Vintage Power Boats - Norfolk perspectives

>>> WELCOME TO "NORFOLK PERSPECTIVES CITY SLICE," I'M BOB BATCHER, AND I HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, I WAS OVER AT THE HALF MOON DOWN IN THE BOTTOM, AND THERE WAS THIS EXHIBIT THAT JUST ROCKED. IT WAS AWESOME. AND I DID SOME DEEP RESEARCH, AND FOUND OUT THAT THE PERSON THAT REALLY ROCKS IS THE CREATOR OF THAT EXHIBIT, BILL HOOVER, WHO I GOT YOU DOWN HERE AS COLLECTOR AND OWNER AS CLASSIC CRAFT COLLECTION, BUT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHO THE REAL BILL HOOVER IS, AND MARTHA WALKER IS A NAUTICUS CURATOR, WHICH MEANS YOU'RE THE STRAIGHT-UP ONE WHO'S GOING TO KEEP US HONEST HERE. >> I'LL CERTAINLY TRY. >> AND SHE DOES. >> TELL ME WHAT IS THE EXHIBIT I SAW, MARTHA? >> THE EXHIBIT YOU SAW IS CALLED CLASSIC CRAFT AND IT IS THE FABULOUS DISPLAY OF 14 DIFFERENT BEAUTIFUL MOTOR BOATS, RECREATIONAL BOATS, SPEED BOATS, HOWEVER YOU WOULD LIKE TO CALL, PHRASE THEM. WE HAVE FIBERGLASS BOATS, WE HAVE ALUMINUM BOATS AND WE HAVE WOOD BOATS. SO THEY COVER THE ENTIRE GAMUT OF ANY TYPE OF MOTOR LAUNCH YOU WOULD HAVE USED ON A LAKE OR EVEN THE OCEAN OR BAY, AND WHAT WE WANTED TO CREATE HERE WAS A CELEBRATION OF SUMMER AND THE CELEBRATION OF OUR REGION. WE HAVE CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA BEACH MUSIC PLAYING FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE DAY. NONE OF THE SONGS ARE REPEATED AS FAR AS I CAN TELL. PUT TOGETHER 9 1/2 HOURS OF MUSIC, SO I HAVE QUITE A BEACH MUSIC COLLECTION. >> I HAVE TO ASK YOU ABOUT TWISTER. >> THIS IS AN ORIGINAL TWISTER GAME. >> HANK AIMS, IT WAS AN AWKWARD MOMENT. >> AND WE HAVE A TIKI BAR LOANED TO US FROM FURNITURE CLASSICS LIMITED AND WE ALSO HAVE BEACH BLANKET BINGO ON THE WALLS BEHIND THE TIKI BAR, SO EVERYBODY CAN SEE PEOPLE DANCING ON THE BEACH IN GARB OF THE EARLY '60s. >> YEAH, YEAH, THE PRE-BIKINI. >> NO, NO. >> WELL, KIND OF A BIKINI. >> NO, ALMOST ALL BIKINIS. >> NOW I KNOW WHERE ALL THE DOLLAR BEACH TOWELS WENT THIS YEAR. >> RIGHT. YEAH, WE CLEANED THEM OUT. >> I MEAN, THAT'S -- >> WE CLEANED OUT ALL THE BEACH TOWELS. WE HAVE VINTAGE CLOTHING HANGING UP ON THE CLOTHES LINES, BREEZE STIRRING THE SHEETS IN THE BACK. >> NOW, THE LAST TIME I HAD YOU ON THE SHOW, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE LIFE ON THE WISCONSIN, I MEAN, THE GRAY -- >> RIGHT. >> HOW DID IT FEEL TO PUT THIS KIND OF EXHIBIT TOGETHER? >> IT'S ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE EXHIBIT. I TOLD STEPHEN, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO ANY FURTHER OR HIGHER THAN THIS. THIS IS PROBABLY ALWAYS GOING TO BE OUR FAVORITE EXHIBIT. >> NOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A TRANSITION IN THIS CONVERSATION, BECAUSE IT IS NOT TRAVELING EXHIBIT THAT CAME FROM NEW YORK CITY -- >> RIGHT. >> -- DOWN HERE, IT WAS CREATED RIGHT HERE IN THE HEART -- >> EXACTLY. >> -- OF A VERY SPECIAL PERSON IN NORFOLK. >> EXACTLY. IT IS A HOMETOWN EXHIBIT. >> BILL HOOVER. OKAY, I GOT -- NOW I'M GOING TO -- THE