The Raymond A. is a 32' custom built wood bridge deck cruiser constructed in Marion, IN, by its owner, A.W. Patty & T.B. Dwiggins. A.W. Patty built the boat in 1923 to take to Africa, but for reasons unknown it never made it there. Instead it was trucked to Put-In-Bay, OH with a crew of six. It took its maiden voyage to Two Harbors, MN. This voyage took 18 days and 95 hours of travel at a distance of 932 miles, stopping at 16 port towns on the Great Lakes along the way. Once in Two Harbors, MN, the Raymond A. was placed on a rail car, connected to a train and taken to Tower, MN, on the east end of Lake Vermilion. A.W. Patty had a cabin on the north shore of Wakemup Narrows where he kept the boat. It was a prized possession and carefully stored in his boathouse for 40 years.

However, time goes on and the cabin, along with the Raymond A., was sold. The boat was then stored outdoors covered up on a rail system.

In the late 70's, Charlie Lundblad, who built The Boathouse Inn, worked for a contractor that traded part of a cabin addition for the boat. They moved it during the winter across the ice to Treasure Island where the contractor lived. Over the next few years he began restoring it, however, in 1984 he decided to sell it to Charlie. Again, on a winter day it was moved across the ice to a road and taken by trailer to this property. He placed it on the front side of the house and built a large deck off of it. Shortly thereafter, Charlie added on around the boat securing where it is today. The Raymond A. is now the focal point of The Boathouse Inn.

The boat today has been modified so that making it seaworthy would be unrealistic. It would however have value to a museum or other miscellaneous commercial applications. The Raymond A. has been valued at approximately $35,000 by F. Todd Warner at Mahogany Bay, a leading expert in vintage boats, in Mound, MN.

Come see for the Raymond A. for yourself!