Is this a Higgins boat?

[Shakethetrees]

I was perephally involved in the D-Day Museum LCVP build. I got involved late, and helped out in some fundraising, as part of this I was delegated to go to the warehouse where the build was taking place and give periodic progress reports.

 

I was also asked to restore the brass data plate for the Gray Marine motor and figured out how to drill a hole longways in the keel against the grain for the drive shaft and designed the tooling to do this. Even the old guys who worked for Higgins didn't remember, and created several attempts of tooling that all failed.

 

There are one or two of these old girls in the New Orleans area in a similar situation as this one. I'm sure there are more of them along any bit of coastline and river, as they were surplused for next to nothing after the war.

 

As I recall, the tricky bits to find (they attempted to use as much original material as they could find) were the ramp, found, of my memory is right, in the SanFran area in a backyard. The guy bought it in the '50's and hauled it home (imagine that!) and flipped it over for his kids to use as a playhouse.

 

There was no motor or any of the bronze drive train or rudder. This all had to be replicated from old plans that were literally swept up from the floor of the derelict factory.

Anyway, they have it on a purpose built display trailer and trot it out periodically to give it some exercise.