This Saturday, October 25, the Bluegill Restaurant on the Mobile Causeway, will host the second annual Causeway Classic Wooden Boat show. Saturday’s show will feature several wooden boats, but mostly Stauter-Built Boats. The idea to host a wooden boat show was conceived last year by Channing Flowers to raise funds for his father, Chan, who was recovering from a debilitating disease called Guillain Barre syndrome. A wooded boat enthusiast himself, Chan is doing much better and has made this year’s show his calling.

Chan has attended boat shows all over the Southeast, and he and Channing have put together an impressive group of classic wooden boats, many of which are still actively used today. “This is an opportunity to bring people together, and we expect over 40 boats will be on display. The proceeds from the event will benefit the Child Advocacy Center of Mobile.”

The Stauter-Built Society is a Facebook Community Group that consists of current and former owners of Stauter boats, the indigenous wooden crafts that were so common around the waters of Mobile Bay. I spoke to Mobilian Matthew Moore,who has been around Stauter-Built boats all his life. The last few years, he has been buying Stauters and restoring them to mint condition, and currently owns three.

Living on Hollinger’s Island, he tells me there is nothing like riding in a Stauter up Dog River, or across Mobile Bay, where his family has a home. “Stauters were so common back in the day. You’d see them all over, in people’s yards, or under an oak tree. I began working on them with family and friends. They are harder to come by now. I have fiberglass boats, too, but there’s nothing like a Stauter.”

The Stauter-Built Society is a networking group intended to allow enthusiasts and owners to collaborate via social media and is not affiliated in any way with the former Stauter Boat Works or Stauter-Built Boats company. Matthew sent me a link to a video, The Last of the Wooden Boats that included a piece at the 17:20 minute mark on Lawrence Stauter, founder of the boat works company that bears his name. When he first began building boats in 1947, you could buy a 12’ Stauter for $97, and a 14’ Stauter for $119.

In the video, Lawrence says, “I fished for a living back then. When the weather was bad, I would just go work on building a boat. I got a construction job, but decided I’d rather build boats. So I quit, and opened my boat work business.” Lawrence’s sons still own the rights, but haven’t produced any boats since COVID. They do have a Stauter-Built Boats, Inc. online store that sells Stauter related merchandise that will be available at the show on Saturday. 

The idea of hosting a wooden boat show is to bring these enthusiasts together to celebrate the history of the wooden boat. The Stauter-Built Boat boat works were located down the road from the Bluegill on the Causeway between Mobile and Baldwin Counties, adjacent to Mobile Bay and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.

As far as Stauter boats go, there are many versions that still remain popular today. My family has had at least three models throughout the years. My niece, Katherine, and her husband, Patrick, have the last one my father purchased that we kept in a lift in Point Clear. Many hours have been logged teaching kids to water ski, zip sled, or pull  a 16’ trawl net. It’s a family heirloom that is filled with memories.

The 16’ Cedar Point Special, named after the landmark representing the end of the mainland before heading toward Dauphin Island, before there was a bridge, was a fishing machine. I grew up canvassing the waters in a 14’ Stauter with an 18 horsepower outboard that could go anywhere on a 6 gallon tank of fuel. Those memories I will carry with me for the rest of my days and will put a smile on my face. 

My friend, Harris Brown, and I fished in his Stauter from his dad’s home on Dauphin Island almost every afternoon in the summers after work. We caught a lot of Speckled Trout and had a blast. Stauters were so common in those days, everyone living on the water had one. It’s no surprise they are still cherished by local boat lovers, and The Facebook page allows followers to reminisce, find a Stauter boat for sale, or ask questions regarding restoration tips.

Throughout the day, the Causeway Classic Wooden Boat Show will have live entertainment by Shannon Pierce along with several vendors including Ducks Unlimited, Alabama Marine Resources, and Mobile Baykeeper. In addition, there will be a raffle for original art, restaurant gift certificates, and 100 limited-edition artists prints by Susan G. Peele.

If you are a boating enthusiast, this is a can’t miss event. Gates open at 11 am and the Causeway Classic Wooden Boat Show will end at 5 pm, so make plans to attend, see some beautifully restored boats, talk with the owners, and have a great time. The Bluegill Restaurant will have a beverage tent, and you can also enjoy a great meal on the water overlooking the Delta. 

I wonder who will be awarded Best in Show?