WOOD RUNABOUT FOREDECK SERIAL NUMBER

The hard-chine planing hull has a moderate bow with a spray strake, a straight sheer and a slight outward flare at the transom. вЂњItвЂ™s a terrific hobby-interest that has given my family and me many wonderful hours of relaxation and joy.вЂќДЄlthough VogelzangвЂ™s Century Coronado 21 dates from the flamboyant 1960s, the styling is clean and conservative, showing a distinctive hull trim piece and moderate use of stainless-steel deck hardware. вЂњBoat shows are where you will make new friends in the hobby and meet other folks with a common interest in wooden boats,вЂќ he says. вЂњI like to go fast in calm water and this boat will do an easy 40 mph.вЂќДЄs a classic, the Coronado has been to its share of shows, Vogelzang says, but always in a casual way. Power comes from a 330-hp Ford 427FE engine that вЂњgives it plenty of oomph,вЂќ as Vogelzang puts it. вЂњIt sports lots of sexy-looking shiny chrome and, best of all, itвЂ™s always a thrill to drive,вЂќ Vogelzang says. The burgundy interior and beige deck vinyl was replaced, new varnish was applied, the engine was tuned and the bottom was painted. The boat now floats at the dock of his waterfront home. This boat has a swim ladder as well, so itвЂ™s not uncommon to jump off the side of the boat and climb back in.вЂќ beautiful to look at вЂ¦ fast and comfortable. вЂњAs a family we always liked to day-cruise, picnic and spin around Lake Michigan.

вЂњItвЂ™s a very versatile watercraft,вЂќ Vogelzang says. Historic, perhaps, but the Coronado is also just plain fun, which is what it was supposed to be in the first place. вЂњAfter this very boat, there were no more.вЂќ

WOOD RUNABOUT FOREDECK SERIAL NUMBER

вЂњCentury stopped making wooden boats in 1968, and this particular boat was the last wooden Coronado built,вЂќ says Vogelzang, who used the boatвЂ™s serial number to make the determination. Although Century built hundreds of wooden Coronados through the years, it is the last of its kind. There also is a story attached to this boat. The interior did need replacing and, like many vintage wooden boats, it needed a couple coats of varnish.вЂќ It still has the original engine and hardware that came with the boat. It was also in вЂњpretty good shape,вЂќ says Vogelzang, who paid around $15,000 for the boat. TheyвЂ™ve owned more than a dozen Coronados through the years. First, there was the comfort level of buying a familiar model. Vogelzang and his wife, Janice, decided to add to their six-boat collection, and when they came across the 1968 Century Coronado 21 online last year, they couldnвЂ™t resist. (Yamaha bought the builder in 1995 and discontinued production in December 2009.) His latest is a sporty runabout built in 1968 - on the cusp of the wood-to-fiberglass changeover - by the Century Boat Co., once one of AmericaвЂ™s most prolific builders. His list includes a 30-foot Belle Isle Super Bearcat, a 29-foot Hacker-Craft Dolphin, a 25-foot Chris-Craft Sportsman, a Skiff Craft 24 and a Grand-Craft 23.

Wood runabout foredeck