Bell Boy - Revision history

HandyAndy: added 1958 ad

2021-06-25T13:26:22Z

added 1958 ad

HandyAndy: added 1957 article

2021-04-16T14:20:38Z

added 1957 article

HandyAndy: added 1957 ad and photo

2017-11-20T00:08:18Z

added 1957 ad and photo

HandyAndy: added 1963 to 1964 outboard models

2016-12-22T03:13:44Z

added 1963 to 1964 outboard models

HandyAndy: added 1959 article

2015-12-29T00:01:04Z

added 1959 article

HandyAndy: added 1959 ad

2015-12-28T23:58:57Z

added 1959 ad

HandyAndy at 18:26, 21 December 2015

2015-12-21T18:26:02Z

HandyAndy: added 1958 ad

2015-12-21T18:25:40Z

added 1958 ad

HandyAndy: moved page content from Bellboy

2015-12-21T18:22:13Z

moved page content from Bellboy

Show changes

HandyAndy: added redirect to Bellboy

2011-01-13T19:13:52Z

added redirect to Bellboy

New page

#REDIRECT [[Bellboy]]

@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 File:Bellboyb58007.jpg | 1958 Page 7
 File:Bellboya58001.jpg|1958 Bell Boy Ad
 </gallery>

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 Fiberglass first became commercially available in the late 1930s, and saw only limited use during World War II. After the war, interest in fiberglass greatly increased. Owner Arch Talbot of the Bellingham Shipyards, intrigued with the potential of this new material in boat construction, committed his company to developing of fiberglass products.
 During the Korean War, the Shipyard had the opportunity to experiment with construction of fiberglass lifeboats or wherries for use on non-magnetic mine sweepers.
-The success of these lifeboats showed that fiberglassÃ¢ÂÂ light weight and ability to be shaped when heated made it ideal for mass production of small boats.
+The success of these lifeboats showed that fiberglass' light weight and ability to be shaped when heated made it ideal for mass production of small boats.
 <br><br>
 Fiberglass could also be colored during the production process, eliminating the need for painting. Deciding to apply this new material to the expanding post-war market for pleasure craft, Talbot in 1952 founded the Bell Boy Boat Co. as a division of the Shipyard. Art Nordtvedt and Arvin Olsen of the Shipyard were instrumental for setting up the new company.
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 Building a fiberglass boat began with preparing a wooden mold of the hull by spraying it with a releasing agent. This was followed by a coat of plastic coloring agent that would work its way into the outer layer of the hull. Next, layers of polyester resin and precut glass fiber cloth were placed into the mold. The cloth had to be quickly smoothed to eliminate wrinkles and air pockets before it dried.
 The process of applying these layers continued until the hull, one half at a time, reached the desired thickness. Following drying and hardening, the hull was removed from the mold, trimmed and sanded and sent to the assembly line. The line would install the specific features appropriate to each model, such as a deck, windshield, cabin, seats, flotation tanks, and other marine hardware.
-Boaters quickly made Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs brightly colored boats highly popular. Consumers loved the boatÃ¢ÂÂs light weight and freedom from corrosion, which meant no more scraping, paining or caulking.
+Boaters quickly made Bell Boy's brightly colored boats highly popular. Consumers loved the boat's light weight and freedom from corrosion, which meant no more scraping, paining or caulking.
-In addition to color, Bell Boy also pioneered features that later would become standard in pleasure boats, including rounded Ã¢ÂÂbarrel bowsÃ¢ÂÂ (adapted from naval ships), built in spray knockers, and wrap around windshields. Bell Boy is also credited with introducing Ã¢ÂÂcabinÃ¢ÂÂ cruiser configuration for pleasure boats. Prior to Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs introduction in 1954 of a 16-foot boat with an enclosed, protective cabin, water craft this size had always been open to the weather.
+In addition to color, Bell Boy also pioneered features that later would become standard in pleasure boats, including rounded "barrel bows" (adapted from naval ships), built in spray knockers, and wrap around windshields. Bell Boy is also credited with introducing cabin cruiser configuration for pleasure boats. Prior to Bell Boy's introduction in 1954 of a 16-foot boat with an enclosed, protective cabin, water craft this size had always been open to the weather.
-Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs line of pleasure craft ranged from 8 foot dinghies to the 21 foot Ã¢ÂÂExpressÃ¢ÂÂcabin cruiser. The boats were marketed for fishing, water skiing, and pleasure cruising.
+Bell Boy's line of pleasure craft ranged from 8 foot dinghies to the 21 foot Express cabin cruiser. The boats were marketed for fishing, water skiing, and pleasure cruising.
 <br><br>
-Modeling its business on the automobile industry, Bell Boy tried to feature new models and new colors each year which were sold through authorized dealerships. BellinghamÃ¢ÂÂs Bell Boy dealer was YeagerÃ¢ÂÂs Sporting Goods on Northwest Avenue.
+Modeling its business on the automobile industry, Bell Boy tried to feature new models and new colors each year which were sold through authorized dealerships. Bellingham's Bell Boy dealer was Yeager's Sporting Goods on Northwest Avenue.
