Classic boats on display at Woody Weekend

When Larry Schroeder moved to Kalispell in the early 1990s, he couldn’t resist curiosity after spotting a beat-up boat on the side of Highway 35 South.

“It looked like it might not make it, it even had a tree growing out of the damn thing,” he said, laughing.

Growing up in Miami in the 1950s, Schroeder spent most of his youth on the water. When he was 14 years old, his parents got him a wood boat, and throughout high school he and his friends goofed off on their parents’ boats, the kind he now calls “classics-to-be.”

The beat-up boat he found along Flathead Lake, as it turns out, was a classic with some local history.

After some research, Schroeder discovered it was a StanCraft Daycruiser, a 25-foot wooden boat built in 1947 in Kalispell. Named “The Barb” — a play on both Schroeder’s wife’s name, Barbara, and his love for fishing — the boat is No. 6 of the 17 built between 1946 and 1953. According to Schroeder, it had originally been used for commercial fishing for kokanee salmon on Flathead Lake.

With a little help from Sid Young, son of StanCraft founder Stan Young, and a few others, Schroeder restored the boat, repairing the hull and installing a new motor and electronics.

Schroeder’s boat, and dozens more, will be on display this weekend during Whitefish Woody Weekend V, hosted by the Big Sky chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS). Hosted by The Lodge at Whitefish Lake for the fifth year, the three-day event will feature 28 classic wood boats, 21 of which come from outside Flathead Valley.

The event will begin Friday with a parade ride around Whitefish Lake at 8 p.m. All 28 boats will be on display at The Lodge from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday, and on Sunday there will be a poker run and a barbecue on the beach. Awards will be given out to boat owners, including a people’s choice award.

“We look at Whitefish Woody Weekend as the unnofficial beginning of summer,” said Tim Salt, who manages the event. “This is an event where the boat owners can go out and have fun on their boats. As beautiful as these boats are sitting at the dock, they’re made to be in the water.”

For boat owners, it’s a chance to show off a piece of art while also getting on the water with others who share their passion.

“All of us who own boats have some sort of connection,” said Salt. “Part of that connection may be on the water, but another part may also be just recognizing and appreciating and wanted to preserve the fine craftsmanship and detail that went into these boats.”