I'm originally from outside a small town in south GA, Nashville. I believe the largest employer in that area (Berrien County) is the Chaparral Boat Plant. A cousin was an OTR driver for them, delivering boats all over the country. His worst nightmare was driving a loaded trailer full of boats directly into downtown Manhattan. I guess he missed the bypass.
@Jake Smith, that's the company. They are much bigger than they were when I worked for them. The company started the year I graduated from high school and this was one of my first jobs.
They really look like a great boat to me, as you say they have been around a while and have gotten bigger since you were with them. You made me try to remember my first job after you said that.
I don't like driving downtown in any large cities, and I'm sure pulling a trailer load of boats, would make it even worse.
My father started a business in the early 1960s selling and servicing boats and outboard motors. He didn't have enough time for both jobs and gave it up after a few years. I think they only delivered 2 on this load. Summer vacation on Jack Lake, north of Peterborough, Ontario. I think this was a 17' AristoCraft Funliner, but not sure. All I inherited was a 60 year old 12' aluminum fishing boat (picture posted elsewhere here) and 5 hp Gale outboard motor. Serial number indicates mfg date 1957. It hasn't been started since the late 1980s. The biggest fish I ever caught was a 2 lb bass on our pond. I forgot to measure the size of its mouth.
Neat you kept the pictures so long. We had 3 aluminum boats on our lake. Mama opened up a fishing lake business, but I don't think it did that well far as boat rentals, but we did have shore fishermen.
Those are fantastic, Nancy, I bet that 5 hp Gale would still run well, I was one y.o., back when it was made. Things were made to last back then. I love the way you can just feel the "times back then", just by viewing older photos.
Truckers also don't like to go thru Atlanta either. I worked as a waitress at a truck stop and they use to talk about how bad certain areas were. We see boat haulers on the roads here often.
I have posted this picture somewhere on SoF before, but this is my dad and my oldest son. This was in a pond on my dad's farm that was about 7 acres (man made) and had a couple of islands in it. That old aluminum boat was stored at the pond so the grandkids could go fishin' any time they wanted. A fisherman can easily see that grandpa "assisted" this catch.
So cute, its fun to see kids learning new things and enjoying the outdoors. I rode many times in one of those boats on our lake.