American Pickers

[Bill Basler]

I have a new favorite TV show. Just ask my wife and kids. It's called American Pickers, and it is on the History Channel.

I know that we are all bonding over boats here on Boat Buzz, but I also know that there are a number of us who are also involved with cars, planes, tractors, motorcycles, etc.

American Picker is about two guys who travel across the US, asking permission to enter every interesting barn/shed that they come across. Their goal is to find treasures, and they often do.

Sometimes the finds are fascinating. Especially as they find a 1917 Indian Motorcycle in a protective crate inside one of the barns.

After watching several episodes, I was always intrigued that these guys were always shown traveling through eastern Iowa, or western Illinois. It does make sense after all, as there are barns and sheds at every turn. After google searching their company, Antique Archeology, it turns out, these guys are base about 45 minutes from here in a little Mississippi River town, LeClaire, Iowa.

I have talked with them via phone several times now.

Now, go back a few years. I found my 1936 Gar Wood Utility on a piece of Iowa agricultural property. The owner of the property had 270-something cars and somewhere around 40-something antique tractors. And one Gar Wood—now mine! I chased after this boat for several years, many times giving up thinking it was an urban legend.

As I have gotten to know these guys I was tempted to tell them about this property...this little secret of mine. Before I could, I started watching prior episodes online, and low and behold, on one episode they were "picking" an old woody pickup from the exact same property.

Luckily I was about three years earlier! These guys have found many old Indians and Harleys. Conventional cycles, old, old, single cylinder models from the early 1900s, trikes, sidecars. You name it they have found it.

I haven't seen them "pick" any boats yet. I have a feeling they're out there too. One just needs a lot of time, and x-ray vision to see into all of the old barns.

[farupp]

Fantastic show. We have been watching it for a few weeks. If you like antiques and barn discoveries of any kind you'll love this show.

[djeller]

Don't tell Matt Smith. They were in Maryland on this week's show. A jewel of a boat surely is in the future.

[Wood Commander]

After the one guy bummed out buying the old Plymouth business coupe for $5000.00, they might shy away from vehicles or other big ticket items for a while.
At least they were playing it up as a big dissapointment on the show after talking to a couple of car guys about their new purchase.
But I wouldn't be suprised if they end up making out alright on it. A little drama makes for good TV.

[Ken Miller]

That is absolutely my favorite show, and it is hilarious how it has been proclaimed as such by those around me and has dominated conversations in the past two weeks.

I can actually remember as a child asking/getting for Christmas a TINY Magnavox B&W television for my own bedroom so that I could get away from my older brother who'd barge into the house, change the television channel to whatever he wanted and then collapse onto the couch and dare anyone object. It seems like it was Tuesday (?) evenings that would find me in my room manipulating the aerial antenna to try to get the local PBS station so that I could find my (then) favorite television show.......This Old House. I recently looked and it turns out I was watching the first nationally broadcasted season of This Old House, a renovation of an old Victorian in Boston. That was waaaaaaaaaay before the craze of DIY television took hold.

Now, this week, I find that my hurly-burly big brother who's never stepped foot inside an antique auction calls American Pickers his favorite show, too.

It snowed in Hell this week, I hear.

Ken Miller

[mattbyrne]

So Bill, when they by the first woody will you be the guy that comes and tells them if they got it a good price or will they be buying for you?

Being from Iowa I always get a kick at trying to identify road signs to see where they are.

[dustoff135]

I love this show also, but my wife just doesn't get it. Must be a female thing. I'm impressed by his knowledge base, especially with the old bikes.

They did a small article about these guys in the USA Today recently and it imlpied that not a lot of money was made by doing this. I'm sure that will change with the popularity of the show. Anyway, who cares, a treasure hunt every day.

[Bill Basler]

Shows like this are not really money makers, although the attention that it brings to your business might be.

In fact, it any of us wanted to do something similar with old boats....Let's call it Rot Pickers...we would have to write a premise, write the script for the pilot, hire a film crew, travel, shoot, edit, submit a pilot master to the History Channel (or others). Then, if they feel we had a marketable show, they might consider picking it up and funding the series. But, of course, they would have to feel confident in who they can attract as advertisers.

Another such example is Dennis Gage, the handlebar mustache guy of "My Classic Car" fame. I know that Dennis creates pretty much a turnkey program, even down to attracting Grundy as a sponsor.

Believe me, I have thought of this for the wooden boat segment. If one took a "pickers" type of approach, it would have to be somewhat staged, as the chances of <i>really</i> stumbling on a pre war triple cockpit are getting fewer and farther between.