EXHIBIT IS AVAILABLE WHEN? >> IT'S GOING ON THROUGH SEPTEMBER 3rd, LABOR DAY, AND IT'S THREE DOLLARS IF YOU COME SEPARATELY OR IT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF THE TICKET AT NAUTICUS, AND THIS IS IN THE LOWER FLOOR OF THE HALF MOON CRUISE AND CELEBRATION CENTER. >> AND YOU CAN GO ON NAUTICUS WEBSITE WHICH YOU CAN GET THROUGH NORFOLK.GOV, SO YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE EXHIBIT, BUT NOW I WANT TO TALK TO THE BILL HOOVER. WHO IS BILL HOOVER? >> WELL, I'M JUST A LITTLE GUY THAT HAS CUT SOME GRASS IN THIS CITY FOR A LONG, LONG TIME AND DO A LITTLE TREE WORK AND SOME OF THE OTHER BUSINESSES, STORE A FEW DOCUMENTS AND WE HAD A RESTAURANT, MY WIFE HAD A RESTAURANT DOWNTOWN, AND SHE WOULDN'T LEAVE IT ALONE, AND SO I TOLD HER WE WERE GOING TO DO ONE OF TWO THINGS. EITHER I WAS GOING TO -- SHE WAS GOING TO SELL THE RESTAURANT TO SOMEBODY, OR I WAS GOING TO BURN THE PLACE DOWN. [ LAUGHTER ] SO SHE DECIDED TO PUT AN AD IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND IT SOLD WITHIN TWO WEEKS. THE BUSINESS DID. AND A FELLOW CAME HERE WITH HIS FAMILY, A DOCTOR CAME HERE WITH HIS FAMILY AND RAN IT. AND THEN I -- SINCE MY BOYS HAVE ALL COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT I'M NOT PARTICULARLY SMART AND THAT I'M A BURDEN ON THEM IN TERMS OF -- FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THEM, THEY HAVE KIND OF KICKED ME TO THE CURB AND SO AS A RESULT OF THAT, I'VE REALLY STARTED DELVING INTO RESTORING MY BOATS. >> I WAS GOING TO SAY, BECAUSE IT SAYS DOWN HERE COLLECTOR. DID YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A COLLECTOR? >> WELL, OF SOME THINGS. I NEVER REALLY CONSIDERED THE BOAT A COLLECTION BECAUSE THEY WERE ALWAYS STORED AWAY AND THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT GOT TO SEE THEM, REALLY, WERE, YOU KNOW -- UNLESS I HAD SOMEBODY THAT JUST WANTED TO SEE THEM, THEY WERE ALSO STORED AWAY AND, OF COURSE, WHEN I GOT IN TROUBLE AT HOME WITH MY WIFE, I'D GO DOWN AND SIT IN THE CHAIR AND JUST KIND OF LOOK AT THE BOATS AND DRINK A LITTLE RED WINE TO, YOU KNOW, CALM MY NERVES. >> NOW DID YOU GET STEPHEN EDGE GAUGED TO COME OVER AND -- ENGAGED TO COME OVER AND SEE IT? >> WE HAD DONE, I GUESS TWO YEARS AGO -- >> A COUPLE YEARS AGO. >> -- WE HAD DONE SIX OF THE BOATS DOWN THERE AND DID THEM OUTSIDE FOR THE BOAT SHOW. >> OH, OKAY. SO YOU KIND OF LEAKED SOME OUT. >> YEAH. AND THEN STEPHEN GOT WITH ME LAST YEAR AND I WAS JUST ALL FOR IT. I THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO GET THEM OUT AND GET THEM, YOU KNOW, SO PEOPLE COULD SEE THEM BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN LOCKED AWAY FOR SO LONG. AND SO THEY'RE NOW OUT. >> WAS THIS YOUR IDEA OR YOUR WIFE'S IDEA TO GET THEM OUT OF THERE? >> WELL, TO GET THE STUFF OUT OF THE HOUSE AND -- >> OH, THE HOUSE -- THE STUFF WAS IN THE HOUSE TOO? >> THE OUTBOARD MOTORS ON DISPLAY THERE. >> I WANTED TO ASK -- I'VE BEEN TOLD YOUR SUNROOM? >> YES. GRAND ROOM. GRAND ROOM. IT HAD OUTBOARD MOTORS LINING