Larry Stevenson to boat museum speaker series with World War lI lecture

MOULTONBOROUGH — Outboard motor collector and historian Larry Stevenson will open the free Hulls and Hops Speaker Series at the New Hampshire Boat Museum on Wednesday, June 24, from 7 to 9 p.m., with a lecture titled, "The History of Storm Boats and Storm Boat Motors in WWII."

Stevenson's talk will trace the engineering and wartime use of storm boats — 16-foot, 7-inch marine plywood crafts powered by heavily modified and militarized Evinrude racing engines — that Allied forces used to cross European rivers after retreating German forces destroyed the bridges. The topic ties directly to NHBM's upcoming educational programming, which includes building a storm boat this spring. The replica will be on site at the museum the night of the lecture.

"You couldn't paddle across because the current was too strong, so they needed a boat that would go fast,” said Stevenson.

Capable of 25 mph, storm boats carried soldiers who lay flat while an operator knelt at the stern.

"They would run them up on the beach with the engine screeching, soldiers would roll out and start firing, then turn around and get more guys,” he added. “The heroism is beyond description."

Stevenson's interest in outboards began in childhood, when he saved lawn-mowing money to buy his first motor. His childhood interest grew into a collection of 600 vintage outboards, with many of them gathered during a 6,500-mile trip he took with his late wife, Jane Barcalow.

After her death in 2013, Stevenson donated all of the collection to museums. A U.S. Navy veteran and Coast Guard Auxiliary member, he retired from UPS, where he served as head of engineering for operations outside the United States.

The Wednesday, June 24, lecture is one of 14 talks he has developed on the history of American outboard motors.

Amoskeag Beverages is the season sponsor for the Hulls and Hops speaker series, with the brewery for the event to be announced. 

Founded in 1992, the New Hampshire Boat Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the state's rich freshwater boating heritage. Through dynamic exhibits, youth programs like Junior Skippers, and on-the-water experiences, NHBM brings New Hampshire's boating story to life.

To learn more, visit nhbm.org.