TOPIC: Honoring a Fallen Friend! A must read for all

Honoring a Fallen Friend
Dennis Huebschen Auction

This is a painful thing for me to write because Dennis and I were friends and good friends at that. I met Dennis many years ago when Dirk and I were on a quest for Span Boats. I did in fact buy the boat I went to see that day and bought many more boats from Dennis as the years passed. Dennis was more commonly known as “Hoobie” to his friends do to his last name being a hand full to say. Its hard to see a life long coolection of stuff have to go like this but his wife Stephanie can’t keep them all. Its just to much stuff and with the pain of his passing even staying in the house they built together is more than she can bare too. I will go into more detail about all the cool stuff Dennis has later in this article but now I want to honor him a bit and tell you more about who he was.
Dennis was a wild child of the 50s that is for sure. As he grew up as a kid Drag Racing was his passion. He had a hotrod T bucket pickup called “The General” when he was in the service and won countless races with it. To look at pictures of him back in the day he was the split image of James Dean, Even today in their living room there is a picture of him and James Dean together and you can hardly tell them apart. We often joked that if James Dean would have lived as long as he did we would know what he would have looked like in his old age. Well Dennis’s passion for street rods like the General would stay with him all this life and many more were built out of his garage. Plus countless hotrod pickups, cars and even Limo’s, Yes I said Limo’s, He had one he called the Cidaliac with tandem rear axles, he chopped the limo part away and installed a bed of a el camino, just to haul around his collection of pedal cars to shows. But with all the hotrod cars came the boats that just had to go with them too. As he would say, “You have to see this Bizarre boat I just got” He loved Fin boats to know end and fiberglass or aluminum it didn’t matter if it had fins he was all over it. Even Wood boats interested him because of the engineering and construction. Thompson boats was his favorite “woody” as he would say. I will never forget the day that Hoobie talked to Andreas Rhude for the first time. He was so excited about what he learned he could wait to call me about it. Hoobie Said, You have to meet this guy he knows more about boats than anyone he had ever met. I guess he was so excited he forgot that it was I that gave him Andreas’s number, ha ha. But he just loved boats in general and the more bizarre the better. Dennis was a showman and loved to show off his collection of stuff, Cars, Trucks, Mini Bikes, Pedal cars, Boat and Motors just to name a few. You could always find him at all the big shows with some wild toy. Buying, Selling and Trading to advance his coolection of toys was his goal. In the last few years of his life in Boats had taken over his interest and you could easily find at least 35 or more in his back yard. His yard as a showroom of history and all that came there got front row seats and a lesson on what was there, where it came from and why is was rare or bizarre. Thus became the name Wet Dream Marine for his boat business. He was always one to come up with something funny to describe his work.
In the past few years Dennis was helping me even more as I struggled to find certain boats for my collection in my museum. He was a great help with a Lakensea project I had, I had found one but someone had cut out the whole interior. After telling him of this hack job he came back with a comment, “ What a Nozzle” Nozzle was a word to describe some one that would cobble, hack or deface a boat. It was his word that’s for sure to describe a “Hose Head A” ha ha ha Well it was a few days after that conversation that I got a call from Dennis saying “Hey I found you one of them Butterfly boats” I said Butterfly boat? Ya the back looks like a Butterfly, Right? Whoa Hoobie you have been lookin at to many ink blotches. Ha ha Well sure enough he did find one on one of his Wisconsin walk abouts. In the edge of a field no less in tall grass. The front end smoked by a plow but a complete interior. This was in the fall of 09 and he tucked it away for me to come pick up. We had talked about getting together that fall but life was just to busy here with the kids and all. Today I live with the regret that I didn’t make that trip sooner. I last talked to Dennis just after Christmas and all was well in his world. I tried calling in January but got no answer or return call. I thought this was odd but it was January, Again in February but again no answer and no return call. By now I was worried but a day later the phone rang and it was His wife Stephanie and this is what I heard. Dennis had, had a Stroke on January 3rd while working in his shop and died on January 7th never regaining consciousness. Devastated by the news I could hardly speak and for those that know me that’s a rare day. I have lived with the regret of not going after my lakensea earlier just to spend time with him. But I guess we all have those thoughts pass when things like this happen. Well After talking to Stephanie yesterday about the auction and her mentioning this would be Hoobies Last Show. I thought to myself Stephy you are so right, This will be Hoobies last show. Dennis loved the Tomahawk, WI show and for those that went there you probably know him so to you boys lets not miss this show and take a piece of Hoobies collection home with us.

What you will fine there!
Boats Trailers Motors
Thompson Teenee Johnson
Sport Craft Featherlight Evinrude
Elgin Holsclaw Scott Lonestar and more Mercury
Feathercraft and more
Lund
Evinrude
Glastron
Tomahawk
Whitehouse
Alumacraft
Lakensea
Sanger Drag Hull And more
Please have a look at
www.auctionzip.com/Listings/848588.html
For photo gallery www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/photopanel.cgi?listingid=848588&category=0&zip=&kwd=

Hope to see some of you there, Now for those that think this is long and borish, This is to Honor a Man that made collecting boats a way of life and thats what this site is all about.

