The Scow: A 1948 Clyde 16’ Plywood Pressed Mahogany Hull
Andy White
My father, now passed away, built this boat in our garage in Detroit, Michigan during the winter of 1948. He bought the plywood pressed mahogany hull and added all the rest including the transom, gunnels, deck, and seats. I remember my mother running back and forth from the house to the garage with hot boiled water to pour into the eaves trough that contained the 1 x 3" oak gunnels wrapped with towels to hold in the steam. Then they quickly removed the gunnels from the eaves trough and clamped and brass screwed them in place.
I remember we ran the new boat in the Detroit River and then took it up to our cottage just north of Goderich, ON (Lake Huron). As kids, we ran the Clyde up and down the beach for a few years; then around 1970, we put The Scow (as we nicknamed it) away as my father had built a Sunfish sailboat. We sailed for several years, and then my younger brother, Jim took the old boat out from under the boathouse and washed it up in the lake. He then convinced my dad to buy a newer outboard motor for it. The young kids from next door came over and excitedly said, “The Whites have a new boat!” We all laughed at this and continued to get the old boat ready – again – for the water.
We still run the boat at our cottage just north of Goderich and continue to lovingly maintain and repair it. We run a 35 horsepower Merc on it so it does fly through the water.