To obtain 300 dpi images of the stamps visit: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007stamps/.
Broadcast quality b-roll of the Vintage Mahogany Speedboats stamps printing is available via Pathfire and standard broadcast through the USPS Newsroom at http://www.usps.com/news.

WASHINGTON, DC — If you've always wanted to own a boat but could never afford one, you'll be able to own a fleet of four for the price of First-Class Mail postage when the Postal Service issues the Vintage Mahogany Speedboats commemorative stamps tomorrow. The four subjects on the sheet of 12 stamps showcase the polished mahogany and gleaming chrome hardware that characterize the nation's historic wooden motorboats. Built by four different manufacturers, each vintage watercraft is still in use today:

• Frolic, a 1915 Hutchinson Brothers launch.
• Dispatch, a 1931 Gar Wood triple cockpit runabout.
• Thunderbird, a 1939 Hacker-Craft commuter boat.
• Duckers, a 1954 Chris-Craft Racing Runabout.

The selvage — or decorative area around the stamps — features a recent photograph of Miss Columbia by Benjamin Mendlowitz of Brooklin, ME. The boat, created by Mark Mason and built by craftsman of the New England Boat & Motor Co., of Laconia, NH, is a modern re-creation of the original Miss Columbia, designed by George F. Crouch and built in 1924. Robert Devens of Green Cove Springs, FL, purchased the replica from original owner Phillip Sharples of Tubac, AZ, and berths her for the summer on the Muskoka Lakes of Ontario, Canada. Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, CA, photographed the boats on the stamps and designed the stamp sheet.

The first-day-of-issue stamp dedication ceremony takes place at 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 4, in Clayton, NY, to highlight the Antique Boat Show & Auction, now celebrating its 43rd year (www.abm.org).
A special stamp dedication ceremony takes place Thursday, Aug. 9, at the Sierra Boat Company in Carnelian Bay, CA, on Lake Tahoe, where the boats that modeled for the stamps will be celebrated during the 35th Annual Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance (www.laketahoeconcours.com).

“We are excited about christening these stamps at the Antique Boat Museum,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Executive Director David Failor. “Their assistance in researching these nautical works of art was invaluable. We are also thrilled that boat enthusiasts at Lake Tahoe will be able to celebrate the four wooden classics featured on the stamps.”

1915 Hutchinson Brothers Launch
A popular style for touring and commuting, the long-deck launch was offered with a four- or six-cylinder marine engine capable of reaching 30 mph.

Powered by a 110-horsepower, six-cylinder Chrysler Crown engine, the attractive 30-foot craft on the stamp was custom-built in 1915 by Hutchinson Brothers Boat Co., Alexandria Bay, NY. Frolic owners Bill and Tish Kartozian of Danville, CA, dock her on Lake Tahoe.

1931 Gar Wood Triple Cockpit Runabout
Gar Wood 33-foot triple cockpit runabouts are considered some of the finest runabouts produced by the famous boatbuilding firm in Marysville, MI. Elegant and powerful, these craft were offered with either a Scripps V-12 or a Gar Wood Liberty V-12 engine and were capable of exceeding 50 mph.

Manufactured in 1931, the runabout appearing on the stamp has a 650-horsepower, 12-cylinder Rolls Royce engine. Named Dispatch, she is owned by Tom and Maurine Turner of Carnelian Bay, CA. Her Lake Tahoe berth is next to Turner's Gar Woods Grill and Pier Restaurant.

1939 Hacker-Craft
Based on the streamlined designs of John Hacker, Thunderbird is a 55-foot commuter boat featuring a distinctive stainless-steel cabin top that was built for millionaire George Whittell, who was fascinated with the latest aircraft, automobile and boat technology. Enamored with the lines of his personal DC-2 airplane, Whittell requested Thunderbird's hull and cockpit be built to resemble the fuselage of his twin-engine aircraft. Built in 1939 by the Huskins Boat Co. of Bay City, MI, Thunderbird's original twin 550-horsepower Kermath engines were replaced in the 1960s with twin 1000-horsepower Allison V-12 aircraft engines. The Hacker-Craft is owned by Foundation 36, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Nevada’s natural, cultural and historic treasures, and is berthed in Whittell’s original 1940 boathouse built for Thunderbird. The boathouse is connected to the main house by a 600-foot tunnel that was blasted through granite at the Thunderbird Lodge Historic Site on Lake Tahoe. Learn the fascinating story behind this nautical classic at: http://www.thunderbirdlodge.org/theboat.html.

1954 Chris-Craft Racing Runabout
A steady seller since 1936, the Racing Runabout exemplified Chris-Craft speed and design through 1954. Updated after World War II, the 19-foot model features a split cockpit and gleaming deck hardware. With its 158-horsepower MBL engine, this craft can exceed 40 mph. Chris-Craft runabouts remain a popular model among classic boaters who enjoy their sporty performance.

Duckers, built in 1954 in Cadillac, MI, has a 158-horsepower, six-cylinder Chris-Craft Hercules engine. She is owned by William and Nancy Kehoe of Loomis CA, who boat with her on Lake Tahoe and the Sacramento Delta.

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