GAD-A-BOUT is an immaculate, triple-cockpit representation of the gilded era of wooden boats, when massive gas engines were squeezed into luxurious speedboats to thrill the elite - royalty, titans of industry, and Hollywood celebrities - with speed and exhilaration. The sleek mahogany speedsters were introduced into a world of recreational boating that up and to then had been a staid, slow-paced world of rowing boats, steam-powered launches, and spartan sailing craft. Boating was never to be the same. With the gleaming, varnished mahogany, the nickel chrome hardware, and the plush, multiple seating areas these double and triple cockpit runabouts transformed the pleasure boating market, and numerous builders sprung up to sate the nation's quest for speed and performance. Renowned names like Dodge, Chris Craft, Gar Wood began building runabouts, often as a result of speedboat racing success, but none ever reached the pinnacle of craftsmanship and perfection that John Hacker did.