by Max Wawrzyniak - St Louis, Missouri - USA   Water Wagon

The Antique Outboard Motor Club, Inc ( aomci.org) considers 1950 to be the demarcation between "antique" outboards and "classic" outboards. The date is not an arbitrary one, for 1950 was the advent of the "modern" outboard motor. 1950 was the year when outboards began to be equiped with full gearshifts (forward, nuetral, & reverse), remote fuel tanks (of much larger capacity than power-head-mounted tanks), remote controls, and electric start. Prior to the introduction of these features, most outboard motors where of 10 hp or less. While there were larger ourboards made, they were not very "user-friendly" and usually did not sell in large numbers. These new features, which boaters today take for granted, revolutionized outboard boating.

Although there had been plans available to amateur boatbuilders for outboard-powered craft prior to 1950, mostly these were for small boats; open skiffs and utility boats and a few runabouts and hydroplanes. Once the larger engines with these new features became available, plans for larger, more elaborate boats quickly appeared on the scene. This column addresses one such set of plans, for a houseboat called the "Water Wagon."

Rubert Royce Allyn Jr. was a avid outdoorsman and a prolific writer in the state of Florida from World War II until his untimely death in a bicycle accident in 1968. He was a regular columnist for the St. Pettersberg (Florida) Times and his articles on fishing and boating in Florida inland and coastal waters regularly appeared in outdoor magazines. He also wrote many books, some of which were printed by a publishing company which he founded and which is still operated by members of his family: www.floridabooks.com/index.html

A tireless promoter of outdoor recreation in Florida, he was a founder of the Florida outdoor Writers Association and was recognized by having an artificial fishing reef named after him: https://www.co.pinellas.fl.us/bcc/reef/rube_allyn.htm

While serving in the South Pacific during World War II, he sketched in the sand on a beach the concept for an outboard-powered craft like no other. Designed to make the most use of space within it's scow-shaped hull, the craft would feature many luxury items that larger, more expensive yachts lacked. For example, the head would be fitted with a full size household-style flush toilet. The craft would also feature a shower, a full galley worthy of the title "kitchen," and household electric current and lights.

In order to keep all of this luxury within the bounds of a relatively small hull, the houseboat/ shantyboat/scow or whatever you want to call it lacked side decks- one went foreward and aft either through the cabin or over it. An extended bow deck catilevered off the bow and was mounted on hinges so that it could fold back upon itself, shortening the craft. While the cabin featured (4) decent sized bunks (and a dinette that could convert to a bed but was really too short for anyone over 5 feet tall), an additional berthing area was on the cabin roof, on a full-sized mattress attop a rectangular box and fitted with a colapsable awning for use during incliment weather. Underneath this upper berth as a water tank which provided gravity-fed "pressure" water for the shower and galley sink, as well as a generator set and storage.

Designed from the start to be trailerable, in an age when NO ONE trailered a boat larger than an open skiff, the craft rode attop a custom built trailer, and the hull featured enclosed, water tight wells to provide clearance for the trailer tires. These wells extended to above the load waterline and had removable lids so that, once afloat, the lids could be removed and panels inserted into the bottoms of the wells to prevent water from building up in the wells when the boat was underway. It was soon discovered that these wells,. which remained flooded even when the bottom closures where in place, were excellent "live wells" where the catch of the day could be kept.

Named the "Water Wagon" due to the similarity between it and the Conestoga Wagons of the American Old West, the craft was powered by single or twin outboard motos of 14 hp to 25 hp. Steering was by a remote steering wheel mounted on the bow deck. At the time of the building of the first Water Wagon, about 1950, remote controls were still rare, but as Allyn usually cruised with 4 or 5 people aboard, it was a simple matter to designate one as "Chief Engineer" who would remain at the stern to operate the engines. At least once a mis-communication between captain and engineer resulted in "full ahead" instead of "full astern" and the folding deck on the bow ended up embeded in the side of a large yacht.

Although the Water Wagon was built by a profesional builder, Allyn made plans available for the amatuer boatbuilder. Reduced scale versions of these plans were published in "How to Build 20 Boats" number 13, copywrite 1954. Scans of these reduced scale plans accompany this column.

Rube made several extended cruises through Florida inland and coastal waters in Water Wagon. He wrote about (3) such cruises in the hard cover book, "Water Wagon:Though Florida Waterways by Scow and Outboard" published in 1952. This book, long out of print but fairly easy to find through the online used book sources, contains a few diagrams and about a dozen photos of the Water Wagon.

Another cruise was featured in the January 1955 issue of The National Geographic Matgazine, but the Water Wagon featured here is a different one than in "How to Build 20 Boats." The later Water Wagon still has the cantilevered bow deck but it is not longer hinged, the rear cockpit area is covered by a hard top rather than the folding canvas awning of the original boat, and the windows are different. Obviously, Allyn had an improved Water Wagon built .

As an aside, the cruise featured in the National Geogrphic article included a stop in Cedar Key. Attendees of the Cedar Key messabouts might find the photos of 1950's-era Cedar Key to be of interest.

Finally, in 1964 Allyn published a small booklet titled "How to Build a Houseboat," which provided more details on the building of the original version of the Water Wagon, along with the stories of a few more extended cruises. This booklet is much harder to find than the book. I have only seen one copy of it offered for sale, and I bought it.

There are a couple of other Rube Allyn books out there that I am aware of but have never seen, and it is possible that they might have further info or photos of the various incarnations of the Water Wagon.

I don't know why I get such a "kick" out of this particular boat, but I do. First saw it in Ntational Geographic almost 40 years ago and never forgot it.

Hope you found it to be of interest.

Happy motor'n
Max

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