Speed trial on tidal creek, 1950s

Archive & AtlasEstablished · MMXXIII

Speed trial on tidal creek, 1950s — Archive & Atlas

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Speed trial on tidal creek, 1950s — Archive & Atlas

Unattributed 1950–1959

AA-2026-3B35C8

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Someone has decided that a narrow estuary at low tide is the ideal place to test what appears to be a high-powered outboard motor on a yellow hull, the kind of casual experimentation that filled American waterways in the postwar years when cheap gasoline and newly available marine engines had convinced a generation that any body of water was a proving ground. The photographer, stationed on the bank in the foreground, has captured the exact moment of acceleration—white water churning beneath the bow, the boat already listing slightly from the torque of a motor that was probably considered dangerously overpowered for a hull that narrow. The salt marsh rises behind in orderly bands of yellow-green, the kind of background that appears in hundreds of 1950s color photographs taken by amateurs who thought Kodachrome would immortalize what turned out to be ordinary summer days. What seemed to him like a matter of scientific interest—how fast can this go, how much water will it kick up—was simply someone taking a boat out, pushing it harder than sense recommended, and assuming that if a thing could be done, it ought to be done right now.

The historian's note

Postwar recreational boating in America expanded dramatically as marine engines became accessible to amateur owners. The 1950s marked the transition from simple outboard motors to higher-horsepower units that could make any boat seem capable of racing. Coastal salt marshes, tidal creeks, and estuaries became informal testing grounds for these engines, often without regard for the fragile ecosystems being disturbed. The Kodachrome color film stock visible here—with its characteristic warm yellow-green tone in vegetation—dates the practice of documenting recreational boating activity to amateur photographers who were part of the first generation to have affordable color film and leisure time for weekend water sports.

Subjects & keywords — each links to a search

outboard motor·recreational boating·1950s leisure culture·speed trial·yellow hull·amateur photography·postwar consumer technology·salt marsh·Kodachrome color film·marine acceleration·tidal creek·East Coast waterway

yellow outboard motorboatobject · depicts salt marsh estuaryplace · location

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Particulars

Creator: Unattributed
Date: 1950–1959
Place: — coastal salt marsh or tidal estuary, North American East Coast typology
Subject: Speed trial with outboard motor on narrow boat
Original format: jpg
Original held: Yes, by the archive
Rights: Open