Famed “Dreamboat” Not Long for Minnetonka!
One of Lake Minnetonka’s most famous privately owned boats, Mer-Na, may soon be a faded memory of summer’s past as the boat’s owners are seeking to sell the 1930’s era Dreamboat to any interested party for a sum of $129,900. The 96 year old Mer-Na has been a much beloved sight on Minnetonka since she was first brought to the lake around 2005.
Built by the Blanchard Boat Company in Seattle, Washington, Mer-Na was the twenty-fifth and final of the company’s Lake Union Dreamboat models to be built. A wooden boat from stem to stern, 36’ long by 8.5’ wide, and carrying a signature “lifeboat” atop her varnished cabin, Mer-Na is among Lake Minnetonka’s most unique and identifiable watercraft. She displays maritime designs scarcely seen in the modern era and harkens back to a time of craftsmanship and splendor less known by today’s society.
The online listing for Mer-Na supplies upward of twenty-four photos of her interior, exterior, and while underway. While there is certainly a chance for her to be purchased by another Lake Minnetonka resident, the odds seem slim. Given her make, model, age, rarity, etc. Mer-Na is, no doubt, a highly sought after vintage boat by many maritime fanatics across the nation.
Her sale and subsequent removal would be a loss to the charm of summers, yacht spotting, and the overall soul of Lake Minnetonka boating. While many of us don’t have the funds to procure such a valuable collector’s item, we can certainly hope she finds a new home elsewhere on our lake’s shore!
Photos sourced from Mer-Na listing on Boat Trader:
https://www.boattrader.com/boat/1930-blanchard-lake-union-dreamboat-9046227/
