|
Jet Stream Boats
by Lee Wangstad
It all started a month ago. I had been visiting www.fiberglassics.com
and had taken an excursion into the Mystery Boats section. This is
definitely my favorite area of the site. People in need of more
information about their boat send in photographs of whatever boat
they own, or are possibly looking to buy. Kelly Wood, amiable
webmaster of the site then posts the photos and assigns a number in
hopes of a reply from someone who can shed any light on its
identity. This is where the weird stuff shows up. Mystery Boat #37
was accompanied by a plea on the message board from a frustrated
owner that had just run out of places to turn for information. He
loved his boat, had already initiated his restoration, but was
lacking many details as to hardware, lineage, just what in Heaven's
name was it and where did it come from? As I looked at the picture
of the small (14') runabout, there was something very familiar about
it, but I just didn't have a very strong grasp of what it was.
A couple of days after I had first viewed this boat on the
Fiberglassics site, the owner posted another message stating that he
had peeled a label off of the steering wheel and underneath was the
name "Jet Stream". Sure enough, looking through the
collection of brochures that Bob Speltz had given me, I had two
brochures, one from 1960 and the other from 1961, covering the
complete line of Jet Stream boats.
On the second page of the 1961 literature was the match for Mystery
Boat #37, the Jet Stream Bomarc. The Bomarc, a small sports runabout
cut low and close to the water, was definitely the hot boat of the
lineup. The pictures in the folder showed the boat with a 1960
Evinrude 75hp fat four, a lot of engine for such a small boat.
What caught my interest was that this company was in the process of
expanding from 1960 to 1961, and then the information stopped. Had
they been bought out? Swallowed up by a merger? It didn't make much
sense to me. But what really aroused my curiosity was a small line
at the bottom of the last page of the 1961 catalog that stated:
"Manufactured By Red Wing Fiberglass Products Co., Red Wing,
Minnesota".
To me, this meant that my involvement would run deeper than just
copying the information and forwarding it off in the mail to an
anxious owner. Telling myself that I would have to pursue this at a
time more convenient, I filed the information away.
This was another Minnesota boat, which lately have become important
to me. While there are those out there I'm sure are waiting for
something on Glasspar or Glastron and some of the other
"big" national companies, I'm finding that these small
regional brands collectively made formidable competition for the
name brands that we are perhaps more familiar with.
In the 1961 brochure was a picture of
Henry Von Westerhuyzen, "one of America's top boat stylists and
fibreglass fabricators." I tried to follow up on Henry but to
no avail. Then, while doing something that at the time seemed
totally unrelated, everything fell together. I was talking with
Chuck Meyer, former Sales Manager with Pipestone Sales,
manufacturers of Pipestone boats, and he kept referring to Van, who
was running the shop at their plant during the late fifties. When I
inquired as to who exactly Van was, Chuck dropped the name Henry Von
Westerhuyzen!
Mr. Westerhuyzen had begun his career in the marine industry with
Pipestone Sales, located of course, in Pipestone, Minnesota (another
story I'll relate at another time), and while pretty much calling
the technical shots, was wanting out and into something where he had
more control. This "out" came in the form of an order from
Inland Marine of Minneapolis, who wanted an exclusive line of
fiberglass boats to sell at their Minneapolis dealership. Inland
Marine was carrying a full line of boats that included Century and
Larson, and this new line would complement them nicely.
Dick Tittle, president of Midwest
Marine, builders of Mariner Boats and former president of the North
Central Marine Association, helped me to get the record straight on
Henry's set up. The Red Wing Development Corporation offered a low
interest loan for a building in the newly developed Red Wing
Industrial Park. This was the first building to be located in the
new park and city fathers were anxious to see something happen. Even
with Henry Von Westerhuyzen's impressive background in the business,
the City of Red Wing put a requirement that he have orders for at
least 200 boats before they would sign a deal. Inland Marine and
Midwest Marine placed the initial orders for the required number of
boats to be built at this new plant.
1960, the first year of production
for Jet Stream boats saw five runabouts based on two hulls, 15' and
17' in length, along with three fishing boats. The 15' boats were
the Titan Series, featuring the Ski-About and the Runabout. The
Runabout came equipped with back to back seating and a canvas top,
while the Ski-About was more spartan in appointments. The 17' boats
were the Atlas Series, with the Ski-About, Ski-About Deluxe, and at
the top of the line the Atlas Runabout. Maximum horsepower ratings
for the Titan boats was 60hp and the Atlas series could handle 80hp.
Easily traceable to their Pipestone
heritage, they had a somewhat "cleaner" appearance in
their styling than the Pipestone boats. Another departure from the
Pipestone boats was the hull. The new Jet Stream hull featured a
lapstrake fore-foot (front 1/3 of the hull) combined with a smooth
hardchine planing area which would assure the lucky owner of a
"Jet-O-Way start, fast planing, clean running, greater load
carrying capacity, as well as comfort and safety on turn." How
could you even consider anything else?
In 1961 these boats were joined by
the 19' Saturn Cruiser as the new flagship of the line, and the
Bomarc, aimed directly at the go fast-feel young market. Another
addition in 1961 was a sailboat, a small 15 footer built for inland
waters.
As witnessed by other boat
manufacturers, growth creates an insatiable appetite for capital.
The Industrial Development Corporation was able to front enough
money for two building expansions, but more working capital was
necessary if Jet Stream was going to make any significant
improvements in production.
Just as a Twin City brokerage house was about to make an initial
offering of Jet Stream stock, the federal government clamped down on
these risky investments. Looking elsewhere for investors, Henry Von
Westerhuyzen made some difficult choices in looking for cash
backers.
What you have to understand is that
Henry was a technical person. He understood the fiberglass
technology as well as anyone else in the business at that time. He
had his own ideas, his own way of doing things. Up until then he had
been in complete control. He found out what many in the same
position in the marine market had learned before him: while the
influx of cash from outside sources may be sweet, the compromises
involved in policy can be bitter.
With his energies focused on increased production and new
technology, the business end of the operation was collapsing around
him. The FBI became involved in an investigation of his new partner.
While this partner was later acquitted, it would force the sale of
the plant and end the production of Jet Stream boats.
The publicity surrounding the case
left Red Wing in shock. Frustrated beyond hope, Henry Von
Westerhuyzen left the marine business forever, later retiring to
Florida, where he passed away.
Today his boats live on. If Henry was
still with us, he would be amazed to see photographs of his boats
being launched from these mystery pages, far out in cyberspace, a
place where unknowns linger, searching to find their lost identity.
Unlike so many unclaimed and forgotten memories, these mystery boats
have new meaning, they are important, they are alive.
Lee Wangstad©2000
|
|