THE WALLS AND MY WIFE WOULD -- EVERY TIME SHE WOULD WALK IN THE ROOM, SHE WOULD GAZE LEFT AND RIGHT AND KIND OF SHAKE HER HEAD. >> YEAH? >> AND SO NOW STEPHEN AND MARTHA -- >> ARE HER BEST FRIENDS. >> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. >> AND WE GET TO SEE THEM. >> YES, SIR. >> BECAUSE IT REALLY IS COOL. I DIDN'T -- I WAS LOOKING FOR THAT OUTBOARD MOTOR THAT WE HAD IN OUR 20-FOOT BROADWATER. I MEAN, DO THEY WORK? >> OH, YEAH, EVERY ONE OF THEM. THEY ALL WORK. AND I GOT TONS MORE OF THEM. >> REALLY? SO YOU CAN KEEP THIS EXHIBIT GOING -- >> SOME OF THEM ARE IN THE GARAGE AND I GOT A PLACE DOWNTOWN AND A PLACE ON TIDEWATER DRIVE WHERE I KEEP A LOT OF THE -- >> LET ME ASK YOU, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOAT ON THE EXHIBIT? >> WELL, THE VOLGA HAS TO BE. I SPENT 11 MONTHS REDOING THAT, CAME FROM A ROCKY KIND OF HALF IN AND HALF OUT OF WATER IN THE VOLGA RIVER IN RUSSIA ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH OF MOSCOW, AND WAS SHIPPED TO TEXAS AND THEN HAD A FELLOW PICK IT UP IN TEXAS ON A TRAILER AND BRING IT UP HERE TO ME, AND WE SPENT 11 MONTHS WORKING ON IT, AND IT'S -- AND THAT BOAT, WE ARE GOING TO PUT IN THE WATER. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IT TO A FRESH WATER LAKE AND RUN IT. >> WAIT A MINUTE. DID I -- OKAY, SO YOU'RE ON VACATION? YOU SEE THIS BOAT -- >> NO, NO, I GET A CALL. >> OKAY. >> A GUY THAT KNOWS ABOUT IT, AND, OF COURSE, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS OR ANYTHING ELSE AND WHEN I STARTED RESEARCHING IT, THEY'RE VERY FEW OF THEM, ESPECIALLY VERY FEW OF THEM THAT ARE RESTORED, AND TO THE EXTENT THAT THIS ONE IS, AND I JUST -- ONCE I HAD SEEN IT, I HAD TO HAVE IT. >> I'M ALMOST MORE CONCERNED, YOU GOT A CALL SAYING WE GOT THIS BOAT THAT'S HALF SUNK, HALF -- AND YOU'RE JUST THE MAN FOR IT. >> ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. >> OKAY. >> AND MUCH TO THE CHAGRIN OF MY -- >> WIFE, HERE WE GO AGAIN. >> AND SONS. >> AND SONS? >> WITH WHAT LITTLE INHERITANCE THEY MIGHT RECEIVE, I GOT THE BOAT HERE AND IT ARRIVED HERE, NOW ABOUT 12, 13 -- ABOUT 13 MONTHS AGO, AND WE SPENT 11 MONTHS RESTORING IT, AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE. >> NOW, THAT BOAT HAS A HISTORY THOUGH, RIGHT? >> IT'S A RUSSIAN VOLGA, WHICH WAS BUILT FOR THE RUSSIA MILITARY AND IT'S A HYDROFOIL AND WHEN IT GETS RUNNING, IT LIFTS UP ON THESE WINGS UNDERNEATH THE HULL AND WHICH REDUCES DRAG AND ALL THAT, AND IT WAS A CO-PROJECT BETWEEN VOLVO-PINTA AND THE VOLGA BOAT COMPANY IN RUSSIA AND THEY BUILT 650 OF THEM. RUSSIAN MILITARY USED THEM AND WHEN THEY STOPPED USING THEM, THEY GAVE IT TO THE OFFICERS IN THE RUSSIAN MILITARY TO USE FOR RECREATION. AND THIS ONE HAD JUST BEEN ABANDONED AND WAS IN KIND OF HORRIBLE SHAPE. AND IT NOW IS PRISTINE. IT'S -- >> WELL, AND JUST -- I DON'T WANT TO GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY ON THE EXHIBIT, BUT HANK WAS THE DIRECTOR OF NAUTICUS, HE TOURED THAT BOAT SAYING IT WAS ONE OF HIS FAVORITE TOO AND MILITARY