Mannford resident Gene Childress recently completed a 15-month project: He restored a houseboat.
The "Mollie G" was launched back into the water on May 1, 1986 after over a ten year dry-docking. Assisting Childress and his wife with the launching were Bobby Hardin and Ralph Young.
The "Mollie G" isn't just any houseboat.
"I believe it is the only one in the state of Oklahoma powered by a paddle-wheel," said Childress. There is one other, the Cherokee Queen in Tahlequah, that is equipped with a paddle-wheel, according to Childress. The paddle-wheel on the Cherokee Queen is for show only.
Childress obtained the houseboat in March of 1985 from Tom Childress. When Tom had bought the Pier 51 Marina, the boat came with it. It had been sitting for ten years. Trees and shrubs had grown up, around and over it.
"It was a mess and in terrible shape," Childress said. "My wife told me I was crazy."
He hauled it home anyway and began its restoration and genealogy.
"I like nostalgia. It's something that's different and has a lot of history to it," he said.
Built in the 1960's by National Tank Company (now CE NATCO) of Sand Springs, Childress conjectered it was probably used as a company party boat. He is still in the process of tracing the houseboat's history and is unsure if it had a name prior to his Christening it the "Mollie G."
Anyone having any information on the boat is urged to contact Childress at 865-4454.
He has had several people stop by and comment, "Why, I remember that boat. I worked on it. Boy, I never thought I'd see that ol' thing again!"
"Mollie G" weighs in at 50,000 pounds, or 25 tons and is 12 feet wide with a 42 foot length. This flat bottom boat is built in 24 inch sections of iron and contains a 350 Chevrolet motor. The paddle-wheel sets even with the boat's bottom, a design which helps keep it free of mud and other garbage.
Named after Childress's wife, Mollie Gwendolyn, the "Mollie G" has undergone a complete restoration.
The inside was gutted, reducing it to a mere hull. The bottom is brand new, sand blasted, and painted. It now sports inside carpet, a steering-control panel, table and chairs, couch, stove, refrigerator, closet and cabinets. It is self-contained.
"We spent a lot of midnight oil on this thing," said Childress. "George Posten donated the bell and a lot of good friends donated the labor. Mark Brandsness did the sand blasting." An estimated 400 hours of labor has gone into the "Mollie G", with yet more to do. Before year's end, during its dry docking for the winter, Childress plans on adding a steering keel to better handle the wind, carpeting the very top, adding another closet, and installing bunk beds.
One of the high points of the ordeal was the installation of a regular "Captain's" steering wheel on the control panel.
With a top speed of around 10 m.p.h., "Mollie G's" ride is similar to that of the old barges. "It's so wide and heavy you can hardly feel the waves," Childress says.
It is an excellent trolling boat, according to Childress, who many times doesn't take the boat out. He just relaxes and fishes from the dock.
"Yes, I'd do it again. When I get completely done with this, I'll do something else just as crazy. People stopped by to tell me it would never work. It wouldn't float."
Childress became interested in restoring things following a trip to Africa in 1967. He began with a 1942 model Criss-Craft boat, which was made completely out of mahogany wood.
In 1984, he restored a 1961 Buick Special Convertible, which he later sold.
What's next on the list?
That's anyone's guess.
Childress and his wife live in Mannford and have five children: Lee, 30; Wylie, 28; Shirley, 26; Patricia, 24, and Tracy, 22.
He is an excavation contractor and owns Big G Service Company in Mannford.
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