The boat (in sad shape) was found a day or two before it was going to be hauled to a landfill in 1986.  It was the first of 24  restorations undertaken by Prior Smith as a hobby over the years.  The initial restoration was done in ’86 and it was given an update in 2004.   It’s used on a regular basis and kept in flawless shape to this day.  It’s stored in a boat house on Clear Lake, about seven miles  from the spot where it was built.  The boat was originally ordered from the Lakefield Boats Limited plant in the fall of 1955 by the McConnell family from Ohio that spent each summer on Chandos Lake, north of Lakefield.  In all this time the boat has had only two owners.