What's New keeps you up to date with Maranee's current events and happenings. In it, you will find where Maranee will be and what shows she will be participating in as well as current projects and other miscellaneous news. Check back here often, for this section will be updated frequently. The most recent additions will be displayed in red.

September 6, 2010  Maranee takes to the fresh water of Lakes Union and Washington as part of a flotilla, commemorating our dear friend Ann Hay's last cruise on the lake before moving her 1940 Matthews Pied Piper to Des Moines Marina, and to the salt water. Maranee and Pied Piper have been sticking pretty close to one another throughout their histories, having moored in the same marina in the 1950s while both boats were in the Port Clinton, Ohio Yacht Club.

August, 2010  Maranee goes back to the beautiful South Puget Sound for nearly three weeks of relaxation, reading and enjoyment out on the water. Highlights of this trip are available to view on Maranee's YouTube profile, or by clicking on the thumbnail at left. Enjoy!

July 8-11, 2010  Maranee is back with her fellow Chris-Craft sistren at the annual Pacific Northwest Chris-Craft Rendezvous, for the twenty-first year. The weather was unusually cool and wet, but it didn't keep the event from being a huge success. See you next year in Port Orchard!

June 28, 2010  Maranee turns 70 today! It was on June 28th, 1940 that she was delivered to Lakeside, Ohio as Sonny D. and would ply the waters of the Great Lakes until her journey by rail to Seattle in 1959. Our heartfelt thanks to all those in preserving Maranee's history, her past owners and caretakers, and the extended Paynton Family for the years of painting, varnishing and time spent together on board. We raise a glass and toast to 70 more years of Classic Boating aboard Sonny D., Doryann II, Mary Lynne and Maranee!

April, 2010  Maranee's aft cabin is the scene of much activity, including the replacement of the stuffing boxes. The project necessitated disassembling much of the interior of the cabin, and therefore the project also included new paint as well.
 

February 21, 2010  Maranee and a number of other members of the Classic Yacht Association participate in the annual Commodore's Cruise on Seattle's Lake Union. The day is clear and bright with a sign that spring is indeed around the corner.
 

August 18, 2009  Maranee now has a YouTube Channel! Click on the link to experience Maranee in a whole new way online through a collection of videos, chronicling her adventures throughout the year. New videos will be added frequently, so check back often. Updates will be posted here on Maranee.com when new videos are uploaded.

August 15, 2009  Maranee and owners Jim and Margie Paynton are awarded the prestigious "Best of Show" Award at this year's La Conner Classic Car and Boat show. If the event takes place again next year, Maranee will be featured on the poster advertisement for the show. Congratulations, all!

July 10, 2009  Maranee and owners Jim and Margie Paynton are featured on Seattle's KING 5 Television in a segment during the evening news called "Chris-Craft: A Member of the Family." The link to the video of that newscast is available by clicking on the thumbnail at left. Very cool!

June 19-21, 2009  Maranee was front and center at Seattle's Pier 66 for the annual Father's Day Weekend classic boat and car show. Record numbers of people and boats in attendance and comfortable sunny Seattle weather made for another great Bell Street Weekend! See you next year at Pier 66!

April, 2009  2009 is no different than past years in that another project ensues aboard Maranee. The aft head had always been somewhat of an embarrassment for us due to its outdated and gaudy wallpaper. This spring, with the help of a rented wallpaper steamer, the original Chris-Craft tile has reemerged from under two layers of paper and is the first time in probably 50 years that it has been seen. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

March, 2009  Maranee is the featured classic yacht in the March issue of Sea Magazine. She is one of many of the fine classic vessels that have been featured in the magazine's monthly article, many of which are members of the Classic Yacht Association. Click the thumbnail to view a PDF of the feature article. Visit Sea Magazine online by clicking here.

February 7, 2009  Maranee is awarded the prestigious "Best Classic Motor Preservation" Award at the 2009 Classic Yacht Association Change of Watch Banquet. She is the second recipient of the award, following last year's winner, Ann Hay's 1940 Matthews Pied Piper.