-Bell Boy experimented briefly with adapting hydroplane technology to pleasure boating. The 20 foot long Ã¢ÂÂBikini,Ã¢ÂÂ designed for Bell Boy by hydroplane expert Ted Jones of Seattle, cruised at 40 to 50 miles per hour and could reach speeds exceeding 100 mph. Unfortunately the speedy craft had persistent instability problems and was never marketed.
+Bell Boy experimented briefly with adapting hydroplane technology to pleasure boating. The 20 foot long Bikini designed for Bell Boy by hydroplane expert Ted Jones of Seattle, cruised at 40 to 50 miles per hour and could reach speeds exceeding 100 mph. Unfortunately the speedy craft had persistent instability problems and was never marketed.
-Sales Manager Tom Glenn, Sr., and his crew displayed Bell Boy products at boat shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, creating great demand. Soon the company ranked as one of the top three fiberglass boat producers in the nation. In 1957, Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs sales volume reached $3 million, through 200 dealers nation-wide. As many as 2,000 more potential dealers were waiting for their applications to be processed. Slow processing of dealer applications due to the small size of the company proved to be a constant problem for Bell Boy.
+Sales Manager Tom Glenn, Sr., and his crew displayed Bell Boy products at boat shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, creating great demand. Soon the company ranked as one of the top three fiberglass boat producers in the nation. In 1957, Bell Boy's sales volume reached $3 million, through 200 dealers nation-wide. As many as 2,000 more potential dealers were waiting for their applications to be processed. Slow processing of dealer applications due to the small size of the company proved to be a constant problem for Bell Boy.
-To expand capacity, Bell Boy in 1957-58 moved its boat production into the former Bloedel-Donovan Box Factory building at the south end of Cornwall Avenue. Eventually more than 200 employees were producing 70 boats per week at this facility. Today the Port of BellinghamÃ¢ÂÂs maintenance building occupies the plantÃ¢ÂÂs location.
+To expand capacity, Bell Boy in 1957-58 moved its boat production into the former Bloedel-Donovan Box Factory building at the south end of Cornwall Avenue. Eventually more than 200 employees were producing 70 boats per week at this facility. Today the Port of Bellingham's maintenance building occupies the plant's location.
 In the fall of 1957, Bell Boy further expanded by adding a plant in Indiana and later one in New York. These facilities enabled savings on shipping charges and increased production capacity to 6,000 boats yearly. Production in Columbia City, Indiana was organized under the Bell Boy Corp.
 In the midst of success, Bell Boy found itself entangled in financial problems confronting its parent Bellingham Shipyards. Faced with the need of a large amount of money to complete a contract with the U.S. Navy, the Shipyards on June 30, 1957 agreed to eventually sell Bell Boy to generate these funds.
 Bell Boy continued to thrive in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
 <br><br>
-In 1959, Bell Boy's licensee in New York, Lunn Laminates, Inc., ended production of Bell Boy boats in order to save manufacturing space for military contracts (Sept. 12, 1959, New York Times).  A new management team took over at Bell Boy in 1960, with Laurence Smith replacing Talbot as President. TalbotÃ¢ÂÂs ownership continued.
+In 1959, Bell Boy's licensee in New York, Lunn Laminates, Inc., ended production of Bell Boy boats in order to save manufacturing space for military contracts (Sept. 12, 1959, New York Times).  A new management team took over at Bell Boy in 1960, with Laurence Smith replacing Talbot as President. Talbot's ownership continued.
 Financial problems for the Shipyard persisted, finally forcing closure in 1963. Bell Boy was then purchased by Tacoma boat builder [[Sabre Craft|Sabercraft]], which closed the Bellingham plant and discontinued the Bell Boy model line of pleasure craft.
-Due to rapid advances in fiberglass technology and rapid expansion in manufacturing, Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs models had become outdated. Consumers wanted larger, faster and more lavish boats. Because of Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs limited size and financial resources, it had never been able to fully exploit its leadership in the industry. Sabercraft kept only Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs name and logo for use on its own designs.
+Due to rapid advances in fiberglass technology and rapid expansion in manufacturing, Bell Boy's models had become outdated. Consumers wanted larger, faster and more lavish boats. Because of Bell Boy's limited size and financial resources, it had never been able to fully exploit its leadership in the industry. Sabercraft kept only Bell Boy's name and logo for use on its own designs.
 Bell Boy Boat Co., though short-lived, proved that fiberglass boat construction could be successful. Thanks to its visionary efforts, fiberglass boat building continues to be an important industry on Bellingham Bay.
@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 File:Bellboya57001.jpg | 1957 Bell Boy Boats Ad
 File:Bellboya57002.jpg | 1957 Bell Boy Bikini Photo
 </gallery>

