The Willits Brothers and Their Canoes

Wooden Boat Craftsmen in Washington State, 1908-1967

Patrick F. Chapman (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

272 Seiten

2006
McFarland & Co Inc (Verlag)
978-0-7864-2573-0 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

Earl and Floyd Willits built some of the world's finest canoes, first in Tacoma, Washington, then on Day Island, right off of Puget Sound in Seattle. This combination biography and company history tells the story of Earl and Floyd Willits and their unique canoe company. It includes photographs from the Willits family collection.

For half a century Earl and Floyd Willits built some of the world's finest canoes, first in Tacoma, Washington, then on Day Island, right off of Puget Sound in Seattle. Turning out approximately twenty canoes a year, carefully logging and numbering each one, the brothers emphasized quality and design rather than volume. Willits Brothers Canoes earned a reputation that enabled the tiny company to compete successfully with businesses much larger, leaving a name and legacy which is still admired by canoe aficionados today. Carefully researched and documented, this combination biography and company history tells the story of Earl and Floyd Willits and their unique canoe company. Beginning with their family's westward migration from Iowa, it follows the brothers as they set about starting the business that would become their lifelong work. Close attention is given to the Willits' business management and construction techniques as well as their personal lives. Interviews with surviving contemporaries and family members add a personal dimension to the Willits' story. Appendices include a detailed company logbook, instructions from the Willits brothers on various areas of canoe maintenance, a price list of canoes from 1928 to 1964 and a list of serial numbers and dates of manufacture. In addition, a price comparison with the Old Town Canoe Company, a listing of museums exhibiting a Willits Brothers canoe and various plans of Willits canoes are provided. Contemporary photographs from the Willits family collection are also included.

Patrick F. Chapman is a professional fish biologist for Washington State and the proprietor of McFarland Lake Canoe Company where he restores Willits Brothers canoes. He lives in Olympia, Washington.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword by Jerry Stelmok

Preface

I. The Brothers

1. Childhood and Family Matters

2. Early Washington Years

3. A Canoe Company Is Born

4. Serious Business and the Business of War

5. Second to None: The Day Island Years

6. Marriages

7. End of an Era

8. Lost Opportunities

II. The Canoes

9. The Sincerest of Flattery

10. Hand Made, or Machine Made? Manufacturing Methods and Canoe Details

11. People Prefer Willits Canoes to All Others

12. Willits Canoes Today: Availability, Repairs, Restoration

Appendices

1. Willits Brothers Canoe Company Logbook

2. Instructions for Refinishing Canoe

3. Instructions for Sailing Accessories

4. Instructions for Portaging Yoke

5. Instructions for Repairing Planking

6. Prices of Willits Brothers Canoe Company Canoes and Accessories,

1928–1964

7. Price Comparison of Willits Brothers Canoe with Old Town Canoe Company OTCA, 17 Foot, AA Grade or Equivalent Canoe, 1915–1964

8. Willits Brothers Canoe Serial Numbers and Year of Manufacture

9. Serial Number Codes Stamped on Inside Stem of Willits Brothers Canoes, 1934–1963

10. Museums with Willits Canoes in Their Collection

11. Plans of Willits Brothers Canoes

12. 1926–1928 Catalog of the Willits Brothers Canoe Company

13. 1951 Catalog of the Willits Brothers Canoe Company

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	30.11.2006
Zusatzinfo	100 photographs, tables
Verlagsort	Jefferson, NC
Sprache	englisch
Themenwelt	Natur / Technik ► Fahrzeuge / Flugzeuge / Schiffe ► Schiffe
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte
	Technik ► Fahrzeugbau / Schiffbau
ISBN-10	0-7864-2573-3 / 0786425733
ISBN-13	978-0-7864-2573-0 / 9780786425730
Zustand	Neuware