By Sam Long

A runabout is a small wooden motorboat that originally dates back to 1910. These boats are known for their beautiful design, high speeds and vast amounts of varnish.

History of runabouts

In 1910 Smith Ryan boat company, early Chris craft came out with a fast wooden boat called a runabout. These boats were Originally made from gar woods and were between 12 and 19 feet long. These boats were designed or weekend sport use with speeds up to 12 knots, which was extremely fast for the early 1900’s. Up to 1930’s most all were made of wood, after that wooden boats became increasingly rare being replaced aluminum and steel that were later repacked with fiberglass.

Inboards vs outboards

Notable Runabout and significant

Runabouts are classic boats that have a cult following, are collectible, and show craftsmanship of people who are dedicated to boats. Some notable runabouts include early Chris crafts which were long and had inboard engines. Today these boats are seen as works of art with some made for cruising and others made for speed, both will give you a thumbs up from people around you. Runabouts show you what boats looked like before most boats were made of fiberglass in giant factories, they show what it was like back in that time.

Inboards vs outboards

originally runabouts had inboards engines

In conclusion runabout are classic boats which played an important role in nautical history as a revolutionary speed tender that combined natural beauty with the speed of man-made machines.