Elvis båt lever - många kronor kilot

[Anders Værnéus]

Elvis, Elvis, Elvis. Remember the days when kungen var i livet. Alltså into V-Gurra eller någon av de andra monarkerna, utan the real stuff - Kungen över allt, enlist många. Nu kan du bli en del av hans värld. Hala upp pluskan, gräv djupt, djupare, djupast och lägg upp miljonen på disken. Sedan kan du tända ciggen på den rostiga cigarett-tändaren, vrida runt startnyckeln och upptäcka att maskin förmodligen inte ens går runt. Men Elvis båt - den har du.

Frågan för dagen blir då - är det värd 148.000 dollar för att få möjligheten att sätta ändalykten på samma stol som the King? Är det värt att lägga hela förmögenheten extra på en båt som annars är värd något över 1000 dollar? Proveniens i all ära men är den värd så mycket? Vad tycker du? Här är i alla fall hela storyn om båten - berättad på originalspråket.

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Elvis Presley's love of motorized vehicles has been well publicized over time. He obviously coveted almost anything with an engine, whether it be cars, motorcycles, airplanes, golf carts, etc. Less known in Elvis lore is his affection for boats. He played a charter captain in the 1962 movie "Girls, Girls, Girls". However, he also was a boat enthusiast in his personal life. His favorite, of course, were speed boats, and he liked to drive. Decades ago, Boating Magazine sent a research team to Memphis to assemble an in depth history of Elvis and boats. They spent months investigating, calling sources, offering rewards for information, interviewing hundreds of people, etc. It was an arduous, time consuming task. Even today, with the advent of the computer and internet, there is basically no information on Elvis and boats. This is due to the fact that boating was one type of recreation that Elvis and his friends could experience more privately, without fan interference, and he strictly guarded this privacy.

 

By all historical accounts, Elvis's first watercraft was "Karate", a 17 foot Glaspar fiberglass ski boat. He and his friends waterskied on nearby McKellar Lake. However, Elvis didn't like this boat, and sold it to three members of his inner circle, Memphis disc jockey George Klein, long time pal Joe Esposito, and Alan Fortas. Fiberglass construction of boats was in infancy stages at this time, and there were numerous problems with hull delamination. Frustrated, the trio traded the Glaspar in on a 1963 Chris-Craft Cavalier 18' speed boat. The "Karate" changed hands several times and current location is unknown. The new Chris-Craft was christened "Hound Dog", after Elvis's wildly popular song. Elvis and friends would get together for a day on Lake McKellar, cruising in "Hound Dog". Part owner Klein lamented that Elvis liked to drive, and enjoyed the days of relaxation and sun. Many a shocked boater observed Elvis and friends speeding by them in the "Hound Dog." This was not officially Presley's boat. His name was never on a document of ownership. However, of watercraft Elvis was involved with, "Hound Dog" has been identified with him more than any other.

 

Just a quick digression to the additional boating history of Elvis. He bought two boats from the Memphis Century dealer, one for his father, and one for himself. Whereabouts of his father's boat is unknown. Presley donated his Coronado to a YMCA camp in Arkansas. This boat changed hands several times and was scrapped sometime in the seventies. He also bought Franklin Roosevelt's former Presidential Yacht, but soon donated that to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The research team indicated that from the mid sixties until his death, Elvis did not own another boat.

 

Eventually, Klein bought out Esposito and Fortas to obtain sole ownership. The boat rode the waves on McKellar Lake, and sometimes was stored under a carport at Graceland. Klein owned the craft until the late seventies. By now it had been neglected and had fallen into disrepair. It was sold twice, secondly to a promoter that intended to create an Elvis tourist attraction, but the plan never materialized.  Finally, singing star and good friend of Elvis, Jimmy Velvet purchased the boat. Jimmy was not only a friend of Elvis, but one of the world's leading Elvis memorabilia collectors. He operated three Elvis museums in Nashville, Orlando, and Honolulu. The boat was stored in his backyard until he moved it to country singer George Jones place. Due to lack of space in his museums, and the condition of the craft, Velvet put it completely on the back burner.

 

In the mid nineties, the owners of the Guinness Museum in Gatlinburg purchased the Chris-Craft from Jimmy. A  restoration was performed on the boat, and it has been on display at the museum since. During the restoration, every attempt was made to save original items instead of replacing them, so it did not look like a brand new boat when it was completed. This is not a story- this is the factual ownership history of the watercraft. Hundreds of people saw Elvis on Lake McKellar in this boat, thousands have seen it on display in the museum, and surely some people observed it at Jimmy Velvet's house.

 

The boat has been on display for years in the museum. Therefore, it has not been on water in years. There is no current survey. The wooden hull has never been put in the water to swell. The engine is with the boat, but is disassembled and missing components. If you think you are going to buy this boat, drop it in the water, turn the key, and cruise away, this is the wrong auction for you. Please do not ask if the battery is new, if all the lights work, etc. The boat is sold as is. There is also no trailer for this boat. Plan transport accordingly.

 

NOTE: Due to the display position in the museum, it is impossible to photo the very front bow of the boat.

 

It is not a fiberglass boat. It is a wood boat built with mahogany and marine plywood. Chris Smith began building boats in 1874, at age 18. He and his brother formed Smith and Sons Boat Company in 1922. The company name was changed to Chris-Craft in 1930. The Chris-Craft boats have been recognized as some of the most well built boats on the water.

 

The boat has great value in that it is a vintage 1963 Chris-Craft Cavalier. However, the greater value of this watercraft lies in the historic significance."