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Since we’ve been in business since 1953, there have been some designs that have been removed from our print catalog. Designs are usually removed because they just didn’t sell well and space was needed for those that did. Some of the early finned designs were removed because they went out of style.

With the advent of the internet, we added many of those designs back. The finned boats include the L Capitan, L Dorado and Swish. Other designs that are no longer in our print catalog are Blue Fin, Dragster and  Missle.

At some point we also removed the Ski King but a couple of catalogs back, we added it back in as popularity picked up. I think that’s due in part to one of our Forum members, Dwain the Ski King. Thanks Dwain!

Today’s history photo is a design called “Ernie Too” that never made it in any catalog. Ernie is my cousin Darrell’s middle name and it was named after him. The Ernie Too was designed in 1945 by my dad as a project for his design course through Westlawn.

Glen designed this while he was stationed in Okinawa during World War II. The paper it was drawn on is some type of linen vellum, that was real nice. He said that the Army let the paper set out in the weather and most of it was ruined. You had to be careful not to get it wet as it would spot real easy. So while designing, he had to constantly wipe his brow to keep from ruining the paper.  He said they even soaked the paper in water to make handkerchiefs from it. It was really humid, so you needed them.

He remembers that his instructor, Gerald Taylor White, wrote him a letter about the design stating that it was “too modern”.

Apparantly my father gave copies of this design and several others to  Mr. Hall, a local marine dealer on consignment. The owner loaned dad quite a few clamps at the time and he wrote “Hall” on them so he’d be sure and return them to him. However, the dealer passed away shortly thereafter, so dad lost his designs but gained a bunch of clamps.

Anyway, the Ernie Too was a 22′-9″ planked design with a 7′-6″ beam. My, how things have changed! Plywood does indeed make building much easier! There are several other designs that are no longer published. Maybe we’ll share some in future articles…