Q
14 MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, uoo.y, Juat 8. 1958
oUll
SMOOTHES JOINT Al Allen above, who, with his father,
run the Roguewoods boat factory at their home on the
Rogue River, is shown above sanding a joint on the deck
of a Tru-V runabout prior to putting on the finish, a
polyester resin. All Tru-V hulls are completely glassed on
the outside to give maximum strength. Planking is of- 3a
inch marine plywood that is bonded between layers of a
special plastic, Crezone. The plywood, made especially for
marine construction, is a fairly new product put out by
Harbor Plywood corporation. The "V" shape of the fore
part of the Tru-V hull can be cleary seen in the angle
of the ribs in the picture above.
OVER RAPIDS The provin grounds"
G
'for Tru-V boats is the rough
rapids .along Qie Rogue river. For the next
month or two, $hile the river is high, Jim
and Al Allen, who operate the Roguewoods
boat factory, will give demonstration rides
to prove what the boat will do. Wide flare
on the prow of the boats makes them more
FRONT VIEW A head-on view of a Tru-V
boat shows the accented '"flare" or "V"
shape of the forward section of the hull.
Sitting in the boat, which is mounted on a
trailer ready for delivery, is Al Allen's
wife, Muriel, who helps out at the boat
factory occasionally. A 15-foot runabout,
zi &iTt-s,7'' 1 T-t
h- " " r-v -Jv,-!sls x
SHARP TURN Going at a good clip into
Q sharp turnOabove, boat builder Jim Allen
lays a 15-foot Tru-V runabout over on its
- side until the gunwale touches the water.
- Powered by a 35 horsepower outboard, the
boat literally jumps into planing position,
PSDgni
T?MTfe -
QSSeb
sea-worthy, the makers claim, and gives a
considerably softer ride in rough water than
ordinary boats. The flare also throws the
water far to the side, keeping passengers
and the inside of the boat dry. The picture
above was taken on the rapids just below
the Allen home.
stretches of
similiar to the one above weathered a bad
storm on Pudget sound when Al got caught
miles from shore. Jim Allen spent many
years developing a hull design that would
be more seaworthy than an average boat.
The runabouts can be seen at Littrell Parts,
marine division, East Sixth st., Medford.
but instead of slapping every wave it is
cushioned through them by the extreme V
shape of the foreward section of the hull,
which aids maneuverability. (Note the long
section of the prow that is out of the water.)
By BOB VROMAN
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
The secret to outstanding
performance in any boat,
large or small, is in the hull
design and little else, accord
ing to valley resident Jim
Allen, who has been building
boats as a hobby for 29 years.
Whether a boat cuts
through rough water or
"slaps" on top of it or whether
it tracks smoothly in a tight
turn or not depends mainly on
the shape of the craft on its
underneath side. .
Allen learned how much
hull design means by making
and testing many different
boats from his own plans and
noting their characteristics on
all kinds of water in lakes and
streams of the northwest.
Hit Upon Design
A few years ago he hit upon
a design that out-performed
any boat he had ever built
or had ever seen and his
noDDy nas turned into an
other new southern Oregon
enterprize.
Last year he and his son, Al
wno make tneir home on
Rogue river several miles
north of the old military
bridge site, decided to manu
facture the boats on a com
mercial basis because they
felt their design was better
than any on the market.
Extreme flare in the for
ward section of the hull gives
a soft, cushioned ride in the
roughest water by slicing
through the waves instead of
hitting them with a bump.
and. in addition, the flare
throws the water wide, keep
ing the passengers and pilot
dry. Steering of the boat is
positive with any size out
board and it maneuvers like a
cat in fast turns.
The Aliens call the particu
lar design the Tru-V (the
name is registered in the U. S
Patent office) because of the
"V" shape of the forward sec
tion, and the name of their
factory is Roguewoods boat
works.
Original Hobby
Allen's original "hobby,:
boat shop, located amongst
the trees behind their river
home, didn't need many
changes to become a factory
The addition of a tempera
tUre-humidity controlled paint
room and the construction of
special jigs and templates was
all that was needed to go into
stepped-up production.
