Alan Furth: A Man & His Boats

Miss Lakeside is an outstanding example of the sea sled design pioneered by Albert Hickman. The hull has an inverted V-shape, far different from the tradition V-bottom, and a surface-piercing propeller design. The hull and propeller generated endless discussion when they were introduced at the 1913 New York Motor Boat Show. The unique design forces air under the hull to support the boat at high speeds. As a result, sea sleds are drier in rough water and are faster than conventional hulls with the same horsepower.

This unique boat first caught Alan Furth's eye at a Reno car and boat auction. Furth wanted the Sea Sled but lost the auction to America's Cup Skipper Bill Ficker who brought her to Southern California for restoration. Ficker spent years trying to restore the sled, but in the 5th year Ficker approached a Southern California boat dealer about selling her. The dealer met with Ficker and immediately called up Alan Furth saying to Ficker, "if he doesn't want to buy it, you'll have yourself one amazing pile of wood." Furth bought the boat and brought her up to Lake Tahoe where it remained in his collection until after his death. She was then purchased and restored by the Kartozian family who generously donated her to the museum in 2005. The restoration work was done in 1994 by Tony Brown at Western Runabouts. In 1994, Miss Lakeside won “Overall Best of Show” and “Best Engine of Show” awards at the Tahoe Yacht Club’s Concours d’Elegance.