Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Soi|boot Built as TroiIer-Cruiser
Draws Growing Crop Of Enthusiasts
By CHARLES COVELL
Outdoor Editor

cough to provide four
comfortable berths and
still be compact enough
to trail anywhere you
like? That would be the
Amphibi-C Con.
The Amphibi-Con Is . as
foot. 5-inch auxiliary that is
about as close to an all-purpose
boat as anyone can get.
Designed for family cruising.
she sleeps four in two separate
cabins, has enclosed head and
locker space. full headroom and
Q big cockpit.
The Amphibi-Con also is
fast. having won the on
Soundings. Monhegan. Roches-
ter-Toronto, Falcon Cup and
other races on the Great Lakes,
on Florida and in Long Island
Sound.
Probably the No. / enthusiast
in this area is Leonard C. Rem
ME of Washington. Rennie's
Dionis is the third Amphibi-
Con turned out by the small
New England yard at which
they are built,
Turned out" probably is the
wrong term in this case. Rem
ME, by profession an engineer
designer of technical, scientific
and medical exhibits, built the
Dionis from a basic kit.
Although he had been sail
ing since he was seven. this Is
the first real boat Rennie has
owned. No carpenter. he en-
listed the aid Of M. Drew Gil
lis Of Silver Spring and started
assembling the boat in Febru-
airy, 1855. in his friends back
yard.
Took 1900 Hours to Build
The Amphi-Con producers
make no bones about describ-
ing the kit as 'for those with
some experience and lots of
time" Lots Of time was right.
1t took Rennie and his friend
1900 man hours.
The basic kit arrived with
oak backbone, bulkheads, car
Inns. shelf, clamps and deck
beams cut or prefaricated. A
1,l00-pound iron keel, slotted
for the centerboard, was pro-
vided.
After assembling the frame,
they went ahead with the task
of edge-nailing and gluing the
planking. installing the "a
inch plywood deck and adding
the mahogany trim. Spars are
Of aluminium and rigging Of |
stainless steel.
Finally, in August, 1856, the
Dionis was ready for launch
ing at the Washington Sailing
Marina. where she is kept
through the winter.
First in This Area
The Amphibi-Cons also are
produced in a set-up kit with |
the frame completed and deck
ing and first six strips of
planking installed as well as
semifinished and completed
conditions.
Rennie's boat was the first
OF its type in the Washington
area. Now there are six, part
Of a growing feet that numbers
close to 90.
Other owners are Vernon T.
Herrick of Alexandria, Robert
Amory, jr.. and Robert B. Owen
Of Washington. Comdr. H. j. |
Rotrige Of Edgewater, Nd, and
Gerard B. Tall, jr., of Crowns
vile, Md. Tall is talking of a
round-the-world trip with his |
boat.
Since the Amphibi-C Cons are
SO easily transported by trail
er, the owners from all parts
Of the East, Midwest and Cam
ada gather for an annual re-
gatta as well as taking vaca-
ton trailer cruises to far
places.
Cruise to Nantucket
Rennie and his wife, also an
enthusiast, cruised last summer
in Maine waters, in Casco Bay
off Portland, and of Mount
Desert. The summer before
they launched their boat at
Marion, Mass, and cruised
Buzzard's Bay and the ocean
as far as Nantucket.
In Nantucket Harbor they
had their only real misadven-
ture. In anchoring, Rennie
failed to allow enough line for
the rise and fail of tide, greater
than in this area, and awoke to
find his boat sharp up against
a big cruiser. Fortunately there
was no serious damage.
Last summers national re-
gatta was held in Casco Bay. IT
was the third to be held and
for the third time in succession
Charles E. Angle won the
championship. This time it was
in a boat he had built in his
Rochester IN. " back yard.
The other two victories were in
an Amphibi-Con he sold early
in the summer.
Sixth and seventh were
Amory's Debonair and Rennie's
DioniS.
The Beverly Yacht Club at
Marion will be the host to this
years national regatta. July 81
August /, after regional warm
ups in Chesapeake Bay. the
Eastern Great Lakes and Long
Island Sound.
Amory, regional vice presi-
dent, has scheduled the Chesa-
peake warmup Tor June 1914.
Wns,.. .1.