Before deciding to manufac
ture the boats for sale, Allen
and his son spent several
years testing a lo-foot run
about and an 18-foot cruiser
with the special "V" design
on Lake Meade, Klamath and
Shasta lakes and even on the
waters of Puget sound. (A fea
ture story on one of their
Puget sound cruises was car-
died in the Mail Tribune last
year.) ,
They also used the rapids of
the Rogue river for. a "prov
ing ground," where there was
water rough enough to shake
some boats apart at the seams,
but their test models took all
1 e pounding they could put
them through.
h ""sH Storm
One year on Puget sound,
Iij? one of the 15-foot
runabouts, hit the worst storm
he had ever encountered and
after hours of buffeting by
the huge waves, the boat and
Al came through unscathed.
All of the Aliens' boat
building know-how is incor
porated in the construction of
the rugged hulls. Ribs are sci
entifically spaced arid vary in
width, depending on points of
stress, and the boats are
planked with a special 38-inch
plywood which is coated on
both sides with Crezone, a
waterproof plastic compound.
The planking, a product of
Harbor Plywood corporation,
is comparatively new and is
especially made for boat con
struction, giving additional
strength to the wood and
forming a hard, protective
surface coating.
All Tru-V hulls are also
completely glassed on the
outside, making for strongest
possible construction. Brass
screws and special annular-
ringed clincher nails are used
throughout and all the boat
fittings are of brass or bronze.
Special Feature
Another special feature oi
the boats is the finishing of
the deck. Instead of the tradi
tional varnish over natural
wood, the Aliens use multi
color polyester resin to pro
vide a non-skid, durable sur
face. The same material is
Lused on the interior of the
hulls.
Although the Aliens have
what they call their "stand
ard" model, a customer may
order special seating arrange
ment, and extra wide motor
vell to accommodate two out
boards or other changes at no
extra cost. This is one of the
advantages of running a small
operation, Allen said. '
Though their factory is
small and their maximum out
put is one boat every ten days
or so, a customer can be sure
he can buy no better boat for
the money anywhere. This is
partly due to . low operating
costs and the efficiency of a
two-man shop plus the fact
BOAT' FACTORY This building, located
among the trees on the banks of the Rogue
river, is where Tru-V boats ,are built. Jim
and Al Allen, owners, are setting a transom
in place to begin construction of another
15-foot runabout. A finished hull can be
seen sillouetted against the door opening on
the far end of the shop. A temperature and
that both men know well the
business of building boats
they have risked their own
necks on rough, open water to
prove their theories were
right.
Finished Runabouts
The Aliens have already
iimshed and sold 14 6i the 15
foot runabouts and five fish
ing-type boats and now they
are working on another 18
foot cabin cruiser that they
will take to the sourfd later
this year. They are also work
ing on plans for a deluxe 21-
foot Tru-V cruiser that they
will make on special order.
Now, and as long as the
river stays high, the Aliens
will give demonstrations to
prospective customers who
want to see what the boat will
do. The ride includes a fast
trip on a long stretch of still
water, a few sharp turns and
a run over a 100-yard stretch
of rapids if the passenger
has the nerve.
just last week a prospec
tive buyer was taken for a
spin on the river by Allen and
was given the "works." When
the ride was over, the man
had no moj e than gotten both
teet on the dock when he said,
"I'll take it." After going over
all that rough water he was
completely dry and had not
had the liver shaken out of
him as he was sure he was
going to nave, mat was
enough to convince him that
a Tru-V boat had something
to offer that other boats
didn't.
Set Up Dealerships
The only dealer now hand
ling Tru-V boats is Littrell
Parts Marine Division, East
Sixth st, Medford, but the
men plan to set up dealerships
in other towns on the coast in
the future. Littrells have on
display at the present time
one of the standard 15-foot
runabouts. One of the boats
was sold to a Portland man
after he had taken one of the
demonstration rides.
To get out to the Rogue
woods boat works, one crosses
Bybee bridge on the Rogue
river, keeping right at the
next road junction. From
Modoc orchards it is approxi
mately three miles straight
ahead. A small wooden sign
on the right hand side of the
road designates where to turn.
Once a person has ridden in
a Tru-V, he knows at once it
is not just "another boat"
it is an example of a fine piece
of engineering and credit to
its southern Oregon manufac
turers, Jim and Al Allen.
