ROYAL AMBER
Shortly after World War II, a gentleman by the name of
H. Tracy Balcom, Jr. enlisted Glen E. Furness, the naval
architect at Hutchinson Boat Works in Alexandria Bay,
NY, to design a boat for him. It was to be a custom power
boat for Balcom to use for fishing and recreation in the
Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence. Furness went
to work and drew up plans for a 25-ft. 6-in. utility with
a 7-ft. 8-in. beam, double-planked bottom and lap strake
sides that blended beautifully into a full barrel-stern
- an extremely rare combination. An ice-box and several
lockers were provided for stowage of fish and fishing
gear, and an unusual convertible canvas top on wood bows
was designed to collapse forward into a concealed compartment
located just behind the windshield. Power was provided
by a Six-125 Gray Marine engine. The design was designated
#142, and as far as is known, only one boat was ever built
from that design. That build was executed in 1949 by Grew
Boats, Ltd. of Pentanguishene, ONT, Canada as hull #3412.
The boat's name, Royal Amber, was found during restoration,
barely visible on the transom. The boat spent the next
25 years in the Thousand Islands and during that time
it was regularly maintained by Hutchinson. In 1974, the
boat was acquired by a Paul Schumacher of Rochester, NY
with the intention of restoring it. He had it shipped
from Hutchinsons to his home in Rochester where it sat
in his garage. Later, he had it hauled to Sill's Marina
on Sodus Bay where he kept his sailboats with the idea
of having FLC member Stew Sill restore it. But that process
never got underway, and by 1981, he had lost interest
in the project and simply gave the boat to Stew! In 1998,
Stew sold the marina, built himself a shop at his home
on the west side of the bay, moved the boat from storage
into the shop and undertook its restoration as a major
retirement project. Stew's objectives were to restore
the boat to the highest standards while retaining originality,
but using modern technologies for increased reliability,
safety and performance. That project began in 2000, and
over the next six years he worked steadily on the boat
doing a first-class, bottom-up restoration. The keel,
ten web frames and 35 intermediate frames were replaced
-- all in white oak. A new 3M 5200 bottom was installed,
but surprisingly, the �" mahogany topsides were still
in excellent condition. They were saved and refastened
with silicon bronze rivets. Decks are all original mahogany
and were reinstalled with 3M 5200 seams. Through the years,
the boat retained all of its original hardware (most of
which was replated), including an Iva-Lite and a deck-mounted
Perko siren. The original Stewart-Warner instrument panel
was retained, but all new S-W "wing" gauges were installed.
In a nod to practicality and reliability over authenticity,
the boat's Gray Marine engine was replaced with a new
300hp Crusader which Stew found on e-Bay at a bargain
price. The power train was fleshed out with 1:1 Velvet
Drive transmission, and new stainless shaft, prop and
strut bearing. And as part of the concession to modern
power, the boat's original floor-mounted shift lever was
replaced with a Morse single-lever control. The new engine
also required a twelve-volt electrical system including
bilge blower, bilge pump and new wiring throughout. To
round out the restoration, new "tuck & roll" upholstery
was installed and battleship linoleum covered the cockpit
soles. The result was "A sweet running boat," according
to Stew. "That new Crusader really made a perfect engine
for this boat!" Stew now had himself what he called the
Ultimate Picnic Boat for casual use and pleasant afternoons
on Sodus Bay and Lake Ontario. But that's not the end
of the story. Enter Ed Leroux! For 30 years, Ed Leroux
had been active in boating, mostly sailing. Much of that
time was spent on Sodus Bay, but through reassignments
and relocations with Xerox, he sailed in San Francisco
Bay, Southern California and Long Island Sound. As children
and grandchildren became sailors (or at least enjoyed
the water), it became clear that he and his wife, Anne,
needed a water-side cottage to handle the crew. In 1996,
they bought their place on Le Roy Island which gave them
the opportunity to have more space for the kids than just
the sailboat at Sodus Bay Yacht Club where they had been
and still are members. It also gave Ed a place for smaller
wooden boats -- an interest that he had held for some
time. His first wooden boat was (and still is) a 12-ft.
Penn Yan Swift replica built in 1997 by Victory Boats
of Victory, NY. "As a kid, it was the first boat I remember
my dad owning on the St. Lawrence." Ed's second wooden
boat acquisition was a 12-ft. 6-in. Herreshoff Catspaw
sailing dinghy, also a replica built by Carl Pickhardt,
in Halcottsville, NY. Ed's son-in-law also has a wooden
boat, Skaneateles Lightning #3372, which he keeps at the
cottage. It was restored in 1998, after having suffered
major damage during a storm. In the fall of 2006, Ed dropped
in to see his friend Stew Sill just as restoration of
Royal Amber was wrapping up. One conversation led to another
and before long, Ed allowed as how he thought Stew's newly-restored
boat was really quite a wonderful thing. The conversation
continued and before long Ed made an offer to purchase
the boat that Stew couldn't refuse! But driving the conversation
was Ed's appreciation of things like: - The natural /
wooden beauty and workmanship of antique boats�"I know
I'm preaching to the choir, but there just isn't anything
quite so aesthetically pleasing as the combination of
natural wood, quality hardware, fine workmanship all packaged
in an elegant design. As many people are, I was attracted
for years to the idea of owning one." - The fact that
Stew Sill was the restorer�"I have known Stew for many
years and have admired his other restorations. Besides
the fact that he does superb work, the trust and confidence
of knowing that it was Stew that did the work is an invaluable
element." - The particular design uniqueness -- utility
/ runabout� "For years, I have had thoughts about owning
a classic, but did not pursue it aggressively. Single
cockpit seemed too small; multiple cockpits seemed too
large and required an additional boathouse. But, the unique
combination of multiple cockpits and the feature of walk-through
access made it very appealing and sufficiently attractive
to overcome the hesitation to build a new boathouse."
- Using it�"I am in love with this boat, not only for
its show quality, but probably more for the ability to
use it and enjoy it on the bay. The completeness of the
restoration makes that possible. To not use it, would
just not seem right." - Keeping it in Sodus� "Since most
of her life has been spent in Sodus, and her second life
through Stew's restoration began in Sodus, it just seemed
poetically necessary that she stay here. We'll start work
next spring on a new boathouse at the cottage." Ed sums
it up well: "In the brief time that I have had the opportunity
to operate her (break-in hours), she has performed superbly.
Both Stew and I have been extremely pleased with the performance,
ride and handling. I'm sure in his private thoughts he
does, but Stew has every right to feel the highest level
of satisfaction and pride in the work he has done to bring
Royal Amber back to life. I know I'm biased, but she is
a gem!" Ed has ordered a new custom cover and custom trailer
for the 4000-4500 lb. boat, and in the meantime he and
Anne have joined ACBS and FLC. And although he didn't
think he wanted to get involved in antique boat shows,
Ed has promised to take his new acquisition to Skaneateles
next July. Royal Amber will be a fine addition to the
Chapter's Annual Boat Show.
Congratulations to Stew Sill for an outstanding restoration
project and to Ed & Anne Leroux on the acquisition of
a unique and beautiful boat. Many thanks to Stew Sill
and Ed Leroux for their interest in this article and the
material needed to put it together. -Ed
Research into the source of the name Royal Amber has
uncovered the fact that H. Tracy Balcom, Jr., the original
owner, was from Newport, KY. After the repeal of Prohibition
in 1933, Newport's George Wiedemann Brewing Co. (founded
in 1870) reopened with Mr. Balcom as its CEO and third-generation
president. Although now defunct, the brewery had been
prominent in the Newport community and their flagship
beer had been named "Royal Amber."