One of the first things that catches your eye, when you see a boat, is the boat light. On a Dispro, this is especially true, since the deck is a rather simple and small space of the boat. With its chrome or brass finish, the little piece also stands out to your eye.
At the recent regatta, the variety of styles and designs of Dispro was on display, and the decks and their lights were lined up like a parking lot.
In keeping with the name of the boat and its most significant feature, the bow lights of the earliest Disappearing Propeller Boats also disappear. The engraved brass box on the bow deck, just behind the gas tank filler, says “DisProLlight”. The cute little bug eyes flip up in a triangle and are held in place by a little brass cross-piece.
On a post-war Greavette, the bow light looks more aligned with automotive styles of the period. It is a chrome cylinder with a left and right divider, mounted on a chrome pedestal. This is close to the bow, ahead of the flag pole and gas filler cap. The earliest boats didn’t have a bow flag pole, just one for the stern.
The boat named “Harry” is a 1924 Uncle Sam model, the biggest model made by the D.P. Co. The bigger boat had a bigger deck and a piece of coaming that runs the perimeter of the gunwales. She is easily able to fit her oars between the seat backs and the hull. Her bug-eye light is up.
One of the most common bow lights can be found on the Greavette Dispros of the 1950s, mostly because more of this model were build than others. This light can also be found on other boats of the period.
By Tim Du Vernet
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