$500 in Prizes
Set For Rooster
Rogue River "The biggest
and best Rooster Crowing
contest ever held" is rapidly
taking shape in Rogue River
for the annual Rooster Crow
ing Jubilee, according to H.
Norwood, parade chair
man.
A total of $500 will be
awarded to the crowingest
roosters, Norwood announced.
A $250 prize will be awarded
to the top crower with other
prizes going to the most orig
inal and best cages.
Beetlebaum, the rooster
who crowed 109 times in 30
minutes in 1953, holds the
world's record, he said.
The color guard of Rogue
River post 3114, Veterans of
Foreign Wars, will lead the
parade which will begin at
10 a.m. The crowing contest
at 12 noon. There is no
entry fee.
A square dance and peewee
baseball game will be held
in the afternoon, followed by
a dance in the evening.
Anyone wishing to enter
the parade is invited, Nor
wood said.
United States exports of
cotton in fiscal 1957 were 7.6
million bales, valued at
$1,115,000,000.
) P
humidity controlled paint rooms is located
on the wing to the right and various power
tools are kept in the left wing of the build
ing. The men also build fishing-type boats,
molded fiberglass dinghies, like the one
leaning against the door in the picture
above, and larger Tru-V cabin cruisers.
Med Treasure
Most Pennies Worth Just
That To Coin Collectors
It is true' that there are
very few spectacular values
to be found among the pen
nies which the United States
has coined during the past 50
years that go through your
hands each day.
Including pennies with the
same dates but different mint
marks such as the D for Den-
ver or the S for San Francis-
co there are now nearly 100
that have been coined during
this century.
To realize the top value of
a complete collection of 20th
Century pennies, it would be
necessary to have all of them
in uncirculated condition an It was a 1914 Lincoln head
almost impossible task. But cent with a Denver mint
the value to be obtained from mark. The condition was ex
even a partial collection of . cellent. There were tiny nicks
pieces that are in good condi- and scratches on it that in
tion though taken from evitably come with passing
coins in actual circulation through a few hundred hands,
is still considerable in rela- but none that actually defaced
tion to the effort involved and any part of the coin's design,
amount of money invested. Had the coin been in un-
For example, one collector
I know recently sold a collec-
tion of 60 20th century U. S.
pennies for $35.
The collection cost him 60 collection of 60 pennies.
AUTHOR'S INSCRIPTION ADDS VALUE TO 1ST EDITION
The value of a first edition
of any book by a well known the price was $75. He sug
author is always enhanced if gested I look inside for an ex
the book is inscribed by the planation of the increase,
author, but there are other On the inside front cover
ways by which its value can
be increased.
A book dealer bid in a copy
of Robert Frost's "Mountain
Interval" for the not so very
low price of $20. Signed copies None of the three letters
have brought as high as $60 had any significance of im
at auctions in recent years, portance regarding either
but this one was unsigned. Frost or the book, "Mountain
It was in excellent condi-
tion, however. Its blue cloth
binding was not stained or
worn. None of its -100 pages
were loose, and the white
end papers had not been dam-
aged as so often seems to hap-
pen. In fact, it looked almost
as good as on the day in 1918
when it came off the presses
of the Henry Holt and Com
pany, in New York.
I saw the book on the deal
er's first edition shelf. He had
put it in a slip case and
marked it at $40.
Some three months later I
LORD'S PRAYER QUOTE GIVES PLATE HIGH VALUE
When ever you come across The piece, in clear glass and
a plate or platter on which of the common pressed glass
are inscribed the words "Give type of manufacture, had little
Us This Day Our Daily
Bread," the chances are that
you have a piece with a pre-
mium value.
Glass bread plates with that
inscription are fairly common
in salvage and curio shops,
and untold thousands of them
are still in use in homes across
the country.
Though most of them are
not particularly attractive,
they have a value to collectors
x. - r i i - j v
pan ox wmcn lies in now ine me mai sue leu nerseii quite
piece serves as a nostalgic re- lucky to get it. She had ac
minder of the relatively sim- quired the same piece a few
pie life of the late 1800s. weeks before, but in amber
Recently I saw one of these glass which obviously would
bread plates in what is known do nothing for the set she was
as the Egyptian design. It was collecting in clear glass. And
of an oblong shape with a since she had twice turned
large oval center. Around the down lower priced, Egyptian
rim was the biblical inscrip- design bread plates in clear
tion Somewhat to one side glass, only to have someone
in the oval was the seated fig- else snap them up, she was
ure of a woman holding wheat not going to pass up a third
kernels in her lap and looking opportunity,
off over, a rather Egyptian , (Released by McClur
appearing landscape. ' Newspaper Syndicate)
fa
cents in money and about 15
hours in time spread over a
period of nearly four years.
