The Speakeasy is the latest offering from Fitzke Wood Boards, a small Minnesota based company run by Kevin Fitzke. Kevin was born and raised in Minnesota, known as the land of 10,000 lakes (which he spent countless days exploring), and he spent much of his life admiring the sleek mahogany speedboats of the 1930s. In…
The Dobbertin HydroCar is an amphibious vehicle that took 10 years to develop with over $1 million USD invested in research, development, and construction. The HydroCar can be driven on land for extended periods thanks to its articulated sponsons (side pontoons) that can be raised or lowered. In the raised position the four wheels are…
At first glance this 1958 Ice Speedster looks like a prop from one of the original Star Wars films. In fact I wouldn’t be at all surprised if George Lucas had encountered one and used it as a base for the X-34 Landspeeder driven by Luke Skywalker on Tattoine. Snow Planes Those of you from…
The Tupolev A-3 Aerosledge The Tupolev A-3 Aerosledge is an unusual curiosity from the depths of the cold war, the CIA and MI6 doubtless had thick folders on the craft as it was used for collecting both cosmonauts and crashed pilots in the remote areas of Siberia. Alexei Tupolev of the Tupolev Design Bureau originally developed…
The Rapid Whale Mini Boat is a kit-built, single-seat watercraft designed to be assembled at home by novice builders. The main parts are all precision laser cut marine-grade plywood, and it’s held together with epoxy construction. The manufacturer explains that it’s designed to last a lifetime, not just a single summer at the lake or…
The idea of taking an aircraft engine capable of over 1000 hp and bolting it into the front of a hydroplane is clearly insane. But in the interwar years in Europe, the battles taking place on the water to set new records and win races had very few restrictions – particularly in the aptly named…
The Amphicar is a 100% amphibious car built by the Germans in the 1960s, and lovingly described by their owners as “the fastest car on the water and the fastest boat on the road”. This joke is a reference to the somewhat stately 7 mph top speed on water and 70 mph top speed on…
Van Dam Boats Van Dam was founded in 1977 with a singular purpose – to build the best wooden power and sail boats in the world. The company is based in Boyne City, Michigan where two generations of the same family build classically-styled launches with craftsmanship at a level we more commonly associate with Lake…
This is a model of Nautilus, the legendary submarine from the Jules Verne classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was created by Harper Goff’s close friend and protégé Tom Scherman, and presented to Goff as a gift. For the unfamiliar, Harper Goff was the cinematic art director who designed the Nautilus as it appeared…
Kevin Fitzke runs Fitzke Paddleboards out of a one-man workshop in Minnesota, each of his creations are handmade in very limited numbers – and as a result you’re very unlikely to bump into anyone else on shore with the same board. The Bootlegger is named after the legendary Baby Bootlegger speedboat, a 1920s era racing…
I don’t think there’ll be any significant protest when I say that speedboat design peaked in the mid-20th century. Of course, the materials, engines, and hydrodynamics, have all improved considerably in the decades since. However, when it comes to style and design, you just can’t beat a svelte mahogany speedboat with brass fittings, analog gauges,…
This 10 minute film covers the 1949 Albany to New York Outboard Marathon Race, an event with dozens of entrants in multiple classes, making the not-insignificant trip up the Hudson River from New York to Albany. It’s a journey of over 150 miles by water – and you can only imagine how challenging it would be…
