By the numbers: organizers of 'One Design' flotilla search for more boats

A boat reunion in the summer of 2010 at Alexandria Bay will showcase the craftsmanship of a special series of vessels built in Ogdensburg a century earlier.

"It just seemed to be a natural. This is the 100th anniversary. We could have as many as eight, which could be quite a little flotilla," said Canton boat builder F. Everett Smith, one of the event organizers.

"We figured we'd shake the trees ahead of time to see if there are any others around," he said. "We know some of them burnt and some of them are at the bottom of the river. We're kind of trying to decide what we should do and where should we do it, which is another reason why I wanted to get the word out."

The "One Designs" were 19 or 20 identical boats built by Leyare Boat Works for members of the Thousand Island Yacht Club. The members wanted boats for racing that showed off the skill of the operator, so a single design made sense.

"They put it out to a contest. They settled with this guy, Charles Mower, who was very well respected at the time," Mr. Smith said. "They made modifications. These people knew boats pretty well."

The slender 28-foot hulls had numbers painted large on the bow and became known as the "number boats." Seven of the originals are known to be in existence, in various stages of restoration.

Number 18, the Night Rider owned by the McNally family of Wellesley Island, is on the St. Lawrence River every summer. George Boldt's boats, This and That, numbers 3 and 13, are on display in the Boldt Castle Yacht House.

It was love at first sight when Mr. Smith saw his first of the numbered boats, several of which are represented at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton.

"They just really grabbed my heartstrings," he said. "It's a smooth, elegant, comfortable boat. They just slide and zoom around."

Number 7, Althea Jean, was restored in the early 1970s but burned and sank off Gananoque. It was left outside for the past 20 years, moved from New Hampshire to Massachusetts, and is tied up in an ownership dispute between Mr. Smith and another man.

Robert O. Cox, Fort Lauderdale and Grindstone Island, one of the founders of the Antique Boat Museum, convinced Mr. Smith to join him in reproducing the boats with fiberglass hulls and modern engines, at least two of which will be part of next year's reunion.

Mr. Smith welcomes any information regarding the 1910 "One Design" race, including examples of the original engine, a Jencick T-head. He can be reached at 386-2817 or by e-mail at Everett@northnet.org.

"No one's ever seen one. At the time, they were heralded as the finest engine made, but the technology changed rapidly and they were replaced," Mr. Smith said. "It'd be great to see one of those."