All he did was examine each
nennv that went through his
hands. Only a glance would
be enough to eliminate all
those that were badly worn
or in merely fair condition,
and not much more than a
glance was needed to deter-
mine whether a good looking
coin had the desired date and
mint mark to fill a gap in his
growing collection.
The most valuable piece he
found was, a penny that he
got in change while buying a
cup of coffee in a cafeteria.
circulated condition, it would
have had a value of from $40
to $50. As it was, it added
about $10 to the value of his
noted it again, but this time
were two short letters by the
author and a third by one of
the leading critics of the 1930s
commenting not too favor-
ably on Frost's work.
Interval." I said so. The dealer
laughingly agreed. That was
the reason, he said, that he
had got them for only a dollar
each.
"Just the same," he went
on. "Letters like that take on
a special meaning when en-
closed in a first edition of an
important .work, enough to
justify an - increase in the
price."
When r called again some
weeks later the book was
gone. He had sold it to a Frost
enthusiast after letting him
beat down the price to $60.
charm to'it. The workmanship
was certainly no better than
mediocre, and though I knew
the glass of that design also
known as "Partenon glass"
because of the inscription on
the goblets in the set had a
value to collectors, the $20
price on the piece seemed at
least a third too high.
it soia almost wniie I was
looking at it, however, and
the lady who bought it told J
a. a. i .u i i r j 1
PORTLAND (UPI)
Donald E. McPherson, of As
toria, was fined $200 in Fed
eral district court here Friday
after pleading guilty to a
charge of possession of hali
but caught outside the halibut
fishing season in 1956.
McPherson, a fish dealer,
was accused of the possession
of 10,500 pounds of halibut in
violation of a fisheries agree
ment between the United
States and Canada.
CORN REMOVER
Civ mttaiit Mlif frmn pom n4 pit!
rty rwnovM hard conn, toft con
batwM K tas, coIIoums, war
papillomas, dub noflt. It coMami
oral fiffrnt oils that sofa, 'mini
and do aot hum (ho Witaliow os
do strong odd miittwros. WKon of
mors kav faifod try this on, try
vr tun ion toliof, wtoc follows
pain, soronoss, swoHing first or iscond
application, oath romodios told
wanojr bock gvarantoa.
Exclusively at
WESTERN THRIFT
ILLINOIS VALLEY
Library Hours Changed
Br RUTH RAUSCH
Cave Junction Mrs.
Ralph Messenger, head librar
ian of - the Cave Junction
branch of the Josephine coun
ty library, announced that the
new summer hours for the
library will be from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and 7 pjn. to 9 p.m.
Monday through Friday and
from 10 a jn. to 1 p.m. on Sat
urday. New hours started
yesterday and will continue
through Aug. 31.
A reading club will be
formed beginning Monday,
June 9, and awards will be
made to those youngsters at-
tending the club 10 times dur
ing the summer.
On Thursday, June 19, a
story hour will be started for
children between the ages of
four through the fourth grade
at 11:30 ajn. every morning
through the summer months.
Out of town guests who
were in the valley to attend
the Knight-Preston wedding
June 1 were Mr. and Mrs.
Andrew Mellow, brother-in-law
and sister of the bride
from Santa Rosa, Calif.; Larry
Sanders of Forest Grove, Ore.;
Mrs. Hollis Bell and Mrs. Jen
nie Knight, both of Medford,
aunt and grandmother of the
bride; Mrs. Clara B. Smith of
Victor, Mont.; and Mrs. Joe
Ripp and children, Norma,
Nancyi Kathy, Janice and
Jerry of Woodland, Wash.,
aunt and cousins of the bride.
The Rev. Don Preston,
brother of groom from Braw
ley, Calif., and the groom's
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Meryle
Preston of Ashland.
According to word received
by Mrs. Marvin Crots, George
Hicks entered Rogue Vtlley
hospital in Medford for mtjor
surgery.
