Old boats, good memories and the reviving of the Vagabond
by Wayne Wooten
I think most anglers are boat enthusiasts, and I bet most have some fond memories of the first boats they fished from. I started fishing in 1959 and the memories of my grandfather's Orlando Clipper are still vivid.
While reading posts on Facebook I noticed that my friends Nat and Louise Harwell were restoring her father, Troy Drummond’s 15 foot 1959 Feathercraft Vagabond boat. I couldn't help but check out their project.
Mr. Drummond was a WWII veteran and retired from Southern Railroad after 31 years. Nat said; “he was a child of the depression, very conservative and this was the only thing he ever bought brand new."
Feathercraft Boat Company was located in Atlanta, Georgia and famed for their riveted aluminum non-sinkable boats. The guarantee was "if you can sink it, you get a brand new one free!" They came with a 35 HP Gale Sovereign or Buccaneer motor. Guys would buy them and put larger motors on them to try and sink them, but never could.
The first step was retrieving the boat from the boat house. Even though it hadn't been in the water in the 21st century it had no leaks, just grime, and a broken rear light stanchion. They then loaded it on a flatbed to move it because the 1959 trailer wasn't serviceable and had to be scrapped.
Nat told me; "when we restored the boat, we wanted to keep it as original as practicable, but wanted to add some modern conveniences. So we kept the original paint, original windshield, bow light lenses, clamps, ties ups, and even the wooden transom is original."
Nat took the boat to Tony Wynn with At Your Service Marine in Covington, Ga. to restore it. They bought a new Magic Tilt trailer, Mercury 40 HP Bigfoot motor and controls, two new gas tanks, new battery, built in charger, bilge pump, horn, rear light, rearview mirror, LED bulbs in the original bow lenses, and retro-fitted a new smaller steering wheel to the dash board. Completing the work is new carpet, new vinyl upholstery and added and padded vinyl inserts between the walk-through transoms to prevent burning your feet on aluminum in the hot sun.
Since the original windshield was cleaned and not replaced they were able to keep two of the ancient GA registration stickers on the windshield for authenticity.
Nat says; "it runs like the wind and rides smooth when the lake traffic is not heavy, but a 15 foot boat in big chop is a little rough."
Nat and Louise plan to attend the Feathercraft gathering near Knoxville, TN with their boat next spring.
Congratulations Nat and Louise for a job well done! It's nice to see this beautiful vintage boat back in action and I know you guys will make many more memories in it. I hope to take a ride in it soon.
About the author: Wayne Wooten is a freelance writer, lure and lure kit designer at
Wayne's Baits, LLC. He has over 35 years sales experience and was Vice President at
Custom Services Inc. Now retired he devotes his time to creating and promoting products
for the outdoor industry. He has been fishing since 1959 and enjoys taking people fishing
on his home lake, Lake Deerfield, and writing stories and sometimes filming these trips.
He has also worked in television doing commercials on outdoor shows. He lives in Ila,
GA with his wife, you can contact him at wayne@waynesbaits.com or (706) 255-8504
