Great Lakes Boat Building 62 ft Commuter Yacht 1921

Although we live in relatively affluent times, the lifestyle may not compare with the extravagance of the 1920s. The commuter yacht PAM was built for the Walker family of Hiram Walker Distilleries to commute across Lake St Clair. PAM was capable of 30 knots in 1921 – impressive even today for a boat of 62 ft! PAM is USCG certified to carry 23 passengers plus the captain and mate and would be ideal for a high-end hotel or restaurant on any lake, canal, river or protected bay in the world for luncheon, cocktail, dinner or wedding cruises.

The commuter yacht PAM was built in 1921 for Harrington Walker, grandson of the entrepreneur Hiram Walker, founder of Hiram Walker Distilleries. The builders, Great Lakes Boat Building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, originally fitter her with twin Sterling gasoline engines propelling her up to 30 + knots from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, to the distillery in Canada during Prohibition. PAM is her original name (after Hiram's granddaughter).

Yacht restorer and preserver extraordinaire, the late Bob Tiedemann discovered PAM half sunk and in derelict condition in 1989 up the New River, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He managed to get her then Chrysler gasoline engines running and limped her up to Newport, Rhode Island on her own bottom. In 1991, her restoration began to ready her for chartering. She is USCG certified to carry 23 passengers plus the captain and mate.

Pam has delighted many people in her successful 20 + years of private day chartering. The original varnished aft deck has 8 wicker chairs, a coffee table, a beautiful bright and cushioned day bed and coordinating cushions on her varnished engine box. She seats a total of 20 people in comfort on the various locations on the aft deck.

The start of PAM’s full restoration was in the early 1990s. Maintenance has been ongoing with bottom planks and frames replaced where and when needed. She was repowered in 2001. Her topsides were wooded in 2007. She is inspected out of the water annually as she has to remain USCG compliant. PAM is stored in a shed with dirt floors in the off season. The Bright work is a yearly project and stripped when necessary.

- Double planked mahogany hull
- Inner planks diagonal on oak frames, outer planks carvel matched mahogany
- Copper rivet fastenings
- Pine decks
- Mahogany superstructure

The aft deck, with a fully extendable awning is the epitome of summer cruising comfort. The wicker furniture and leather-covered cushions can accommodate a good twenty guests seated and several more besides. Pam is unique in that, unlike most classic yachts designed to sleep as many people as possible, her interior space is more conducive to social events. The principal features are:

From aft
- Ensign staff
- Stainless steel stanchions over transom and up each side deck with mahogany cap rail
- Banquette fitted seating inside transom
- Demountable steel awning with fully extendable canvas top
- Transparent roll-down side curtains
- Chair seating (removable) up each side forward
- Coffee table
- Seating fitted on centre console over engine compartment
- Open steering station amidships to port
- Spoked wood helm wheel and instruments
- Raised half deckhouse with screens to side and forward
- Trunk cabin forward with painted top with windows to sides and port lights forward
- Narrow side decks lead forward
- Chock mountings for dinghy and life raft
- Wooden signal mast on centreline
- Horns
- Swim ladder stowage
- Varnished mahogany hand rails each side on coach roof
- Butterfly skylight forward
- Navigation lights in mahogany screens forward each side
- Double doors and sliding hatch at fore end of trunk cabin
- Large varnished pine foredeck
- Raised opening fore hatch
- Mooring cleats, fairleads and ground tackle
- Jack staff at bow

From aft
- Companionway on centre line by the helm leads below
- Stylish varnished mahogany joinery and deck beams - contrasting cream painted deck head
- Doorway and corridor

Large pantry to port
- Impressive mahogany buffet with lockers and drawers aft
- Worktop over lockers

Galley to stbd - still entirely original
- Stainless steel sink
- 3 Burner RV stove
- Vintage fridge and small freezer

Head / shower compartment to port
- Large well-lit in white decor
- Period style shower
- Wilcox Crittendon china wash basin, taps and soap dish
- Skipper manual WC
- Substantial locker stowage and drawers
- Corridor forward and doorway

Navigation room to port
- Desk and china cabinet

Saloon
- Large area for dining, socializing
- Hanging locker stbd
- Fitted settee berths over lockers each side continuing U shaped forward
- Large windows each side and opening port lights forward
- Lighting in deck head, bulkheads aft and to sides
- Skylight over
- A hatch leads to the foredeck with a skylight overhead, and a crew cabin is located forward

Forward cabin
- Accessed by raised hatch in foredeck
- 2 x Berths

- 2 x Marine Power 8.1 Litre 450 HP gasoline engines
- Compliant with USCG regs - therefore engines and wiring inspected yearly
- Lift-up seating cover over engine compartment abaft the helm
- 2 x heavy accumulator batteries
- Alternator
- 2 x Fuel tanks; total capacity 250 US Gallons/ 946 Litres
- 1 x 30 US Gallon/ 114 water tank
- Engine instrumentation at helm

- Garmin GPS
- New Horizon VHF

- EPIRB
- Life float
- 2 x Life rings
- 25 x Adult life jackets
- 3 x Childs life jackets
- 3 x Bilge pumps with auto and manual switches