by Heather Steinberger

A PRIVATE BOATHOUSE IN ALGONAC, MICHIGAN, PAYS HOMAGE TO LOCAL BOAT BUILDING AND GREAT LAKES MARITIME HISTORY. BY HEATHER STEINBERGER

If you follow I-94 northeast from Detroit and then take M-29 around Lake St. Clair’s Anchor Bay, you’ll arrive in the city of Algonac. Nestled along the St. Clair River’s sprawling freshwater delta, it is often called the Venice of Michigan.

Powerboat history is woven into the community’s fabric. Brothers Christopher C. and Henry Smith founded Smith Brothers Boat Builders here in 1884, with the venerable Chris-Craft name emerging in 1924. Celebrated entrepreneur, inventor and powerboat racer Garfield “Gar” Wood lived in Algonac, building boats with Chris Smith for several years and later establishing his own company. Wood, known as the “Gray Fox of Algonac,” is buried here.

Algonac is also home to Colony Marine, owned and operated by three generations of the Beauregard family since 1958. Although the company has additional locations in St. Clair Shores and Oakland County, Algonac is special; Pete Beauregard Sr. says all his children and grandchildren live within 20 miles.

Beauregard grew up not far away, and he spent summers enjoying the family cottage on Harsens Island across the river. He loved cars and boats, and he knew early on that he would not be following in his father’s footsteps as a tool-and-die maker.

“I hated machinery, and I hated getting my hands dirty,” Beauregard says, chuckling. “I told my dad I didn’t want the business. He invested in a marina in St. Clair Shores, so I decided to get into sales. I became a Chris-Craft dealer at the age of 21.”

Not only did Beauregard fall in love with boats, he discovered a particular affinity for antique boats. He credits his wife, Carol, for this turn of events.

“She dragged me to a show in Algonac,” he explains. “That’s where we got our first antique boat, a 23-foot Chris-Craft Continental.”

Over the years, Beauregard’s abiding love for antique and classic boats extended into the community. He purchased the original Chris-Craft plant in 1984 to create the Algonac Harbour Club; he helped fund a statue in honor of Chris Smith and Gar Wood called “The Legends of Algonac;” and he sponsors the Algonac Antique and Classic Boat Show.

What’s more, he is steadily building his family’s own deeply personal tribute to local maritime history. Attached to the Beauregard home is a remarkable boathouse that he says came into his life serendipitously.

“We had three empty lots next door,” Beauregard explains. “I wanted them but could never reach the owner. When we found out they were going to be sold at a public auction, we ran up there and bought them. I thought we would just enjoy the space. Then my wife said, ‘Why don’t we build a boathouse like our friend, Jack Teeter?’”

The city advised that it would not allow the construction of a new boathouse unless the structure was attached to the home. Although Beauregard’s home was more than 80 years old, he found a way to do it so the two structures would match.

“It looks like they were built together,” he says. “We drove everyone nuts, because the last thing we did was open the entrance to the river. Everyone kept saying, ‘When are you going to open it up?’ It was really neat the way we did it.”

Entering the roughly 3,300-square-foot boathouse, one would expect to find boats, and they certainly are present. But these aren’t ordinary boats. For example, you’ll see a 21-foot Chris-Craft Cobra with its distinctive fin. The company only built 55 of the 21-footers, all in 1955, and few have survived.

“I think there are maybe 20 left,” Beauregard says. “It’s a really rare boat.”

You’ll also see a 27-foot triple-cockpit Dart, built in 1930. Ohio-based Indian Lake Boat Company started building Darts during the Roaring Twenties, recognizing the erupting desire for fun, fast runabouts. Next to it is one of its contemporaries, a triple-cockpit Chris-Craft, built in 1929.

“We also have this small replica, which the kids gave us for Christmas,”

Beauregard says of the tiny wooden boat perched between its larger brethren. “We put the grandbabies in it.”

All the boats are operational. Hoists from Way Marine Design in St. Augustine, Florida, lower them to floor level, where family and guests can easily walk on. After stepping aboard, the hoists then lower the boats to water level. Out the doors, the St. Clair River awaits.

Moving away from the boats, it becomes clear that Beauregard’s thoughtfully designed boathouse is so much more than a garage for watercraft. It’s a veritable cabinet of curiosities, carefully assembled in homage to Great Lakes powerboating.

You’ll see a glass table built with a lake freighter’s steering wheel and hydraulic steering system, an antique Sinclair marine gas pump, handcrafted chairs featuring wooden waterskis, a model of the 21-foot Cobra, and so much more. Of particular interest is the distinctive, gleaming, wooden bar.

“It’s a duplicate of Sentimental Journey’s transom,” Beauregard says, referring to the family’s 50-foot 1962 Chris-Craft Constellation, which is a bit too large for the boathouse.

Taking a closer look, you’ll spy a model of Miss America X, the boat Gar Wood successfully raced against Miss England II to retake Britain’s Harmsworth Trophy in 1932. The boat is currently owned by Henry Mistele, a good friend of Beauregard’s.

“[Wood] was such an interesting character,” Mistele told Lakeland Boating in 2017. “He drew a million people to the Detroit River to watch him race.”

In fact, you might spot a small replica of that special “Legends of Algonac” statue. According to Beauregard, it took a year and a half to raise the funds for the Sergei Mitrofanov-designed statue, which now resides at 1240 St. Clair River Drive.

“Smith and Wood were the pioneers of powerboating in the Great Lakes, and they remained friends,” he reflects. “The statue fits Algonac.”

In a way, the boathouse is more than a tribute to local and Great Lakes maritime history. It’s a tribute to friendship as well.

“The boathouse was our dream,” Beauregard says, “and our friend Jack Teeter was so happy. We completed it just before he passed away. We gave his family a private tour, and I told him, ‘Jack, I did all of this because you inspired me.’”

Is there anything else on Beauregard’s list for his special collection? He pauses thoughtfully, then says, “The only boat I still want is a Gar Wood.” ★