August 4-18, 2008  The annual Paynton summer cruise takes Maranee north to the San Juan Islands, British Columbia's Gulf Islands and what seems like every spot in between. Both of the Paynton "kids" and their spouses were able to join Jim and Margie for some time along and the only complaint from anyone was there just aren't enough days in the week! Click on the chart at left for a selection of location details visited by the Paynton family and friends in the San Juan Islands.

July, 2008  Just in time for the annual summer cruise, Maranee (and more so Skipper Jim Paynton) receives the gift of weighing anchor with ease with her new Lewmar electric anchor winch. Watch out placid, scenic destinations! We're on our way to rest and relaxation swinging around the hook this summer!

July 6, 2008  Maranee and crew take to Lake Union to make a pass by the annual Wooden Boat Festival at the lake's south end during the Independence Day Holiday weekend. The sun does make several appearances and makes for some great photos to be taken from our dear friend Ann Hay's 1940 Matthews Pied Piper throughout the afternoon.

June 13-15, 2008  Maranee participates in the annual Bell Street Pier Classic Rendezvous, as she has since its inception in 1997. The weekend's weather has become a Bell Street tradition, (as long as you don't count last year's show that is) for sunshine, warm temperatures, and the year's first sunburn!

April, 2008  Maranee comes out of the water a little earlier than usual for some equally unusual work below the waterline. The time has come for her bottom to be taken down to bare wood, as well as realign a propeller shaft and relocate the swim platform, to better accommodate the height of the tender when in the stowed position. A long list of things to do yields a long list of things done (with a little help from our friends) with much success! Click on the thumbnail at left for a series of pictures detailing Maranee's haulout adventure!

January 1, 2008  Maranee joins several other member yachts of the Classic Yacht Association for front-row seats at the Center for Wooden Boats on Seattle's Lake Union for this year's Space Needle fireworks display, unfortunately marred by a computer glitch. After the fireworks had to be set off manually by the technicians in charge of putting on the display, it was as always an impressive and entertaining show! Happy New Year!

December 25, 2007  Maranee and her crew fair well for Christmas this year with Maranee logo apparel, towels, and custom seat covers for her cockpit chairs. The embroidery was all done by Heidi Drake and her staff at the Bellevue, Washington EmbroidMe store. Her efforts to get the job done perfectly and before Christmas were truly amazing and our thanks go out to her and the employees that made our Christmas bright!

August, 2007  The annual Paynton summer cruise takes Jim and Margie South for three glorious weeks of relaxation, reading and a stop in Tacoma for their niece Mia's wedding. All in all, a great trip and one to be looked back upon fondly as the seasons turn to winter in the Northwest.

July 19-22, 2007  In attendance every year the Chris-Craft Rendezvous has met in Port Orchard, Washington, Maranee has been there in full dress representing the small contingent of pre-war cruisers. This year was slightly marred but inclement weather but the Rendezvous always makes for a great time with great people.

June 17, 2007  Another successful Bell Street Pier Classic Rendezvous under her belt, Maranee heads back across Elliott Bay toward the locks with fellow CYA members Jan and Kathi Skillingstead and their beautiful Shearwater. While en route, they take some marvelous pictures of Maranee in her element.

March, 2007  The wheel of fortune goes 'round and 'round... An exciting winter project on tap for this year is the restoration of Maranee's steering wheel, with the refinishing of the original mahogany and rechroming of the original hardware. Click on the thumbnail for pictures from it's unique process.

January 14, 2007  To cap off a rewarding weekend at the annual Classic Yacht Association's National Change of Watch meetings and banquet, members and dignitaries from all over the country were able to see the sights aboard Maranee and 14 other CYA yachts as the winter sunshine disproved the myth that Seattle sees rain year 'round!

What's New Archive

New! Maranee's What's New Archive: Click on a year below to flip back through the pages of time and see what was new then!

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