AND THE WHOLE NINE YARDS, SO I EXPECTED TO SEE GUN TURRETS IN THE FRONT AND THE WHOLE NINE YARDS. YOU DIDN'T RESTORE IT THAT WAY. >> NO. IT WAS -- THEY DID A NUMBER OF THE BOATS TO TRY TO PUT THEM ON THE MARKET FOR RETAIL, SOLD A LOT OF THEM IN EUROPE AND EASTERN EUROPE, AND SOME FEW IN WESTERN EUROPE, AND THEN SEVERAL CAME TO THIS COUNTRY FOR RECREATIONAL USE. AND THEY'RE -- TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE'S SIX OF THEM IN THIS COUNTRY, AND I THINK WE'VE GOT THE BEST ONE SITTING RIGHT DOWN AT NAUTICUS. >> AND I DON'T WANT TO GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY BECAUSE I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE IT, BUT THERE IS ONE QUESTION. THE LITTLE OF ***, IT'S EMPTY? >> WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT BOTTLE OF *** GOT EMPTY, BUT IT WAS A VERY NICE RUSSIAN BOTTLE OF ***. >> WELL, THE CURATOR IS IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING. >> WELL, THAT'S TRUE. THAT'S TRUE. >> I'M KIND OF A BEER GIRL. >> NOW, WHAT PART OF THE EXHIBIT WAS YOUR FAVORITE? >> WELL, IT'S REALLY KIND OF HARD TO SAY BECAUSE WHEN IT ALL CAME TOGETHER -- >> WELL YOU'RE A CURATOR, THAT'S KIND OF LIKE BEING A MOM OF THE EXHIBIT, RIGHT? >> THE BOATS ARE JUST FABULOUS AND TO SEE THEM, IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO PICK A FAVORITE BECAUSE THEY ARE SO -- >> BOY, THAT WAS POLITICALLY GOOD. >> WASN'T THAT DONE WELL? >> THAT WAS DONE VERY WELL. YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'VE HAD FUN CHITCHATTING ABOUT IT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE NEED TO GET THE VIEWER DOWN THERE. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> WHERE IS IT AGAIN? >> IS THE LOWER PORTION OF THE HALF MOON, THREE DOLLARS ENTRANCE FEE, BUT IF YOU COME TO NAUTICUS AND PAY YOUR ENTRY FEE, YOU GET ALL OF NAUTICUS, THE BATTLESHIP, AND CLASSIC CRAFT, AND YOU CAN GO IN THERE AND SIT IN ADIRONDACK CHAIRS AND PULL OUT A BOOK AND HAVE A SUMMER READ, LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL BOATS, LISTEN TO BEACH MUSIC. I'VE SEEN PEOPLE DANCING IN THERE, KIDS HAVING FUN PLAYING TWISTER AND JUST A FABULOUS, FABULOUS LITTLE EXHIBIT. IT'S NOT SO LITTLE, IT'S A VERY LARGE EXHIBIT, BUT IT IS BEAUTIFUL. >> IT'S COOL. AND ANNETTE FUNICELLO IS ALIVE AND WELL. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> THANKS SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO BRING A NEW CHARACTER AND BRING CHARACTERS TO THE CITY OF NORFOLK FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE AND THANKS TO YOUR WIFE FOR LETTING US HAVE THE COLLECTION. >> I SHALL. AND SHE IS VERY PROUD TO LET IT GO. >> APPRECIATE IT. COME ON DOWN TO NAUTICUS, ENJOY ALL OF NAUTICUS FROM A BATTLESHIP -- >> ABSOLUTELY. >> -- TO THE COLD WAR REENACTED WITH AN EMPTY BOTTLE OF ***. FIND OUT WHAT THAT MEANS BY COMING. >> EXACTLY. >> TO NAUTICUS. >> EXACTLY. >> THANKS FOR JOINING US. CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY CAPTION ASSOCIATES, LLC www.captionassociates.com