Late Twenties UK Gar Wood Dealer ?

[Bill B]

Hi,
I'm looking for a bit of help establishing the provenance of a UK friend's recent "barn find"... What appears to be a 1927 Baby Gar Jr. The builders plaque is gone but it does still have the dealers badge "Gar Wood Motor Boats Ltd. East Cowes" Were there any hidden hull numbers on these early Gar Woods?

The owner has been told that it may have been owned by Marion "Betty" Carstairs who gave Gar a run for his money in the late twenties with her "Estelle" series of racing hulls. There is also the possibility that she may have owned the dealership.

Any light that can be shed on this would be appreciated.

Here are some photos. I've read that the finishes offered that year were black, white, blue and varnished. This hull may still be sporting her original topsides color...Gar Wood's signature French Blue.










Bill Brauninger
1914 Elco Express launch

[Brian Robinson]

It looks like a Baby Gar Jr. - is it 26-feet?

Most of the Gar Woods that went to the UK were imported by Graham White, a dealer. If your friend opens that small hatch on the aft deck, there should be a number stamped in the framing there in the deck.

[Bill B]

He measured her yesterday. She is, indeed, 26'.

Thanks for the pointer on the hull #. I'll convey that to the owner this morning. with a bit of luck we may have her identified buy this evening.

If a number is not found does anyone have production records that would provide detail about the boats shipped to the UK? Given that only 78 of the runabout version were built I doubt more than a few found their way over to that side of the pond.

[Jim Godlewski]

Oh my! She's a beauty.....

[Brian Robinson]

Tony Mollica donated all of his Gar Wood archives, including the Sales Ledger to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY several months ago. The Sales Ledger lists the hull number, model, engine, shipping date and destination. The destination was most often a dealer. It is rarely mentioned in the ledger who or where the boats went to from there. So, yes, it is known which boats went to the UK, and to which dealer, but that is it.