JET SET

SETJet

The Adamson family’s 1975 Anthony jetboat had fallen into a sad state of disrepair—until son Jay embarked on a year-long odyssey to make it look practically brand new.

In 1975, James and Joan Adamson spotted what would become their lifelong thrill ride: a 21’ Anthony, sitting at the factory in Hawaiian Gardens, CA (about 20 miles south of Los Angeles), not far from their home in Lakewood. “We had been looking at boats all day, but we didn’t like any of them,” recalls Joan, now 83. “And then we walked into this place and I saw this boat, and I loved it. I especially loved the color.” The boat, freshly out of the mold, didn’t yet have the seats installed, but owner Tony Hagwood hastily arranged them in the boat so the Adamsons could see what they looked like. “Give me 15 minutes and I’ll put the seats in temporarily,” Hagwood said.

That did the trick—James and Tony made a handshake deal, and for $6,400, they had themselves a boat in their driveway two weeks later.

At the time of purchase, their son Jay was about 16 years old. After a decades of river use by the family—including Jay’s three siblings—the boat developed a gas leak in the early 2000s, and it fell into a state of disuse. “It sat at mom and dad’s house, and I didn’t take the incentive to fix it,” Jay admits. Eventually, the seats totally rotted out and the gelcoat had sat baking in the sun. (Text continues on Page 71)

Left and below left: After years of sitting outside getting weatherbeaten, Jay Adamson made the decision in early 2020 to get the the family’s 1975 Anthony refurbished, refreshed and restored. Here’s how it looked at the beginning of its year-long odyssey, after many years of disuse and disrepair.

Above: The boat is now at GS Marine (Norco, CA), where Greg Shoemaker and his team has just completed gelcoating the top of the boat. The Anthony has been wheeled out into the sun for this photo. Below: Work continues at GS Marine as the freshly reworked pump is reinstalled, the entire bottom redone, and work begins on the floor of the boat. In addition, the team is about to replace all of the gauges.

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James Adamson surveys the progress of the restoration at GS Marine. The bottom of the boat has been completed and work continues on the floor of the boat. Amazingly, the artist who originally painted the Anthony Boats logo on the boat back in the 1970s came back to paint the new logo on the restored Anthony.

Above: Jay picks up the new diamond-tufted seats from Barajas Upholstery (Riverside, CA), which matched the design of the original seats “to a tee.” Above right: Work now completed on the boat, James and Joan pose next to the Anthony in the 45’x25’ shop that James built to store both the boat and his motor home. The boat will be lovingly maintained and protected from the elements from now on—no more sitting outside indefinitely! Right: The Adamsons get set to launch the boat this past spring for the first time since its restoration.

“Jay has always been the one to clean the boat and take care of it,” Joan says. “Well, after the boat had sat there for so many years, I said, ‘We have to restore this boat.’ And Jay almost jumped up out of his seat, he was so excited. ‘So you and dad can enjoy it again?’ I said, ‘Yes. We’re 83 and 85. If we don’t do it now, we won’t ever do it. I want to enjoy that boat.’ Jay said, ‘Mom, I will get you in that boat.’ ”

So, at the beginning of last year, Jay hauled it to Greg Shoemaker at GS Marine (Norco, CA), where he re-gelled the boat, blueprinted and made repairs to the bottom, totally redid the floors, went through the pump and basically made the boat look totally new again. Meanwhile, Barajas Upholstery (Riverside, CA), were conscripted to match the design of the original seats and upholstery, which they did perfectly. That includes the totally upholstered engine compartment, a true 1970s throwback. The boat’s original engine was rebuilt, but nearly all of its original parts continue to be part of the motor setup—only the carburetor, air filter and metal hoses were replaced. The boat now looks—and runs— like it just came off the lot.

With work now completed on the boat, James built a 45'x25' shop to store both the boat and his motor home in. It will now be lovingly maintained and protected from the elements from now on. “When Jay brought the boat back and put it into this big garage we built, I cried when I first saw it,” Joan recalls. “It looked exactly the way it did when we first bought it and the kids skied behind it. It’s just a very personal thing for us, because all of our kids skied behind it, and most of our grandchildren skied behind it as well. And now we hope that our great grandchildren will ski behind it.” (Jay’s siblings include Jayme, Jeff and Joel; together with James and Joan, you can start to see a pattern—and it’s one that has continued with Joan’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.)

Jay offers special thanks to the following people who helped make the project a success: Paul Ransom, the teams at L&R Engine (Santa Fe Springs, CA) and Specialized Coatings (Huntington Beach, CA) and his son James, who helped with the motor.

Right: The Anthony’s brand-new dash features new gauges and steering wheel. The boat uses both port-side throttles and a foot pedal—both of which will get plenty of use at Lake Elsinore, where there is no speed limit. James picked out the wheel and the gauges. The original steering wheel was a chrome wheel with black sponge around it; James opted for a wooden-style wheel.

Left: The Anthony is still powered by the original engine, which includes all of the original parts— only the carburetor, air filter and metal hoses were replaced. The pump is also original. The setup includes a Place Diverter, which Jay says improves the ride while going through choppy water.