And Matt, so far, the only boat they have consulted me on was a 1964 Evinrude Gull Wing. This boat was actually towed to their shop, and they called me asking whether it could be bought for $1,000 and moved along at a profit.

Fun stuff, even if it doesn't pay the bills. I am glad to see I am not the only one watching. My kids were sure that I was.[/i]

[farupp]

Bill, in another lifetime I was part-owner of and ran a vintage car racing organization. We put together a deal with "Speedvision," now the Speed Channel, to do a monthly show featuring our races. It lasted a year and wasn't renewed as it didn't create enough viewers. But it did lead to their coverage of the Monterey Historic Races and the Barrett-Jackson auctions.

They also had a show for a while about vintage wooden boats. I don't remember what it was called but it only ran for a few months and slowly disappeared from their line-up. Not sexy enough I guess.

I'm sure many of us remember "Junkyard Dogs." Another one of my favorite shows; that was on the Discovery Channel if I remember. One challenge was to have each team build a "race boat."

[Bill Basler]

I do remember most of this. I watched Speed network a while back as they interviewed Speedvision founder founder Roger Werner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiIZRQYWbGE

In the interview, Werner mentioned that his original vision for Speedvision was a male targeted, motorhead channel, featuring cars, airplanes and boats.

It looks as though cars caught on with airplanes and boats less so. Presumably this would be because of the larger auto audience and the huge auto parts, maintenance and aftermarket business.

[farupp]

We did our deal with Werner when his office was in Connecticut. What you said about his vision was exactly what he told us.

He sold the company and made a good profit. The Speed Channel now goes the pretty much where the money and viewers are. It's obvious they focus on speed with NASCAR, Formula One, Grand Prix motorcycles races, trucks, automotive modification shows, etc. And, it works.

[Reginald Down]

Before Speedvision succommed to Fox and NASCAR, America's Cup veteran and two time winning navigator aboard Dennis Conner's "Stars & Stripes", Peter Isler hosted a show called Speedvision Classics.

I remember that Peter did a great job hosting the informative series, which often focused on the antique and classic boat hobby, as well as all forms of classic gearhead related subjects.

Ah yes, the good old days of Speedvision before shows like Pimp My Ride, etc.

[dustoff135]

Picking and Barn finds. Good luck!

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/boa/1621251584.html

[Al Benton]

I wonder how many folks looked at this guy's collection of stuff. Wow, he has quite a collection of Chris-Craft hardware, some of it is hard to find items.

The windshield kind of makes you wonder, was he hoping to run across an old barn find Holiday to put under it? There was someone on Boat Buzz not long ago looking for one of those, I believe.

Al

[clarks]

Some months ago I ran an add looking for a 23ft holiday windshield with no replys. Last week Al Benton emailed me about an add on craigslist about some holiday hardware in cincinnati. I called the owner and made a deal over the phone. I went to Ohio today and bought all the hardware for my boat and found out it was the original hardware that came on my boat that was replated and never got back with my boat. The owner bought the items at a auction a few years ago along with a 18 ft riviera, that is also for sale. The boat is stripped all the hardware is rechromed looks like a good project for someone.the owner was real fair with me and also gave me the interior ceiling wodd that came out of my boat. Just want to thank Al and boat buss again.

Bruce
working on a 39 19ft runabout
and a 1954 holiday 23ft sometime Jeff Funk named it the whale

[ed laning]

So, after all this time goes by the missing original hardware and the boat are all in one place again. What are the odds?

[Al Benton]

Another Boat Buzz success story that brings boat and hardware back together. After posting the 3/11/10 note above, I used the "Search" feature to find Bruce's post from last December and sent him a note regarding the windshield included in the Craigslist post.

Bruce and the original hardware for his boat, including the rare windshield, got back together thanks to Boat Buzz. It's amazing.

Al

[Reginald Down]

Great job Al! Can we refer to this story as a "Boat Buzz Find?"

[Al Benton]

Reg,

Not quite as exciting as a barn find, I suppose, but it is still quite amazing that the boat and its hardware found their way back together after years apart thanks to good ole' Boat Buzz. So Boat Buzz finds can be pretty cool stories too.

Al

[Ken Miller]

All new episode of American Pickers tonight at 9 eastern.

[tom king]

Love American Pickers. Equally as good though is Pawn Stars which follows.

[kcupido]

Finally, American Pickers is coming to Canadian tv! With all the hype reading this Post, I can hardly wait for it's August 31st debut on the History channel.