Welcome! I’m very excited to share this story of the ‘Miss Janet’ with our Mahogany Bay fan club. This very special 1930 30′ Hacker Craft town-car limousine is one of a kind! It has been in my life since 1965. I was 12-years old. At the time, people believed my father’s love of classic boats was crazy. At the local marinas, they were burning classic boats because they had no value!

Hacker Craft was known for the finest in construction, design, ride, and specialized appointments. John Ludwig Hacker was also known as the Frank Lloyd Wright of naval architecture. His designs on the water began with floats for the Wright Brothers’ airplanes. He went on to build boats for the king of Siam, the best in race boats, and the iconic triple-crown commuters, Tempo, POSH, and Thunderbird.

This special Hacker Craft was delivered new to Rainy Lake, MN, as an island commuter. John T. Fitzgerald (as in John Fitzgerald Kennedy) wanted a suitable all-weather transport for his wife, Janet. The ‘Miss Janet’ was designed as a chauffeur driven town-car affair. The passenger salon was entered with two step-pads to a sliding rear entry step down into the cabin. It sports roll-down windows, hand-blown glass flower vases, and, of course, a cigar lighter as well. The dual doors that separate the chauffeur from the passenger kept it quiet and dry. The ‘Miss Janet’ is powered by its original 678 cubic inch 225 HP Kermath Seawolf. It delivered speeds over 40 mph at around 2,000 rpm.

The ‘Miss Janet’ was refinished at Tonka Bay Boatworks by Ken Luke in the winter of 1965. It was believed that this was the first time the boat had been stripped in its life. 100% of the original Honduras mahogany lumber is still in like-new condition. The original leather, with some wear and tear, is still intact, as is the original mohair lining of the passenger cabin. The instruments, steering wheel, and accessories have never been restored.

About 15-years ago, I took on the rebuilding of the Kermath so that I may take my father and his wife Marjorie on the Mississippi River to the Red Wing Boat Show sponsored by the Bob Speltz Land o’ Lakes Chapter. This is the first time the ‘Miss Janet’ had been relaunched since 1976 at the Lake Minnetonka Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous in its inaugural year, founded by yours truly. What a thrill to rekindle this original love affair for my dad and his bride! I’m excited to relaunch the ‘Miss Janet’ yet this season to again share a connection with the finest in craftsmanship and generational memories that go back over 50 years for myself.

In the following presentation from our archives, you will see original sales brochures and photographs that featured the ‘Miss Janet’, winner of the “Best Preserved Most Original Boat” award in the 10,000 Lakes Concours d’Elegance 2016 show. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. Thanks for subscribing to this, and more stories to come, at Mahogany Bay!

Nautically yours, F. Todd Warner.