Mrs. Valerie Rauber -ill b
employed at Oregon Ctve re
sort for the summer in the
office and gift shop.
Mr. and Mrs Pat Syming
ton were in Sacramento,
Calif., with Pat's "parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Ed Symington, for
merly of Selma, for the Memo
rial Day weekend. Mrs. Pat
Symington, the former Do
lores Smith, came north to be
with her family, the L. E.
Smiths, for a visit."
Another house guest at the
Smith home for the summer
is Mrs. Clara Smith, of Victor,
Mont., mother of L. E. Smith.
Mrs. Stanley Tellyer of Ray
Del Mar, Calif., was here to
attend the graduation of her
sister, Cecile Zimmerman,
from Kerby Grade school.
When she returns to her home,
Mrs. Tellyer will take Cecile
with her for the summer.
Mrs. Marvin Cross enter
tained at a luncheon given in
honor of Mrs. Tellyer, the
former Donna Zimmerman,
on Tuesday of this week.
Those attending were Mrs.
Don Zimmerman, daughter,
Cecile, the honoree, and Mr.
and Mrs. Marvin Cross.
Mr. and Mrs. Harper Mann
of Glendale, Calif., were visit
ors at the John L. Spitz home.
On Thursday both couples
went to Ukiah, Calif., where
they spent Memorial Day with
ho Wanwr's enn Alan TVT ann
Mr. and Mrs. Spitz returned I
to the valley Tuesday.
Finest
of
Modem
Facilities
Conger-Morris continually strive to provide
the finest of facilities. Here, to make yours
a beautiful Memorial, you .will find the
Orchid, Gold Green, Rose Room
Private Business Offices ,
Arrangement Rooms
Pallbearer Room '
Family Room
Chapel
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
W. MAIN AT SIXTH
The Illinois Valley Federat
ed Womens club will meet at
the home of MrsPRobert Wil
son in Kerby, Friday, June 13.
The date for. the installa
tion of officers to be held at
the Oregon Caves resort has
been changed from June 19
to Wednesday, June 18. The
installation will follow a lun
cheon served in the Cnatteau
dining room. Mrs. Carl Peter
son of Ashland, district presi
dent, will be the installing
officer.
Mr. and Mrs. Dan. Phillips
and their three daughters of
Cheyenne, Wyo., are visiting
Dan's parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Lee Phillips, of Kerby.
House guests of the Ortis
Seats are Mr. and Mrs. By
rum Gray of Walnut Creek,
Calif., and Mrs. J.' P. Embury
with son Jimmy of San Jose,
Calif. Mrs. Embury and By
rum Gray are sister and broth
er of Mrs. Seat.
C. H. Strong and Robert
DeCamp of Eugene, stopped
for a short visit with Mr. atd
Mrs. Halsey DeCamp of Ker
by. Robert DeCamp, nephew
of Halsey, is superintendent
of construction 'for the Strong
constriction and engineering
company of Eugene. Both men
were on a Business trip to San
Francisco for the company
ind Stopped for a brief visit
this- -ee.
Th Rev. Robert Kingsbury,
Mrs. Albert Kellert, lay mem
ber, and Mrs. John Smith, al
ternate lay jgembejrj are the
official representatives from
the Immanuel Methodist
church to attend the annual
conference of Oregon Meth
odism to be held in the First
Mesthodist church in' Port
land from June 17 to 20.
There will be a meeting of
the Democratic club Monday
night, June 9, in the Legion
auxiliary rooms.
MotherrSon Hurt
In One-Car Crash
Mrs. Betty Davis, 33, and
her son, Larry Allen, 8, of
55 North ftlain st., Ashland,
are in Rogue Valley hospital
for treatment of injuries suf
fered in a oge-car accident on
Friday afternoon, according
to state police.
Mrs. Davis, wife of LeWy
att Davis, received a broken
pelvis and hip and her son
suffered facial cuts and a
skull fracture, police said.
The car Mrs. Davis was
driving went off Highway 99
on Billings hill north of Ash
land and rolled over ajter
apparently skidd jkg on slick
pavment, according to inves
tigating officers.
STUBBORN
SOIL?
Lew Rates en
Sawdust Mulch
McGINTY
FUEL CO. ,
Phone SP 3-6297
1
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