The Grant Boat

The hull is white paint over mahogany on white oak frames with a flat bottom and lapstrake sides. 

Spar varnish covers the mahogany bow decking, combing, transom, engine cover, and floorboards. The bilge and gunwales are painted gray. The bottom was sheeted over with marine grade plywood during restoration. The boat is propelled by a single cylinder gas inboard engine. A unique feature of the boat is three-position steering; it can be directed from the steering wheel in front or levers in the middle and back of the boat.

The boat’s builder and original owner are unverified. The second owner was Jesse Dietzen, president of Dietzen Bakeries, Kokomo, who resided on the south shore of Lake Wawasee. The third owner, Dr. DeFries of New Paris, IN, purchased the boat from Ken Harkless of Wawasee Boat Company who obtained it after Jesse Dietzen’s death in 1967. James Edmundson bought the boat from Dr. DeFries’ widow at auction in 1997. Edmundson and Jay Janes had the boat restored by local craftsmen, Dale Butt and Charlie Penn. The beautifully restored antique boat was awarded the Commodore’s Cup in the 1998 Wawasee Flotilla and won first place in the antique division at the White River Yacht Club boat show in the Indianapolis area that same year. Later, Edmundson sold the boat to Janes. In 2024, the boat’s last owners, Doug and Karen Grant, donated it to the museum. The museum will continue to research the boat’s history and welcomes all information patrons may have.