Thousand Islands Life, "Miss America" III up for auction

Note: Written on January 10, 2026:

An important part of American marine history goes to the auction block on Saturday, January 17th. Miss America VIII, a 1929 GarWood 30 hydroplane, will be auctioned off at the Mecum event in Kissimmee, FL.

The boat is expected to fetch between $1,800,000 and $2,000,000 (US). The boat was built to be the fastest boat in the world in 1929 and hit the speed of 104 miles per hour. In fact, Miss America VIII twice won the International Harmsworth Trophy in 1929 and 1931.

Gar Wood once remarked that “She’s the best boat we ever had.” The 30-footer was the brainchild of Gar Wood and her designer Napoleon “Nap” Lisee. Lisee was quoted as saying that “the Eighth was the finest boat that GarWood ever built, bar none. That’s my masterpiece.” Today, only three of GarWoods nine Miss America’s are known to survive.

Miss America VIII engines with forward facing drive shafts connected to V-drives. [Photo courtesy of the author]

The narrow speedster was specifically designed and built to win the Harmsworth Trophy. The original power was from two Packard V-12 marine engines that each produced 1,000 horsepower. The Packards were very heavy and not always reliable. So, Gar Wood built a refined version of Miss America that was longer and wider and powered by a pair of experimental V-16 engines that were each 1,113 cubic inches and rated at 930 horsepower. These double overhead camshaft engines are 18.2 liters and were built by Harry Miller. The savings in weight and the reliability of the V-16’s made them more desirable for Miss America VIII. Each engine had four Holley four-barrel carburetors. And each engine had 16 straight exhaust stacks or 32 in total for a 30-foot boat. One can only imagine how loud the twin V-16’s were at wide open throttle.

The V-16 power plants were mounted with the gear box facing forward and linked to a v-drive. Therefore, the propeller shaft was quite long—almost the length of the vessel. Looking at photos of the cockpit, it must have been somewhat comforting to the two-man crew that they were not straddling the gear box and prop shaft with no real protection from a mechanical failure. Of course, these big V-16 engines used lots of high-octane gasoline. Someone described the two fuel tanks as “coffin sized.” Hmmm . . .

Twin V-16 engines in Miss America VIII rated at 930 hp each. [Photo courtesy of the author]

The engine space is open with both of the 930 horsepower V-16’s. No engine hatches were designed, leaving the large motors visible and open to the air. Eight Holley carburetors need lots of oxygen at speed. The engine and steering controls are very minimal and elementary. The cockpit had little in the way of safety gear –just two padded seat backs. Driving one of these Miss America’s was not for the faint of heart. This was not the vessel to take one’s family out for a leisurely cruise on the River!

The boat was built of Philippine mahogany planking. Today, the Miss America VIII retains 75-percent of its original wood. The boat went through a restoration by expert Doug Morin of Bay City, MI. For a vintage wood race boat that is in its 97th year, it seems remarkable that the vessel is essentially original. This is a testament to the construction quality of GarWood back in 1929.

Garfield “Gar” Wood was the son of a ferryboat captain/operator in Minnesota. The son invented a hydraulic system for dump trucks hauling coal. He also built truck bodies and farm implements. Gar had a hobby of racing boats, which eventually evolved into a boat building division. Known for breaking various speed records on the water, Gar Wood won the prestigious Harmsworth Trophy in British waters and brought the prize back to the United States.

Miss America VIII racing for the Harmsworth Trophy. [Photo courtesy of the author]

Gar Wood was at the helm of Miss America VIII in 1929 when he hit 104 miles per hour in a race on the Detroit River. His brother, George, was at the helm in 1931, with the upgraded V-16 engines by Harry Miller, in a race on the Harlem River in New York City when Miss America VIII again hit 104 miles per hour.

There were nine Miss America race boats built by Gar Wood. Miss America VIII was considered the best of the lot for her refined hull design and lighter, stronger engines. Gar Wood won the Harmsworth Trophy nine times, which is an amazing feat.

Gar Wood in later life. [Photo courtesy of the author]

I have not found any evidence that Miss America VIII competed in races in the Thousand Islands. One would think that over her long life, this famous boat was on the St. Lawrence River for some competition. Gar Wood did compete in 1922 in the Fisher-Allison Cup in his Baby Gar III, which was powered by twin Fiat aircraft engines. Those races took place in Hamilton, ON. Garfield “Gar” Wood died in 2017, at the age of 90. He also raced aircraft. Quite a man.

Miss America VIII at speed. [Photo courtesy of the author]

UPDATE:

The Mecum auction in Kissimmee brought a record price of $2.2 million for Miss America VIII. This is an amazing price. It remains to be seen if this famous GarWood will see any future classic boat racing action. We hope that the new owner(s) will bring Miss America VIII to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton for a future show and perhaps a speed demonstration on the River.

By Rick Casali

Rick Casali is a resident of Wellesley Island. During his youth, from 1947 to 1976, his parents had a cottage on Grindstone Island named The Orchards. Rick now splits his time between Stuart, FL, and the River. He worked for Columbia Gas System for 29 years and ran their Washington, DC office. Then in 2000, he started brokering boats and yachts, and he continues as a broker with North Point Yacht Sales. Rick and his wife Anne, cruise the River in a recently purchased 1968 Chris Craft 31 Commander, which they named "Foxtrot". They also have a Seaway 24 named "Miss Annie". You can see many more of Rich Casali's past TI Life articles here.