Day Tripping

Where Boating Began

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

I have a great fondness for the NH Boat Museum. I have been writing for The Laker long enough to recall an early interview/tour of the museum in its first location at Weirs Beach. That was some time ago and these days the museum and its programs have grown by leaps and bounds, located on Center Street/Route 28 in Wolfeboro. 

Admittedly I am not a boater, so why my fondness for a museum that focuses on this lake pastime? It is easy really: I love local history and old items, wooden boats and waterskiing years ago and the boat builders who grew the age of boating in the Lakes Region. 

It seems others love the history of boating as well, and this led to the formation of the museum in 1992. According to information at www.nhbm.org, “Originally the museum was called the ‘New Hampshire Antique and Classic Boat Museum’ and then modified in order to better reflect the museum’s mission.  After moving around Lake Winnipesaukee for a few years, in 2000 NHBM found a permanent home in Wolfeboro in the former Allen ‘A’ Resort theater and dance hall.  The Allen ‘A’ hall, a large, barrel-round, Quonset hut style building built in 1954, cannot be missed on Route 28 north on the edge of town. Visitors can also experience the thrill of riding in a replica vintage boat in NHBM’s very own 1928-style Hacker Craft mahogany triple cockpit, the Millie B.”

You do not need a boat or to even know a lot about boating to appreciate the NH Boat Museum and I visit at least once a season. (The museum is open from spring through around Columbus Day, although due to the pandemic, the museum opened a bit later this year). 

This season, the exhibit at the museum is called “Locally Produced” and it is just as the name implies. Viewers are treated to the origins of boating and how it grew in the Lakes Region.

I visited on an August afternoon, and an employee at the front desk greeted me and led the way into the large and airy museum with its high ceilings and at the far end, a stage area where bands once played for the Allen A guests.

The first display focuses on the early days of waterskiing in the area. As a lover of all things old and also old signs and photos, I just adored this portion of the overall museum. Information told that the increasing power and speed of boats on the lakes in the 1920s led to the idea of skiing behind a boat. It seemed like a rather logical – if perhaps at first not too safe – idea. The daring new sport caught on; by the 1950s, water skiing was one of the fastest growing recreational sports in the country. It also seems logical that New Hampshire and specifically the Lakes Region was in the thick of things when it came to water skiing. Two national brands of skis were manufactured in Laconia and they were AquaSport and Northland. 

One of my favorite posters in the exhibit was a large advertisement that told of the National Water Ski Championships which were held from August 21-23 in 1959. Sponsored by the Boston Herald-Traveler the competition took place in Laconia in cooperation with the Weirs Ski Club. 

An AquaSport Water Ski Rope Tow in its original box was a great part of the exhibit, along with old photos of local water skiers and water skis. Not to be missed in the waterski exhibit area was a large original watercolor by famed local artist Peter Ferber.

As I began my tour of the main display area, I was amazed at the beauty of one particular huge old wooden boat. It was a shining thing of beauty and it did not take much imagination to dream about the days when this boat plied the waters of Winnipesaukee with a young man at the wheel and a party of genteel folks with picnic basket and lounge chairs aboard.

At this point I was joined by Boat Museum executive director Martha Cummings, who smiled as she gazed at the boat. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” she asked. I was curious about the boat and Martha told me its name was Regina. It was constructed by Goodhue & Hawkins in 1913 and is only one of six of this type: long-necked launches commonly known as Lakers. Five of the ultra-elegant boats still reside on Lake Winnipesaukee; the location of the sixth of unknown.

“If you stand here,” Martha requested, indicating that I stand facing the very front of the boat, looking down the length of the Regina, “you will see my favorite view.” Indeed, when one stands with feet firmly placed on the floor and gazes down the length of the boat, you are treated to the sleek lines and artistry of the Laker’s construction.

The Regina was a donation to the NH Boat Museum from Howard Newton and the gift was an incredibly generous one. This is especially true when one considers, according to Boat Museum volunteer and ____, that Howard was on a 40-year quest to obtain the boat. The boat will be kept in perpetuity so those in the future can have a chance to view this important part of the area’s past. (Fun fact: it is believed the boat was originally built for the estate of Lydia Pinkham, known as “the Queen of Patent Medicine.” The boat was built after Lydia had passed away, and was kept in her Alton Bay property until obtained by a boat enthusiast.)

Certainly, part of the story of boating in the Lakes Region cannot be told without focusing greatly on Goodhue & Hawkins, whose business in Wolfeboro in the early 1900s led to the popularity of boating. 

