Underwater Footage 61 yo Correct Craft(?) Wreck

CorrectCraftFan was recently contacted by Maritime Heritage Minnesota( MHM), a 501.c(3) organization dedicated to the documentation and preservation of Minnesota's finite maritime archaeological resources. Much of their work has taken place in Lake Minnetonka where they have 55 wrecks and counting. Two of the wrecks are known to be Correct Crafts, one from the late 1940s and the other is a 1954 Aqua Skier Deluxe.

There is one other wreck, which may be a Correct Craft and they need your help identifying it. They have provided some really amazing underwater video footage exploring the wreck.

According to MHM, the hull is faux lapstrake aluminum and is fitted out with wood gunwales, deck, doghouse. In the silt next to the wreck they found 2 Correct Craft step pads.

MHM, believes that Correct Craft had kits, at least in the late 1940s, and it has occurred to them that this way be a kit boat from Correct Craft but the owner used an aluminum hull instead of wood. The inboard in a Ford Interceptor. The boat also has a mid-1950s Morse Controller and the bow light and mast are Nautalloy from 1959.

This wreck does not have a registration number, which leads MHM to think it sank in May-June 1959 (as Minnesota required all boats to be registered on July 1, 1959 and they were very serious about registrations). The name is visible on the transom when the silt is cleared away and reads DOUG OUT.







I know we're the perfect group to help out Maritime Heritage Minnesota solve this mystery

Thank you!

-Keith

Pretty cool videos!

Pete,
Here is the response from MHM ....

Hey Keith - We've dove on the wreck several times and our debate was whether she was fiberglass or aluminum. Her hull is not made of wood. We confirmed on Wednesday that she is definitely aluminum - and that's why finding the two Correct Craft step pads surprised us. I've dove on her myself and I initially thought she was fiberglass. Chris dove on her last week and found the bow rivets and the grey aluminum under the hull paint. The faux lapstrake design is just that - faux lapstrake. There are no seams between the 'planks' since there are no planks, except those making up the wooden deck and the inner hull details. I'll check with our volunteers to see if they have any close-up footage of the hull. I shot some close-up footage last year but my file got corrupted, sadly. I'll send you a link if we can get some.   Thanks so Pete for his input - could she be a one-off aluminum-hulled Aqua Deluxe? - Ann

Think it's stuck Pete? Should we soak the cylinders with ATF/Acetone?

DrCC wrote: More info about Morse controls.    In the mid 50's Morse had the Dual control. The single lever Morse control was not patented until 1960.

Interesting piece of info. My Atom Skier had the single lever Morse when I bought it. Have never been sure if it's a 59 or 60 but it carries a USCG registration of 1960 so that's it. As I remember the engine is a 59 block. I think the engine in the pic is a Yblock because they had the round flame arrestors.. I see nothing but a wood hull specially at the stem area where you can see a distinction planks meet stem. Seems a bit pointed in the bow but could be just the camera perspective, The splash guards look very much like correct craft of the era.

If these boats have no registration numbers they can only belong to one person, Reid P.

There are just too many similarities to a Aqua Skier for this not to be a Aqua Skier. Hull lines, deck, windshield, cockpit bulkhead, helm wheel, etc. I now feel it is an Aqua that has been skinned over with aluminum and I doubt the factory did it. The bow nav light and the pennant staff looks original as well.

On both the Atom and the Aqua in the era, the pylons were an option.

Art was able to speak with Walt and he is quite certain that CC never had anything to do with building an aluminum hull or being aware of anyone cladding or fabricating an aluminum boat.

If MHM was able to check for the hull ID, given the engine box is already open, that will solve the mystery. Per Art's suggestion, I'm going to provide MHM with the detailed location and see if they can remove enough silt to determine a) if it has a hull ID plaque where is should and b) if it does, is the hull ID a Correct Craft.

-Keith