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 Fiberglass first became commercially available in the late 1930s, and saw only limited use during World War II. After the war, interest in fiberglass greatly increased. Owner Arch Talbot of the Bellingham Shipyards, intrigued with the potential of this new material in boat construction, committed his company to developing of fiberglass products.
 During the Korean War, the Shipyard had the opportunity to experiment with construction of fiberglass lifeboats or wherries for use on non-magnetic mine sweepers.
-The success of these lifeboats showed that fiberglass’ light weight and ability to be shaped when heated made it ideal for mass production of small boats.
+The success of these lifeboats showed that fiberglassÃ¢ÂÂ light weight and ability to be shaped when heated made it ideal for mass production of small boats.
 <br><br>
 Fiberglass could also be colored during the production process, eliminating the need for painting. Deciding to apply this new material to the expanding post-war market for pleasure craft, Talbot in 1952 founded the Bell Boy Boat Co. as a division of the Shipyard. Art Nordtvedt and Arvin Olsen of the Shipyard were instrumental for setting up the new company.
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 Building a fiberglass boat began with preparing a wooden mold of the hull by spraying it with a releasing agent. This was followed by a coat of plastic coloring agent that would work its way into the outer layer of the hull. Next, layers of polyester resin and precut glass fiber cloth were placed into the mold. The cloth had to be quickly smoothed to eliminate wrinkles and air pockets before it dried.
 The process of applying these layers continued until the hull, one half at a time, reached the desired thickness. Following drying and hardening, the hull was removed from the mold, trimmed and sanded and sent to the assembly line. The line would install the specific features appropriate to each model, such as a deck, windshield, cabin, seats, flotation tanks, and other marine hardware.
-Boaters quickly made Bell Boy’s brightly colored boats highly popular. Consumers loved the boat’s light weight and freedom from corrosion, which meant no more scraping, paining or caulking.
+Boaters quickly made Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs brightly colored boats highly popular. Consumers loved the boatÃ¢ÂÂs light weight and freedom from corrosion, which meant no more scraping, paining or caulking.
-In addition to color, Bell Boy also pioneered features that later would become standard in pleasure boats, including rounded “barrel bows” (adapted from naval ships), built in spray knockers, and wrap around windshields. Bell Boy is also credited with introducing “cabin” cruiser configuration for pleasure boats. Prior to Bell Boy’s introduction in 1954 of a 16-foot boat with an enclosed, protective cabin, water craft this size had always been open to the weather.
+In addition to color, Bell Boy also pioneered features that later would become standard in pleasure boats, including rounded Ã¢ÂÂbarrel bowsÃ¢ÂÂ (adapted from naval ships), built in spray knockers, and wrap around windshields. Bell Boy is also credited with introducing Ã¢ÂÂcabinÃ¢ÂÂ cruiser configuration for pleasure boats. Prior to Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs introduction in 1954 of a 16-foot boat with an enclosed, protective cabin, water craft this size had always been open to the weather.
-Bell Boy’s line of pleasure craft ranged from 8 foot dinghies to the 21 foot “Express”cabin cruiser. The boats were marketed for fishing, water skiing, and pleasure cruising.
+Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs line of pleasure craft ranged from 8 foot dinghies to the 21 foot Ã¢ÂÂExpressÃ¢ÂÂcabin cruiser. The boats were marketed for fishing, water skiing, and pleasure cruising.
 <br><br>
-Modeling its business on the automobile industry, Bell Boy tried to feature new models and new colors each year which were sold through authorized dealerships. Bellingham’s Bell Boy dealer was Yeager’s Sporting Goods on Northwest Avenue.
+Modeling its business on the automobile industry, Bell Boy tried to feature new models and new colors each year which were sold through authorized dealerships. BellinghamÃ¢ÂÂs Bell Boy dealer was YeagerÃ¢ÂÂs Sporting Goods on Northwest Avenue.
-Bell Boy experimented briefly with adapting hydroplane technology to pleasure boating. The 20 foot long “Bikini,” designed for Bell Boy by hydroplane expert Ted Jones of Seattle, cruised at 40 to 50 miles per hour and could reach speeds exceeding 100 mph. Unfortunately the speedy craft had persistent instability problems and was never marketed.
