With many hours of research and work, I restored the boat and re-established it as a water-ready craft. As I’m sure you can appreciate, the restoration process uncovered many interesting discoveries. In particular, the most prevalent discoveries are the dash plate and the pre-restoration condition of the dashboard upholstery. Specifically, the dash plate, which contained the ignition, starter, choke, and running light switches, is made of polished aluminum, and decorated with an engraved border of connecting dots and a set of initials—two block letters “R R”. The block letters are in western-brand style (i.e. a Double R with a bar under them). You can imagine my level of intrigue when I read in the book “Happy Trails,” (page 139), that the movie ranch was called the Double R Bar Ranch. Another story in that book (page 212) tells of two little boys (Roy Rogers, Jr.) ripping up the dashboard padding on Roy’s racing boat, which was stored out in the shed. Interestingly enough, I found the padding around the front cockpit of our boat had been partially removed, the foam padding partially replaced, and someone had used brass upholstery tacks to reaffix the hydum strip around both cockpits. At this point, however, I”ve not taken the time to contact Roy Rogers, Jr., who manages the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri, to see whether he recognizes the boat.

If you any photos of Roy in this boat, or if you have any commits, please contact me.

Harold Marshall

E-mail Address(es):

kmarshall@atsu.edu