Description

GAR WOOD DESIGNED MISS BEHAVE RC READY SPEED BOAT

FULLY BUILT AND READY TO DISPLAY, QUALITY SHIP MODEL

Dimension approx.: 32″ L x 10″ W x 9″ H.
The model is already built. THIS IS NOT A MODEL SHIP KIT
Authentic gauges, dials and steering wheel on dash
RC READY - hatched open for easy installation of RC equipment, propeller(s) and motor (not included)

In the mid‑1930s, when America was rediscovering speed, style, and mechanical daring, Garfield “Gar” Wood — the world’s most famous powerboat racer — turned his attention from thunderous Gold Cup hydroplanes to something more intimate. His friend Edward Noble, the Lifesaver Candy magnate, had been racing a 33‑foot Baby Gar on the St. Lawrence River since the 1920s, but he wanted something different: a boat that felt like a European sports car on water. Small, fast, elegant, and personal.

Wood’s answer was the 16‑foot Gar Wood Speedster, introduced in 1934 and built only through 1938. Crafted from rich African mahogany and powered by a flathead six‑cylinder engine producing between 92 and 175 horsepower, the Speedster was the smallest racing boat Gar Wood ever built — and one of the most beautiful. With its long foredeck, single cockpit tucked behind the engine, and low, aggressive stance, it looked fast even at rest.

Among the handful of Speedsters built — perhaps 14 in total — one would become the most famous: Miss Behave.

Noble adored the first Speedsters so much that he ordered a dozen and sent them to the St. Lawrence River for his friends. Each boat received a playful name — Miss Adventure, Miss Chief, Miss Conduct — but the one Noble kept for himself was christened Miss Behave, a wink at the spirited racing culture of the Thousand Islands. On summer afternoons before the war, these little mahogany bullets would streak across the river, their flathead engines barking, their polished decks flashing in the sun. They were the sports cars of the water, and Miss Behave was the star of the fleet.

The Speedster represented a turning point for Gar Wood. After years of dominating world speed records and international trophy races, he began channeling his engineering genius into high‑quality recreational boats — machines that ordinary enthusiasts could enjoy, not just professional racers. The Speedster blended his racing pedigree with the craftsmanship of his Marysville, Michigan shop, producing a boat that was as refined as it was thrilling.

World War II ended the Speedster era, and over time most of the originals disappeared. Today, more reproductions exist than authentic boats, and the surviving originals are among the most coveted collectibles in the classic‑boat world. The original Miss Behave is preserved at the Thousand Islands Shipyard Museum in Clayton, New York, where she stands as a jewel of American boatbuilding.

Miss Behave is more than a racing runabout. She embodies the 1930s fascination with speed, the artistry of hand‑built mahogany boats, and the personal friendship between two titans of their era — Gar Wood and Edward Noble. She also reflects Wood’s broader legacy: five world water‑speed records, countless Gold Cup victories, and a lifetime spent pushing marine engineering forward.

Small, sleek, and exquisitely crafted, Miss Behave remains one of the most iconic American speedboats ever built — a reminder that sometimes the most enduring legends come in the smallest, fastest packages.