originally named "Sir Barton" after a racehorse who won the Triple Crown in 1919. Six boats of this model were produced, this is the only one known to have survived. The boat had a couple of different owners, until was purchased by Martin Zonnenberg from St. Lawrence Restoration in the 1990s and restored for donation to the Museum. She has her original Gray Marine Model 6-60, a straight-six cylinder flathead estimated at 90 hp. The boat and motor are in very good shape. EVS 08 Chattahoochee was built in Clayton where there was a great deal of boat building taking place in1929. The builders were well aware of the new trends in runabout design and this boat represents a marvelous transition design where there is evidence of the popular river launches and the helm following the new trend being located forward of the engine. The result is a very attractive design that combines both the traditional look of a launch with the more trendy features of the runabout designs. Boats such as Chattahoochee are a bit challenging to classify with a high degree of certainty. It's transitional nature make it an interesting boat to study and debate which style it may be resemble more closely.Collection
BoatsAcquisition
Accession
1994.006Source or Donor
Zonnenberg, MartinMade/Created
Manufacturer
Thibault, HenryDate made
1929Place
Location
Clayton, NY, USANotes
Early Date: 1929 Propulsion: inboard gasoline Engine: Gray 6-60 Cylinders: 6 HP: 60Other Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Other NumberOther Number
GA 6033 FKDimensions
Width
6-1/2 ftLength
25-1/2 ftLocation
Wall
WestRoom
Bay 5Building
*Don Doebler Collections Storage FacilityWall
EastRoom
Bay 5Building
*Don Doebler Collections Storage FacilityBartlett Point Barn 4
*Cleveland E. Dodge Memorial Launch Building