Bob Silker
Silker Memorial Marine Museum

for those that think this is long and borish,

Not at all, Cowboy. I think he's looking down smiling right about now!

Great way to honor a good friend, Bob thanks for sharing

That is a great story. Good to hear about the man behind the collection. I wish I could attend. I would definately being buying one of those beauties. I am looking for a new restoration project and those aluminum fins make my heart race.
Andrew

ditto read it and read it again wonderful story, can't wait for more..

sorry you lost a near and dear friend.

Thanks for the nice comments guys its sure takes the edge off the pain of loosing a friend and fellow collector. This time of year Dennis and I would be talking everyday about some new find behind some barn in WI or MN. Proof no one up here ever throws anything away ha ha. I spoke with Stephanie, (Hoobies Wife), This weekend some about this post and she got a chance to come see it. She liked it so much that she posted a link to it on her facebook page. So her and her family are watching this closely and I hope more of you guys come forward and make coments. Please Do!

Ponder this guys, Imagine your wife having to sell off your collection and the pain that can cause. This is good for her to read this everyday to give her the strength to do what she must. With 3 weeks left till the auction its become a huge stress. I truely hope some of you guys can come and partake in the auction. I Will be there but doubt I will be in a position to buy anything.

Again Please post your thoughts and feelings it really helps Stephy deal with her task.
Thanks
Bob
aka The Cowboy

Here are a few pictures of how dedicated he was to finding that special boat. I had told Hoobie if you Ever find a Span America VIP built in 1962 you better buy it for me. Well By God he found one, It had been stored in a barn for many years but the owner's son had desided it was time for it to go so it was put out by the side of some back road in WI to be sold. In the dead of winter no less. The boat was in perfect shape with the original interior just in mint condition. Well Hoobie went to get it in a blizzard and froze his but off doing it too. NOW THAT'S Dedication!

Hi all I meet Dennis a few years ago but got to spend some time with him in December 09. I traded a 1959 Glastron Fireflite for a 1956 Crestliner 12ft comander.We had alot of fun sharing each of our collections. I will be there Sat,hope to see alot of you there.Here are some more pictures of the Fireflite its a very solid boat

Never had the pleasure of meeting Dennis, but I'll be there on Saturday.

lock down the Glaston GT 160 green or blue only seen it once in the photos. Need to figure out how to get it here to Massachusetts. I seen that boat in the auction listing. Need another one bad. I miss my old one.

Very well written story! GOD BLESS

Well as for the GLastron its a Blue/green color and is in really good shape. I can't bid for ya on it without money ha ha I am so tapped its not funny. I will not be buying much if anything tomorrow but my son and I will be there for a while. Well thats the plan anyway.

Thanks for the Kind words about the article I wrote I would rather be writing good stories for fiberglassics than this morbid stuff. But Dennis was a true collector and restorer, In my book he needed to be honored. He saved old boats from a landfill fate so many times I can't count them. So for that alone I for one am greatful because many of us need this stuff to complete projects or as Dennis would say "It's just a Bizzare Boat" I had to save it.
Bob

Just to share one more thing with you guys is that Dennis loved Lumies too and Loanstars were one of his favorites. I have a picture of a boat he sold last summer that was all original. He really didn't want to sell it but the offer was so high he couldn't say no. Here she is.

That lone star is beautiful. I wish I could be there for the auction. I am sorry for your loss for sure. We have one coming in our family soon. Even when you know its coming it never stops the hurt. We hurt because we are human.

God Bless

I sure hope somebody's gonna do a follow-up on this auction.

A friend of mine from Minnesota bought 13 of the boats at the auction. He's NUTS! Apparently low bids were the order of the day. He got the 18 ft. wooden Thompson with twin 1956 Johnson 30 HP motors and a nearly brand new bunk trailer for $400. That was the highest amount he paid for a boat/trailer/motor package.

The auction went from 09:00 to 20:30 (that's 8:30 at night)!

Andreas

I will be doing a follow up on this and a slide show of pictures. I took about 50 pictures that day. I got to meet a bunch of guys from here too and Bob was one of them. He is the guy that bought 13 boats and several other things. He helped Brandon and I load a Lakensea. I talked to him yesterday and I plan on helping him with his plight on hauling all those boats. He will be storing them just south of me so its not out of my way. I have already had Stephy extend his time to move them as a favor because the rules were all has to leave in 48 hours. Well thats impossible when you have 13 for god sakes. I am glad he got so many of Hoobies sweetpeas. But I will do a full report on the who's, who of the day very soon. I am super busy with the holiday coming so I am at a loss for time at the moment. I know the whitehouse went for $700 Andreas and according to Merckid the prices were still cheap on the boats. Brandon and I had to leave do to his foot acting up from sports injury. Plus they waited to do the boat last and most had spent there money and were gone. I was very disappointed at how he ran the auction by putting the boats last. Merckid Ie Steve got me a couple of sets of cool skis and one set will be used for a display at the museum honoring Hoobie for the guy he was. It will be called Hoobies Corner. I talked with Stephy yesterday and she was happy with the sale. I personally feel the prices were way down and so was the turnout do to the economy. But I will get into that in my review of the day.
Bob

Thanks Bob - I look forward to reading it.

Sounds like his treasures ended up in good hands.