About Us

THE CARTER  CRAFT REGISTRY LEGACY!

By Bruce Danielson – Minnesota

Founder Of The Registry

I purchased my abandoned 1957 Carter Craft “Sea Hawk” in August 2004 without its original 35 HP outboard motor.  It had been stored outside under a couple of oak trees for over 20 years with three tarps covering it.  It was full of old tires and scrap wood with a family of squirrels that made the boat there home.  All of the boat trim, seat cushions and top cover was there.  I started restoration in 2004 and finished June 2006, when I entered in its first boat show.  At the time of purchase, I googled Carter Craft boats and there was nothing shown.  Between 2004 and 2008 I did make some contacts of other owners on the internet and visited Parker, Florida where the factory was located.  During my visit, I talked to some people who informed me about Carter Craft history and its legacy in Parker.  In 2008 I started the Carter Craft boat registry trying to get a collection of owners together for restoration ideas and communication about the boats.  The first e-mail newsletter was sent out in November 2010.  I sold my boat to Rick Pressley in 2014.  Rick hauled the boat and trailer, plus 2-35HP outboard motors back to Florida on a car trailer with a pickup truck. The Registry was then passed on to Ed Dominiak, New York, and then to Rick Pressley, Florida.

The Carter Craft Registry is a group of boat owners and guests dedicated to preservation of the “fine boats” mahogany plywood boats. Our efforts as owners is to preserve these boats for the generations to come. We are also very interested in gathering and preserving as much history of these boats as we can and make the information available to all. These boats are beautifully designed and manufactured. Proven by the fact  many of these boats have survived, some cared for in great storage facilities, others in barns and even outside under tarps. We are a group that just requires that you own a boat to be part of the registry and no dues or registration fees are collected. If you know of a Carter Boat, Carter Craft or Wilson Boat Works water craft. Please contact the registry for more info.

We encourage all to be part of a ACBS. Just click on the link to go to their site.    http://www.acbs.org