Lake Tahoe's New Maritime Museum at Homewood
Vintage Boats and Memorabilia on Display Chronicle History
Apr 4, 2009
The Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood chronicles the lake’s boating history between the late 1890s and the 1950s. Designed to resemble an early-day boathouse, the 5,800-square foot museum is a must-see for people who enjoy being on the water. Not only does the museum look out on the lake, but it contains watercraft that were often seen traversing its surface.
Collection Includes 1922 Chris-Craft
Currently the museum owns more than 25 vessels which are historically significant not only to Lake Tahoe but to the maritime community in general. Many of the boats are lake-worthy and still see service on Lake Tahoe's waters during the summer. Among the museum’s prize possessions is a 1922 Chris-Craft that is the earliest-known model and oldest working Chris-Craft in the world. Other exhibits feature such boat manufacturers as Gar Wood, and Stephens.
Boats from 1890s to 1950s
The oldest boat in the collection is the Shanghai, a launch from the 1890s, which according to museum information, first served as an excursion boat and later became a towboat. Other treasures include the “Lemme Go First,” a runabout once owned by Henry J. Kaiser, Sr. is a Baby Gar Model 28-40 manufactured by Gar wood in the 1920s.
Two Canadian-built boats also are among the collection’s most important. The Redskin is a rare 1912 racer with a Wisconsin T-Head block engine, thought to be the oldest existing Wisconsin engine that is operational. The 1915 Vente d’Ete, which was owned by the lake’s prominent Dollar family, is a petite sailing craft with a 14-foot hull and polished mahogany decks. A 28-foot, triple cockpit runabout, Miss Tahoe, provides rides to museum members in July and August.
Lake Tahoe's Sunken Treasures and Those in Storage
Not all of Tahoe’s boats are on display. Three of the early steamers that plied Lake Tahoe lie on its floor of North America’s second deepest lake. When they were no longer in use, the boats were scuttled (the Steamer Tahoe, for example, rests 400 feet below the lake’s surface at Glenbrook).
Then, too, some of the boats in the Maritime Museum’s collection are stored in its second facility, a Truckee warehouse. These boats are on exhibit at various times during the year, announced on the museum's website.
Outboard Motors and Maritime Memorabilia
The Museum also has the largest collection of outboard motors on the West Coast. Exhibits include models from the second decade of the 20th Century and an Evinrude C Service Racer, which was priced within the reach of people with average incomes. Two of the motors are from hydroplane racers.
Other exhibits highlight the museum’s extensive collection of photographs and objects, such as the earliest models of water skis, that span Lake Tahoe's maritime history. The fishing display, for example, features a wooden Dunphy boat and antique fishing poles and photographs.
Maritime Museum Admission and Hours
The Tahoe Maritime Museum is a member of the American Association of Museums, the American Association for State and Local History, and the California Association of Museums. Admission is $5, adults ($10 for admission and tour); 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday year-round and Thursday-Tuesday, mid-May through mid-September.
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