So Dave, when is that Cobra going to get finished? (More on the Cobra Story!) Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that in the past eight years? Frequently would be an understatement. It's been five winters now since I started this improbable task for an amateur, but this is not exactly how it all got started. Like all of you, it started somewhere, and it wasn't with the Cobra. Like many of you it started a long time ago. My experiences probably began by spending my summers at my grandmother's cottage on Lake Sallie near Detroit Lakes, MN. We always had an Ole Lind rowboat with our 5 hp Mercury. My cousin was king because he had an Ole Lind with a front deck on it and a 10 hp Mercury, that when we could start it, we would have a great time skiing behind. And Bruce from across the lake had a 15' Thompson with a twenty-five horse Evinrude. Boy! We could even ski double behind that. Do you suppose the fact that we weighed only about 70lbs each could have assisted that? The killer on our lake though was Mr.Ultiegs inboard Falls Flyer, what a sight to see and hear. These are the memories that many of us have in wood boats. For me, that memory laid dormant for many years.
The first real restoration project came in the late seventies when I rescued the family Ole Lind and basically did a scrape and paint job. Not to bad but the bug had not really bitten yet. I didn't even know what to do with the boat when I was done with it. I think it sunk in a storm and I just gave it away! Oh gosh, can I have that back please!
In 1987 I was driving down a new street in Fargo and it took me past the construction yard of an acquaintance of mine. Something caught my eye. It turned out to be a 1948 Century Deluxe Utility. That's when the bug hit me. To me, the restoration looked easy. I make the deal, drag it home, only to have Lance Johnson tell me I was crazy. "You mean Lance I need to replace all the wood?" Mr. Johnson had been down this road before; he knew what I was in for. Here is where I became acquainted with the likes of Bob Speltz, Tom Juul and the Land-O-Lakes chapter as well as all of the other magazines and publications that are so crucial to this process. Not only are they an incredible source of information, but the lasting friendships I have made are perhaps more valuable than our toys themselves. That project got completed and provided many hours of enjoyment.

The Century was not quite complete when project #2 appeared. In a vacant lot in Moorhead MN. (across the river from Fargo) sat an outboard. After some research I found out it was a 1959 16' Cruiser Inc. In bad shape but I found that the lapstrake hull really did something for me. Like the Century, this was going to be a project, although completely different from the Century. The Cruiser took about a year and a half to complete. We put a 1959 Merc dockbuster on it and boy did we have fun. I could hardly wait for our 4th of July boat parade on Lake Pelican (Pelican Rapids). The Century was already in the parade driven by my brother, and my wife Bonnie and I are late getting to the starting point. At wide-open throttle the water pump goes out and the engine is almost cooked. Terry Jenson of Jensons Auto and Marine rebuilt the engine the next week and we just barely made it to the Whitefish show at Manhattan Beach. What a great show it was. Timing is everything, and being the good Norwegian that I am I sold the boat, then, 30 minutes later it won best outboard. Not to worry, I had two boats at the show that year. The other was a dryland display…the Cobra. It was beautiful even in its "grey ghost" condition. Anyone remember?