+Bell Boy experimented briefly with adapting hydroplane technology to pleasure boating. The 20 foot long Ã¢ÂÂBikini,Ã¢ÂÂ designed for Bell Boy by hydroplane expert Ted Jones of Seattle, cruised at 40 to 50 miles per hour and could reach speeds exceeding 100 mph. Unfortunately the speedy craft had persistent instability problems and was never marketed.
-Sales Manager Tom Glenn, Sr., and his crew displayed Bell Boy products at boat shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, creating great demand. Soon the company ranked as one of the top three fiberglass boat producers in the nation. In 1957, Bell Boy’s sales volume reached $3 million, through 200 dealers nation-wide. As many as 2,000 more potential dealers were waiting for their applications to be processed. Slow processing of dealer applications due to the small size of the company proved to be a constant problem for Bell Boy.
+Sales Manager Tom Glenn, Sr., and his crew displayed Bell Boy products at boat shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, creating great demand. Soon the company ranked as one of the top three fiberglass boat producers in the nation. In 1957, Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs sales volume reached $3 million, through 200 dealers nation-wide. As many as 2,000 more potential dealers were waiting for their applications to be processed. Slow processing of dealer applications due to the small size of the company proved to be a constant problem for Bell Boy.
-To expand capacity, Bell Boy in 1957-58 moved its boat production into the former Bloedel-Donovan Box Factory building at the south end of Cornwall Avenue. Eventually more than 200 employees were producing 70 boats per week at this facility. Today the Port of Bellingham’s maintenance building occupies the plant’s location.
+To expand capacity, Bell Boy in 1957-58 moved its boat production into the former Bloedel-Donovan Box Factory building at the south end of Cornwall Avenue. Eventually more than 200 employees were producing 70 boats per week at this facility. Today the Port of BellinghamÃ¢ÂÂs maintenance building occupies the plantÃ¢ÂÂs location.
 In the fall of 1957, Bell Boy further expanded by adding a plant in Indiana and later one in New York. These facilities enabled savings on shipping charges and increased production capacity to 6,000 boats yearly. Production in Columbia City, Indiana was organized under the Bell Boy Corp.
 In the midst of success, Bell Boy found itself entangled in financial problems confronting its parent Bellingham Shipyards. Faced with the need of a large amount of money to complete a contract with the U.S. Navy, the Shipyards on June 30, 1957 agreed to eventually sell Bell Boy to generate these funds.
 Bell Boy continued to thrive in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
 <br><br>
-In 1959, Bell Boy's licensee in New York, Lunn Laminates, Inc., ended production of Bell Boy boats in order to save manufacturing space for military contracts (Sept. 12, 1959, New York Times).  A new management team took over at Bell Boy in 1960, with Laurence Smith replacing Talbot as President. Talbot’s ownership continued.
+In 1959, Bell Boy's licensee in New York, Lunn Laminates, Inc., ended production of Bell Boy boats in order to save manufacturing space for military contracts (Sept. 12, 1959, New York Times).  A new management team took over at Bell Boy in 1960, with Laurence Smith replacing Talbot as President. TalbotÃ¢ÂÂs ownership continued.
 Financial problems for the Shipyard persisted, finally forcing closure in 1963. Bell Boy was then purchased by Tacoma boat builder [[Sabre Craft|Sabercraft]], which closed the Bellingham plant and discontinued the Bell Boy model line of pleasure craft.
-Due to rapid advances in fiberglass technology and rapid expansion in manufacturing, Bell Boy’s models had become outdated. Consumers wanted larger, faster and more lavish boats. Because of Bell Boy’s limited size and financial resources, it had never been able to fully exploit its leadership in the industry. Sabercraft kept only Bell Boy’s name and logo for use on its own designs.
+Due to rapid advances in fiberglass technology and rapid expansion in manufacturing, Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs models had become outdated. Consumers wanted larger, faster and more lavish boats. Because of Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs limited size and financial resources, it had never been able to fully exploit its leadership in the industry. Sabercraft kept only Bell BoyÃ¢ÂÂs name and logo for use on its own designs.
 Bell Boy Boat Co., though short-lived, proved that fiberglass boat construction could be successful. Thanks to its visionary efforts, fiberglass boat building continues to be an important industry on Bellingham Bay.
@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 File:Bellboyb57015.jpg | Page 15
 File:Bellboyb57016.jpg | Page 16
 </gallery>

