It's a Summertime Thing!

by **Bill Basler** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:18 pm

Here is a video posted by a friend of mine and fellow Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club member Eric Jensen. This video depicts summertime fun on the Cedar River, which runs right through the center of my city Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Life on the river has always been very campy...nothing fancy. A lot of sun, fun, family...and some crazy homebuilt boats. This video is from about 1958. The spirit of boating is till very much the same today.

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by **mfine** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:42 am

The woman swimming with a showercap was priceless! Thanks Bill.

by **Al Benton** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:22 am

Wow, seeing boat houses along the river brings back memories. In those days many girls young and old wore swim caps, even at the pools. Some of those home-built boats are a sight for sour eyes. I was a high school junior in fall, '58 so this video brings back very fond memories. Mud banks, old swimming holes, crazy looking boats, family fun. Wow!

My cousin built a Chris-Craft Kit Boat before this period (maybe '54 or '55) and we played on the Kaskaskia River and Crab Orchard Lake in Southern Illinois. I learned to ski behind this boat.

Thanks Eric & Bill,

Al

by **Captbob626** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:26 pm

Thanks for sharing,
Bob

by **mattbyrne** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:34 pm

Hey bill, did they allow house boats back in Ellis harbor after the flood. I had a couple buddies in high school who's parents own them. Pure fun!

by **Bill Basler** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:50 pm

Matt, it's been touch and go. The city said they had to go after the flood. Too much liability and as can be seen in the photo below, who picks up the bill when something goes wrong? The city blamed that decision on the DNR though. The DNR said they've always been "illegal" but says they left the decision up to the city, and the city was really the one who said thy had to go.

Ultimately, the DNR said that the boathouses are truly illegal, but for the sake of tradition, they would leave the ultimate decision up to the city. From there you can read here:

http://easterniowagovernment.com/2010/0 ... ouse-vote/

Today they're going strong.

by **Jim Godlewski** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 4:11 am

Bill,
Great video, thanks for posting that piece of history. Looks like a lot of boat fun on the river. Love the boathouses too. Not so much the picture of them all stacked up along the bridge though.

by **Reginald Down** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:38 am

I'm embarrassed to ask how to view the video Bill posted. But I'll ask anyway...

by **Bill Basler** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:41 am

Reg, for some unknown reason, (Browser issue?) some have had to go to the bottom of the post, click the "Reply" link. When the page refreshes, the video seems to appear correctly there.

by **Bill Basler** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:51 am

Or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJVZIrMH ... r_embedded

by **Reginald Down** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:33 am

Thanks Bill, that's just a wonderful video and certainly brings back some memories.

At the very beginning of the video, the plywood boat in the foreground with the red Mercury outboard looks like a 1960 Dunphy Blue Fin Imperial. Also what looks like a 1959 Red Fish 17' Sea Shark (red with fins) towing a water skier. I love those high-end boat houses too.

Great stuff - Thanks for posting the link.

See the young kid riding / skiing on the Flying Saucer! Those things were ankle biters...

by **knotty48** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:45 pm

Bill,
Thanks for sharing this great video! I am like everyone else this sure does bring back the memories. I am sure that was one of those new super 8 movie camera...
Pete

by **jfrprops** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:10 pm

I just found the video on the site Bill, really neat.
Saw a Whirlwind in there.
What was the multihull with the pusher motor, or whatever that was on the back?
Lots going on in a small space......WOW!
John in Va.

by **Stovebolt** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:22 pm

That was an awsome video, Bill! Thank you! Made me sad though. It totally reminded me of my grandparents cottage in Ontario. I was real young, but it is the reason I love old boats so much. The neighbors had an old wooden boat, and all I remember was the flags on it, and it being brown. I have scowerd boxes of pictures trying to find a picture of it, but nothing doing.

Anyway, what I wouldn't due to go back to that cottage......

by **Bill Basler** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:01 am

Stovebolt, I think the video takes us all back, regardless of age. I was not yet born in 1958...close but not quite, but I remember those boats like I was. Grandpa had em. Dad had em. And it looks like the whole rest of the world had em. Brings back good memories.

It's a Summertime Thing!

It's a Summertime Thing!

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