A time line display of the business tells us that Goodhue & Hawkins opened in 1903 when Nathaniel H. Goodhue and Chester E. Hawkins began operations on Sewall Road in Wolfeboro. They offered a wide range of services, including boat repair of steam and gasoline yachts and launches. It was not long before the business was building custom wooden speed launches to carry passengers, as well as renting boats. Between 1903 and 1933, they were building Goodhue Lakers, the long deck launches. The hulls were framed and planked at a boat yard on Clark Point and floated to Sewall Road, where their engines were installed and the craftsman-style finishing woodwork was completed.

The history of the company and also boating in the Lakes Region takes the visitor through the years and all the types of boats to the present-day Goodhue Boat Company.

A second slightly smaller boat is also part of the exhibit. The Goodhue & Hawkins Good-U-Tility was a custom utility runabout. At 24 ft., 6 in. in length and sporting a beam of 7 ft., 4 in., the boat was a bit longer than the standard 21 in. length. Modeled on off-shore lobster boats, the design was a bit unusual for Lake Winnipesaukee boating. 

Before I was done viewing the Goodhue & Hawkins timeline area, John van Lonkhuyzen, NH Boat Museum trustee and volunteer curator pointed out the unique, original blueprints that are on display. They are the original drawings for the Laker boat; the original contracts are on display as well.

The exhibit also offers a look at boats built at the Laconia Car Company. Originally, the company built passenger and freight railcars and trolleys. Later, they decided to build boats. The original production debuted at the 1928 New York Boat Show. Information in the exhibit tells us two boats were offered by the company: a 12 ft. Speedster and a 16 ft. Sportser.

I also enjoyed a display of flotation devices, ranging from a Cork Life Jacket that reminded me of the ones worn in the movie Titanic. The jackets were made until 1913, followed by the Kapok Vest until the 1940s. Also on view is a 1943 Kapok “Horse Collar” life vest in the orange color most of us are familiar with; other vests are on display, through the 1970s Stearns Type III Polyfoam Vest.

A sailboat from Piper Boatworks is also on display, giving a nod to this type of boat building and boating, which is as important as the faster power boats.

On the stage area, I was treated to an outboard motor display. Admittedly, this might seem a bit out of my range of interest, since I am not a boater. But like everything the NH Boat Museum does, the outboard information and display was fascinating. Those who put the exhibits together seem to have a real talent for making everything about boating – even the motors – of interest. 

Information told of Evinrude, Mercury and Johnson outboards, among other interesting motors. Standing on the stage is also helpful to get a different view of the boats on the main floor, reinforcing how graceful and gorgeous the boats were in their heyday.

Back on the main floor, there is also an extensive exhibit about the M/S Mount Washington (after all, no exhibit on Lakes Region boating would be complete without a history of this major player of boating on the lake).

Martha also pointed out an exhibit of photographs by Wolfeboro artist Amy Piper. I was familiar with Amy’s amazing photographs and I strongly suggest visitors spend time checking out this wonderful exhibit which will be on view until August 26. From that point until the closing of the museum for the season on Columbus Day weekend, an exhibit of Peter Ferber’s new artwork will be featured.

There also is a children’s area with activities, which show that no one in the family has been overlooked when it comes to getting everyone interested in boating.

Martha says the pandemic has created some challenges and plans for the summer have been altered somewhat. A one-way traffic pattern through the exhibit has been created and hand sanitizer stations are offered and visitors must wear masks. “We are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday we are open from noon to 4 pm. We are closed on Mondays for deep sanitizing,” she explains.

Martha also told me about a canoe raffle that is ongoing with a drawing to be held in December. What a great holiday gift this canoe would make and well worth purchasing tickets for a chance to win. Sign up to become a NH Boat Museum member now through November 30, 2020 and be entered into the raffle. 

As my tour ended, I got thinking about how far the NH Boat Museum has come since its origins back in 1992 by a group of antique and classic boating enthusiasts. It has grown extensively and if plans are realized, an even bigger and permanent home for the museum and its programs will happen in the near future. (Fundraising is underway and ongoing.)

Perhaps it is because I saw the original museum so many years ago, or maybe it is my admiration for a group with a big mission and a love of old boats. Whatever the reason, I just adore the NH Boat Museum. Stop by to view and learn about the history of boating and to see the old boats, lovingly cared for and shared with all.

For information on the programs and membership and riding on the Millie B, call 603-569-4554 or visit www.nhbm.org.