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 File:Bellboybb003.jpg|1960 to 1962 Bell Boy outboard boat models
 File:Bellboybb005.jpg|1957 to 1962 Bell Boy inboard boat models
 File:Bellboybb004.jpg|1965 to 1971 Bell Boy outboard boat models
 </gallery>

@@ Line 114: / Line 114: @@
 File:Bellboyb59013.jpg | 1959 Page 13
 File:Bellboyb59014.jpg | 1959 Page 14
 </gallery>
@@ Line 120: / Line 119: @@
 '''1959 Miscellaneous
 <gallery>
 File:Bellboya59001.jpg | 1959 Bell Boy Bonzana Photo
 File:Bellboya59002.jpg | 1959 Bell Boy Boats article

@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
-'''1959 Information:'''
+'''1959 Brochure:'''
 <gallery>
 File:Bellboyb59001.jpg | 1959 Page 1
@@ Line 115: / Line 115: @@
 File:Bellboyb59014.jpg | 1959 Page 14
 File:Bellboyb59015.jpg | 1959 Page 15
-File:Bellboya59001.jpg | 1959 Bell Boy Ad
+</gallery>
 File:Bellboyp59001.jpg | 1959 Post Card
 </gallery>

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:26, 21 December 2015
Line 151:		Line 151:
	[[Category:Fiberglass]]		[[Category:Fiberglass]]
	[[Category:Inboard]]		[[Category:Inboard]]
		+	[[Category:Fins]]