1928 Hacker Craft Dolphin with Sterling Petrel 779 Power

Unlike the producers of literally hundreds of 1920s vehicles, the Hacker Boat Company is still very much alive, having returned to its roots of producing custom wooden boats in its original base along the shores of Lake George in Upstate New York. It's been doing so since 1908, when founder John Hacker pioneered the V-hull keel for small pleasure boats, and included an interlude with the firm based near the Great Lakes in Mount Clemens, Michigan, where this mahogany-hull 1928 Hacker Craft Dolphin was hewn by hand. Reina, this triple-cockpit 28-foot runabout is said to have spent most of its sailing life in Northern California and the Lake Tahoe area before being fully restored in the 1980s. The boat is powered by a Sterling Petrel 779-cu.in. engine ' by some accounts, only 20 such engines are known to remain in operating order. PROPULSION The Sterling Petrel 779-cu.in. L-head straight-six engine that powers this Dolphin was one of the largest and most powerful engines available for small watercraft in the late 1920s. Assembled in Buffalo, New York, the dual-spark, carbureted engine had a crankshaft running in seven main bearings and was rated by the manufacturer at 200 horsepower when new. The engine in this Dolphin is not original to the boat, but, matches original Hacker Craft specifications and has recently been serviced. The engine is reported to start readily, without smoke, and to have no functional issues or fluid leaks from the boat's powertrain. The engine shows fresh paint and no soiling or surface corrosion in the provided photographs. HULL The Dolphin is known as a wet-exhaust boat, the gases exiting from pipes at the waterline as was common 1920s practice for sporting boats. The Dolphin's hull and upper structure are formed from planks of Honduran mahogany, the restoration of the boat having been certified via a survey from a noted maritime expert.- that some of the individual planks show age marks, but the wood is reported to have good varnish, including maintenance coats applied within the past two years, with most of the wood projecting a nearly mirror finish. - the boat is rust free. The deck hardware presents in the photos as being in excellent condition, including the windshield frames. The glass is reported to be in very good condition, with all exterior lighting described as functional - Each of the Dolphin's three cockpits has leather-faced seating that the seller reports to be in very good condition, with no visible damage. The bottom deck is covered in linoleum, which is said to be in good shape. The wooden dashboard has a padded lip with an original metal manufacturer's plate that presents beautifully in the photos. The hardware appears to be in excellent condition, and the instrumentation is reported to work as new.  OPERATION The control systems for this boat are reported to be unmodified from their factory specifications and configurations. Additional documentation includes photographs of the restoration and the maritime survey. This historic 1928 Hacker Craft Dolphin, with an extremely rare engine, presents as very handsomely restored.