HISTORY
It has been said that the 16 foot Gar Wood speedster is, pound for
pound, the most valuable classic production speed boat in the world.
Miss Behave is certainly the most well known of the original five
speedsters brought to the St. Lawrence in 1935. Over the years, a
number of copies of the boat have been produced, both on the St.
Lawrence and abroad. An original cost roughly $1,340.00 when new,
including a Gray Fireball Engine.
Since 1926, Ed Noble of the Lifesaver Candy Company, and a Gar Wood
customer, had been speeding on the St. Lawrence River in his famous
33' Baby Gar, "SNAIL". He told Wood that he and his friends only
wanted a small, sporty racer that would be like a water version of
the popular European sports cars. Wood's answer was high performance
sixteen footer with 2 seats aft of the engine that he called the
"Speedster". Its performance and appearance was similar to a
cut-down Miss America racer. Noble fell in love with the boat and
the first dozen produced were sent to the St. Lawrence River for
Noble and his friends. His speedster was named the "Miss Behave" and
others in the group were called "Miss Adventure". "Miss Chief” and
"Miss Conduct". Speedster racing became a regular event on the St.
Lawrence River right to the start of World War II. (Today the
original "Miss Behave" is in the Thousand Islands Shipyard Museum) |