WHITEFISH – The wooden boat sitting in Lorne Kermath’s driveway last week shone as the sunshine hit its lacquered surface, but the real sparkle about the boat came from Kermath.
The 14-foot 1955 Curly Craft is made from mahogany, with blonde panels running up the bow to complement the wood’s natural, darker color used on the rest of the boat.
When he bought it in the early 1990s, it was a workable husk. He added the seats, the original hardware, and the antique motor. And when asked how many hours it took him to get the boat back into perfect shape, Kermath could only laugh.
“I can’t even guess,” he said.
The boat is beautiful, and Kermath said it looks even better in the water, like it will be during the fourth annual Whitefish Woody Weekend, which takes place from June 26-29 and is put on by the Big Sky Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.
The weekend event begins with a wooden boat cruise on Flathead Lake on June 26, starting at 8 p.m., followed by all 36 boats on public display at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake on June 27 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On June 28, the boats will participate in a poker run around Whitefish Lake.
Whitefish Woody Weekends came to the Flathead four years ago, when the local chapter of the ACBS realized they needed to spur more involvement in their group. Event director Tim Salt said the show has been a success thus far, with the number of entries steadily growing each year.
The first show saw 22 boats, and this year it sold out of space at 36 boats.
“We’re real proud of the diversity that we have in the boats,” Salt said.
Both Salt and Kermath, who is also a member of ACBS, said the show hits the organization’s top three missions, which are to preserve, restore, and educate about wooden boats.
“Every boat (in the show) has a little different facet to it,” Kermath said. “The boats are different and there are all walks of life participating.”
And while the boats are nice to look at, they are even more impressive when used for their original purpose, Kermath said, because it shows off the elegance, craftsmanship and essence of a wooden watercraft.
For Kermath, putting in the work on the boat is a labor of love, but it’s also worth the blissful freedom of boating on the water.
“Going out in the evening and cruising the lakeshore, whether you’re going fast or slow, is just one of the coolest things I know,” he said.
For more information on Whitefish Woody Weekend IV, call 406-871-4195 or contact [email protected].