It’s not often one gets to be emotional about storage. But thanks to Don Hardy from McCall Boat Works and his side business Shamrock Classic Boat Storage we can get about as close to an emotion as one can get…
The story starts the same way all these sort of stories start.. With a call from a pal… Here is the story in Dons words…
A friend called me to let me know that there was a boat inbetween two buildings……….in Boise, Idaho. This was before Boise got to be a big city. I slowed down and I found it.
There it was. I could see the tan boat cover and blue tarp flapping in the wind.
Then…………the wood.
I went to the manager of the storage unit. He was kind enough to give me the owners’ name and number. He was a rancher from Ketchum, Idaho. As I got closer to the boat I could not believe what I found; a 1947 CC 17′ Deluxe with a tri-carb KBL!! 
Not only that but it was sitting in its’ original shipping cradle!! Get that!!
This boat was as original as original gets. All the way from the cradle to the varnish to the bottom paint……all original.
I called the owner whom informed me she was “not for sale”.
I told him i was a wood boat nut and I would go to Wal-Mart down the street and buy a new cover and tarp for it in order to protect it.
He did not understand why I would do that. I told him I did not want to see an all original perfect boat go grey from the elements. It would be a privelege to cover it. He then asked me if I had a better place to store the boat. Of course we do! We have an 18,000 square foot shop with dirt floors just waiting for boats just like his!! He said to hook her up and take her to her new home in McCall.
That was 8 years ago. He still pays monthly went. I still send him a friendly reminder that it sure would be nice to see his boat all cleaned up and floating on Payette Lake. However, the same thing for 8 years……….no response! One of these days she will be brought back to her prime! What a find!!
Enjoy more images
Hey Vinnie, I hear there's a real nice boat sitting in storage that the owner has never gone down to see in like 8 years. Think he'd ever notice if its gone missing to someplace like NY? See if some of the boys are free on Sunday.
No kidding……….
yep! never hear from him but he is true to his word……!
Maybe he'll leave it to you in his will. In the mean time it must have some special place in his heart if he insists on not selling it, yet still pays for indoor storage.
Good story! Very interesting! It must be the Idaho climate that helped preserve this one, although the upholstery doesn't appear to be original (correct color but incorrect welting on seat backs). It's a late '47, the instruments were relocated about mid-year.
WoodyBoater has a knack for telling stories, can make any story interesting, from woodyboat storage to barbie-dolls.
Isn't storage the most important part of a boats life and the largest factor in a boats longevity? I know that my boats spend more time in storage, being a norhtern woodyboater. I can always get misty eyed about storage. The more inside storage I have the more boats I can get with the long term hope of getting to their restoration. In a long term process many circumstances can intervene. A good barn increases the chance for a good barn find. Long live the Storage.