Clyde built boats of Detroit Michigan

[rasorinc]

Your a lucky man. Only thing I find in old barns is a bunch of old cars and and motorcycles never a boat.

[confused]

does the clyde boat company build those steamboats called clyde puffers?

[dan055]

I also have a 1967 16ft. Clyde runabout in great shape that I'm thinking of selling..It has the original 1968 35hp Sea king motor and the orig. trailer..How would I find out the value??(This boat is supposedly the 3rd from the last wooden boat they made)..Any advice??Dan

[David A. Walker]

I'm the new kid on the block, but can add some data about the Clyde Boat Co., of Detroit. In the early
1950s the Clyde hulls were HOT moulded ply and built in Nova Scotia, supplied to Clyde who finished them and sold them under their own name. Industrial Shipping Co. Ltd., built various sizes of hulls and supplied them to many outfits in Canada and the US. Most famous perhaps were Yellow Jacket in Denison, Texas. Not far from Detroit ISL also supplied hulls to the Sandusky Boat Co.

I am researching the NS company and any information about more of their possible customers and any pix of Clyde or Sandusky boats would be appreciated.

Thanks

David

[clydeboats]

WOW!!! My family is delighted to see so many people still enjoying their Clyde Boats! Clyde Rummney was my grandfather, and my mom was the company accountant, so with her help I can fill in some details. The company started in 1925-1928 in Clyde Rummney's living room near Lake St. Claire. He started by building rowboats. The company moved to a small building on Livernois Ave. in the early 1930's and stayed there until the 1940's, when the company's growth forced them to buy a bigger building down the road on Livernois Ave. (though he kept the smaller one and rented it out).
Clydes were available in three sizes; 12', 14' and 16'. They were usually produced as custom orders, though some were manufactured during the winter (when business was slow) to a company standard, and sold as-is, or finished with added details.
They sold several kinds of motors, though Evenrude was most common. Many were purchased without a motor, which the customer bought separately.
The company's reputation was for making exclusive, custom-made boats of a high standard of quality, that were unusually fast for boats of their size. Their speed was a company secret, but had to do with the kind of lightweight wood used.
Clyde Boats went out of business in 1971, when Clyde Rummney retired. They never had more than four employees building boats, and Clyde did most of the work himself. He could always be found working in the shop, wearing his signature captain's cap, looking like the "Skipper" on "Gilligan's Island". He died at home in Redford, Michigan in 1973.
No one in the family has a Clyde Boat, and haven't seen one for twenty five years. Can anyone send me some photos of theirs? My email is kkeisel@gmail.com
I've just completed an article on Clyde Boats for Wikipedia, and would welcome any additions to it. My expertise is in airplanes, not boats, and what I posted I learned from asking my mother, who worked for the company for 20 years.
Ken Keisel