Growing up on a lake presented many boating opportunities for Greg Carlson. His first experiences on the water came with his parent's tri-hull Starcraft, followed by a series of small, fast hydroplanes with the compulsory Mercury Lightning and Hurricane engines. After he left home, he owned a Shell Lake and a Glastron GT-150.

Last year, Dave moved his family to Hudson, Wis., and knew that with proximity to the St. Croix River, he'd need another boat. But a brand-new boat wasn't in his future. "I just liked the look of the older boats," says Greg. "I was searching eBay and checking prices. I wasn't looking for anything with fins; I felt like there were a lot of nice boats that didn't have them. I saw pictures of a Spitfire online and knew it was what I was looking for. I found an advertisement for one and went to check it out."

The person who had placed the ad had a 1960 Spitfire Sport, an old Chris-Craft and a 1960 Glastron. "The Spitfire was sitting in a woodshed, which was the best thing for it, but also the worst thing," says Greg. "Being under cover had preserved the gel coat, but it also made it the perfect home for all the critters that were living in it. When I got it home, I took the cover off of the Mercury Mark 75 and found the inside of the motor packed with mouse residue. I probably should have pulled the cover before I left his yard, although it wouldn't have made any difference; I fell in love with the boat immediately when I saw it."

Su-Preme Boats Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn., built Greg's Spitfire. For those familiar with boats from the '50s, the Spitfire bears an amazing resemblance to the Fleetform Commodore, and it should. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Sam Owen of Fleetform should have been proud. Like Bob Hammond of Glastron, he was discovering that his boats were popping up all over the marketplace and not always manufactured by his company. It had happened before. Take an existing boat, add a few details here and delete a few there, and you're in business.

Su-Preme Boats introduced the Spitfire in 1959, which ran through the 1961 model year. While the Fleetform boats were sold primarily in the South and Southwest, the Spitfire sold extremely well in the upper Midwest market.  

"The looks of the boat are what really attracted me," says Greg.  "I think that my favorite feature is the way the stern curves in and over, kind of like the barrel-back woodies. The boat wouldn't look nearly as good without it or the character line where the hulls join together - kind of like a '55 Buick side spear."

In fact, the boat looks so good in its original form that Greg doesn't want to restore it. "There aren't any structural problems," says Greg. "When and if there are, I'll have to consider how far I will take it. It does draw a lot of attention being unrestored and in this condition. With a boat like this being used, nothing has to be perfect."

Greg is currently running a Mercury 400 on the Spitfire while he finishes refurbishing the Mercury Mark 75 that came with it.  The mice had completely destroyed the wiring inside the cover on the 75, and a lot of the aluminum parts were badly deteriorated.  

Greg gets good use out of his Spitfire. "My wife Carolyn (Kiki) and I use the boat on the St. Croix," says Greg. "It really gets looks wherever we go. We see a lot of thumbs up. We travel up to Stillwater, Minn., and down as far as Prescott, Wis. The Spitfire is a little small for the river, especially with the huge wakes that the large cruisers kick up, but it's still enjoyable; you just have to be careful."

Greg's teenage sons are still getting accustomed to the 46-year-old boat. "My boys are 18 and 19 and would rather have something hot like a Hydrostream," says Greg, "but they're getting used to it. This boat is just a lot of fun."