Mecum Sells Five Vintage Wooden Boats at 2010 Monterey Auction
Mecum Auctions has successfully expanded into the vintage boat market, selling five out of five rare boats offered during the Mecum Monterey Auction, Aug. 13-14, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on the Del Monte Golf Course.
“These unique boats were a popular attraction at our second annual Monterey Auction, drawing admirers to the peninsula for a chance to add one of these desirable vessels to their collection,” said President Dana Mecum. “In fact, four of these boats made it into our top 10 overall sales from the two-day auction, which featured more than 400 vehicles up for bid. And like many classic cars, the collectable boats will continue to appreciate in value for their new owners.”
Topping the list at Mecum Monterey was a 1922 Hacker Gentlemans Race Boat housing a 400 horsepower Liberty V12 Aircraft engine, which sold on the block for $320,000. The boat was custom designed by John L. Hacker as the Apache II and featured a 29-foot Gold Cup type hull specially ordered by automotive designer Norman DeVaux. DeVaux raced Apache II during the 1920s and 1930s at Lake Tahoe, taking home several wins.
In addition to the Hacker, Mecum Auctions sold a 1940 Chris-Craft Racing Runabout for $291,500; a 1965 Riva Aquarama for $290,000; a 1929 Hacker Craft Deluxe Runabout for $225,000; and a 1955 Chris-Craft Cobra 131 HP for $90,000. All sales reflect hammer prices.
Mecum began its foray into offering unique boats during its Kissimmee Auction in January, where a 1966 Riva Super Aquarama Series II Prototype sold for $775,000. The boat-specific auctions continue later this year with The Warner Collection, a vintage wooden boat auction featuring more than 100 boats, rare engines and memorabilia on Oct. 15-16 near Minneapolis, Minn. Mecum also has announced an exclusive event to auction John Hay “Jock” Whitney’s specially commissioned Elegante motor yacht at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show on Oct. 30, 2010.
The Mecum Auction Company has been specializing in the sale of collector cars for 23 years, now offering an industry-leading 5,000 collector cars per year. Consignment, bidder and event information is available online at www.Mecum.com or by calling 815.568.8888.
