We're proud to say, we've done it again! Given the progress made over the past couple of years in building our online archive we have, again, been awarded a $7,500 Matching Challenge Grant from the Collectors Foundation. In fact, we are doubly proud that, given late 2009 and early 2010 voluntary member donations, we have met the matching criteria set forth in the grant award.
We would like to thank all Archive Fund donors for their generosity in helping us reach our new goal. Dozens of new brochure and marketing pieces have been recently added to the archive. As well, we are currently scanning additional content that will be added to the club over the remainder of 2010.
We extend our thanks to our members and contributors who helped us reach our goal, and of course sincere thanks to the Collectors Foundation for their generosity and vision. We are continuing to accept voluntary donations to the archive fund. These donations will be specifically earmarked for scanning additional content for the online archive.
Please see the Summer 2008 Brass Bell for details about the Collectors Foundation Grant.
I just wanted to take a second and remind everyone that we have a very sophisticated online hull registry at www.chris-craft.org/registry.
This registry has been live for just over a year and has 1381 boats registered. This is good, but I think we can do better. We have some very interesting features of this registry that are unmatched anywhere, including in print.
For one, the registry is organized in such a manner that the info entered mirrors a Chris-Craft hull card identically. For non-Chris-Craft models, this is not a concern as the registry is flexible enough to allow for non-Chris-Craft info.
Next, the registry allows for up to 100 photos per listing. I personally love to see the ugly "as found" boats, just as much, if not more so than the perfectly restored examples. You can easily add photos along the way, so it's pretty easy to document as your project moves along.
The registry is searchable. You can type in a boat name such as "Goldie." Or a Model name such as "Custom Runabout."
The registry is also "filterable" using predefined filters. For example, you can Browse by Make, Model, Year, Length, or Name. In fact you can choose two filters, "stacking them" on top of each other. For example, Make = "Chris-Craft" can be combined with Model = "Deluxe Runabout" plus Length = 17' to return only Chris-Craft 17' Deluxe Runabouts. If you want to limit this search even further, you can add a specific Year.
Finally, I want to stress what this registry means to us as members and what it means to the hobby, or will eventually mean to the hobby.
By way of example, about two years ago, I received an email from a non-member who was looking for her father's old wooden boat, a Braw Scot. I had to replay that I did not know what she meant, "Braw Scot." Was this a boat name? A manufacturer? A model? She knew very little about the boat, but she did know it was wood.
After a couple of emails then a follow up phone call, I had to admit I was at a loss.
Forward now, two years later. The Hull Registry is now live with well over a thousand entries. This same non-member was continuously Google-searching. In fact she had set up a Google Alert for "Braw Scot."
Here is an email that she wrote me just a couple of weeks ago:
Dear Bill:
In April of 2008, I wrote you about a boat that my father owned in the late 1930s-early 1940s, a 19' run-about, the Braw Scot.
Today, in searching for any recent news of it, I find that the hull # has shown up on your web site and that the Braw Scot is being restored. Can you tell me who has it, where is it?
I am so excited!
Thank you for your help.
When I received this email from her, I was able to go to the registry and find a boat named "Braw Scot." Once there, I logged in and could see the boat owner's name. The boat was currently in California. She was as happy as a clam.
Now, please keep in mind, a non-member cannot see anything about the current whereabouts of a boat. They can't see owner info, owner email or phone, or address. In fact they cannot even see state or country. But they can see "Braw Scot," and technical details about the boat.
This lady asked me whether I could put her in contact with the new owner. From the registry, I found our member, called her, asked whether it would be OK if I made the introduction. She gave me the go ahead and was also happy as a clam!
Think of this. Here is a lady in New York, looking for her father's old boat, the "Braw Scot." This was not just any old boat, but in fact a really old boat, a 1938 Sportsman.
Then, there's one of our members, out in California, who is restoring and old boat, the Braw Scot, all the while wondering about the boats history. And the rest of the story really is history.
The internet plays an unbelievable role in all of our efforts to save, and learn more about these old boats.
I love it when things work exactly as they're supposed to. Help us fight the good fight. Please register ALL of your boats.
