I was first exposed to the Paragon when the sales brochure came out in 1993. I pored over it, but ended up buying a ’94 Ski Nautique; wooden boats just don’t work in Phoenix, AZ. I saw the first one in real life while on vacation at Lake Tahoe. It was in far less than perfect shape; I just couldn’t imagine how such a beautiful boat could be so ill treated.

In 2002 I accepted a job in the Chicago area. Wooden boats do just fine in this climate and I went on the hunt for a Paragon. There were none to be found. In late 2004 I called Correct Craft and asked if they kept track of them or had any hints on where to look. They suggested this private web site; CorrectCraftFan.com. This seemed like a long shot, but what the heck. There were 150 boats for sale and they were spread all across the US. About 2/3 of the way thru the list was a Paragon and the seller was about 20 miles from my home. This was too good to be true.

We connected via email and I had the first look that weekend. The boat was in very good shape for eleven years old and had the potential to be perfect. We talked price but before we went any further I called Correct Craft to get the whole scoop. They built eleven Paragons. That’s right, eleven. Ten of them were green and one was maroon. I was looking at the maroon boat; the only one like it in the world. I guess it goes without saying that the sale was consummated.

Over the winter, I stripped the boat to bare wood and bare fiberglass. Twelve coats of varnish later – here it is.