 Classic
mahogany speedboats have come a long way since they surged
in popularity in the 1930s and ‘40s. Their once-knocking
ride has been smoothed out to an effortless skim across
the water–silken, fluid, and elegant. Newer marine
varnishes eliminate the need for refinishing of the wood.
Brass and bronze fittings stretch the design spectrum.
Post Falls boat builder Syd Young deserves much of the
credit for the transformation in such boats here.
In the boats he builds, Young, owner of Stan-Craft Boats,
Inc., has retained the classic look of the speedsters of
yesteryear, but has applied an entirely new design to the
underside of the boats’ hulls.
In the ‘80s, Young realized that boat owners were
disgruntled with the ride of the classic old speedsters.
The boats bounced off every wake, delivering a bone-pounding
ride.
"People loved the look of the old classic boats, but
once they bought one and rode in it a few times, the boat
would end up spending an inordinate amount of time at the
dock. People weren’t interested in smacking rides,
especially the older crowd," says Young.
 So,
Young worked on a hull design, deepening the forward V that
flattens to an aft undercarriage, making for a softer ride
through rough waters. His speedboats now slice through the
water, giving an incredibly smooth ride, even at a top speed
of 55 mph, he claims. The boats are sure footed and turn
in a remarkably tight radius at 45 to 50 mph, "like
they’re attached to a railroad track," says Young.
Stan-Craft is named after its founder, Stan Young, Sid
Young’s father. The company was launched in 1933 at
Flathead Lake, Montana, near Kalispell.
Stan-Craft struggled along in Flathead Lake until World
War II broke out. During the war years, supplies were limited,
which forced Stan Young to move to Seattle and work in the
boatyards to support his family. In his spare time, he worked
on the design of the Stan-Crafts there, picking up new ideas
for his own company. After the war, Stan returned to Flathead
Lake and started up Stan-Craft again.
Wooden boats fell out of favor in after the mid-‘60s.
Customers preferred Fiberglas to sleek mahogany. Stan-Craft
adapted and changed to the more modern material.
 By
1981, the economy became so bad that Stan-Craft moved from
Montana to Coeur d’Alene, hoping to find a better
business climate.
Coincidentally, in the 1981 movie "On Golden Pond,"
Henry Fonda prowled the waters near his family’s Adirondack
cabin in a gorgeous wooden boat. The movie, which starred
Katharine Hepburn, won three Academy Awards–and invigorated
the wooden-boat industry.
"I think the Fonda movie had a lot to do with getting
the boats off the dime," remembers Young. Overnight,
interest in wooden boats rekindled, and business picked
up.
In 1990, Stan-Craft moved to Post Falls.
During the boom times of the ‘90s, Stan-Craft took
off like one of the decade’s dotcoms, expanding and
perfecting its designs. The company makes about six to eight
boats a year now, and has no plans for any significant expansion.
 The
handmade boats have an air of quality. "These boats
are like building a Rolls-Royce," Young says. "They
can take anywhere from 1,000 to over 2,500 man-hours to
build; it just depends on the complexity and design of the
boat."
They could, indeed, be compared with a Rolls-Royce–both
in quality and price. These smooth rides start at around
$150,000 for a 25 foot runabout.
"It’s an expensive venture to buy one of these
boats," says Young.
Stan-Craft boats are made exclusively from African mahogany.
The boat company imports the wood from Ghana, on the west
coast of Africa. Right now it’s stockpiling the exotic
wood in case there’s a shortage sometime in the future.
 "The
woods have lots of ‘figure,’" a boat builder’s
term for the pattern in wood, says Young. "We have
some boards that resemble the stripes on a tiger."
Customers call from as far away as Saudi Arabia, Europe,
South Africa, and Australia, as well as from distant points
in the United States to order their one-of-a-kind boats.
Some order tenders for their mega-yachts. A tender is a
smaller boat on a yacht that’s used to go ashore.
Coeur d’Alene businessman Duane Hagadone and his wife,
Lola, have equipped their 205-foot yacht with a 28-foot
Stan-Craft tender, says Young.
Each Stan-Craft boat is hand-brushed with 15 coats of Epifanes,
a specialized marine varnish made in Holland. The last coat
is hard enough to buff out and shines with a glass-like
brilliance.
Only one coat a day can be applied and sanded. The varnish
will last two to three decades, if the boat is properly
cared for. Its only enemy is the sun and freezing temperatures.
 In
the Inland Northwest, Stan-Crafts must be pulled from the
water in mid- to late October so the wood can dry before
freezing temperatures arrive. Otherwise, if the boat is
left in the water or is still damp, the varnish will blister
when the moisture in the wood freezes.
Most of the boat’s parts are made in the Inland Northwest,
Young says. Post Falls upholsterer John Anderson, of Anderson’s
Upholstery, constructs the seats.
"We use Naugahyde instead of leather for the upholstery,"
explains Young. "Occasionally, someone will ask for
leather, but leather doesn’t stand up well. The sun
cracks it and it needs constant attention. Naugahyde is
much easier to care for and wears much longer. We use a
high-grade Naugahyde that looks and feels like real leather,
but doesn’t require the maintenance. We want people
to enjoy their boats and not have the constant upkeep."
 Since
1983, Stan Kaminski, of Kaminski Brass & Aluminum Foundry,
in Coeur d’Alene, has fabricated the brass and bronze
castings for Stan-Craft.
Six key Stan-Craft employees work on the boats, although
other workers help out in the production at different times
during the year.
Boat builders David Kaschmitter, Jim Brown, and Tom Baldwin
are responsible for much of the building of and finish work
on the boats are among those six key people; Randy Davis,
the chief mechanic, and Monty Hauk and Mitch DeVore, both
finishers, are the other three.
Stan-Craft offers a number of boat designs to choose from,
from a boat-tail style with a 620-horse engine to water
taxis, such as those that whisk golfers to and from the
floating green at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.
Other models include a traditional speedster with a barrel-back
stern; a utility or water-ski boat; a double-cockpit, with
seats forward of the engine; and a triple-cockpit, with
two seats forward of the engine and one behind.
 Young
has slightly graying hair, which belies his nearly 60 years.
His youthful spirit and willingness to change keeps his
boat designs ever changing.
"People make me be a better boat builder," he
says. "They force me to make a better product. I’m
willing to listen, and work, and improve the product that
makes the client happy. I accommodate and will deviate and
change the design. So often, designers get stuck in one
mode and refuse to change their design to adapt to new ideas.
 "For
instance, a client came to us wanting a different brass
design for the exhaust outlet. Instead of a plain brass
plate, he wanted something heavier and sculptured. We had
never thought about changing the design, but listened to
him and talked to Kaminski about casting a new exhaust port.
"Out of this suggestion came a work of art for the
exhaust. The body of the exhaust fitting has more contour
and shape, and body thickness–highly sculptured, more
art deco. It’s a casting now, not just a plate."
These luxurious, hand-built boats are made to be passed
down to future generations. Their comfort level is on a
par with their maneuverability. Stan-Crafts don’t
set speed records, but do set records for beauty and comfort.
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