Rick Pierce added 14 new photos to the album: Who pioneered fiberglass boats in North Arkansas. — with Pete Robbins and Kenzie Parnell. Yesterday at 1:29 PM
This is about Kenzie Baird and how his pioneering brought fiberglass to Arkansas. This album contains articles on Kenzie and images from 1950's on were acquired through his relatives, as were the articles written regarding his path to starting a North Arkansas boat building heritage.
Kenzie and Annie Baird brought building fiberglass boats to North Arkansas around 1955. Close viewing of history will find mention of Kenzie in Flippin history starting in 1955, including a term on City Council.
While many have bestowed this heritage on others, we were not the first. Kenzie was the true pioneer and his input, employees and products he willingly shared with those striving to begin the boat industry in North Arkansas. Other companies are much more notable and several of us had a hand in building the culture of fiberglass surrounding North Arkansas.
Kenzie was a friend of many, including both my father and myself. Cantankerous as he was at times, he was a blessing. He and Annie (Frannie some called her) shared their knowledge and were always gracious.
Kenzie offered my father (Ron) the access to Hubert Parnell and he did that for others. Hubert was the second hired and lone employee of Bass Cat and assisted my father on the beginning of the project in that Quonset Hut on Highway 5 North. Either man was more involved in the future of boat building than trying to build their own dynasty. Kenzie would help anyone he liked and he helped many. Years ago (1980's) he connected us to Fred Turrentine for a new boat, after he had quit. Fred stepped up and said Kenzie said you guys built the best product next to him. Fred bought more than one in his time. And Kenzie stopped by to be sure we had connected and he sent several our way over time.
Hubert Parnell is shown in two of the images and timing is estimated as 1958. Of course some reading this will know is son Kenzie Parnell, obviously Kenzie for a reason. One is certainly a 1958 picture from the Arkansas Democrat and shot by the famous photographer Ernie Deene. Ernie has a tremendous storage of images in the Arkansas History archives. The other image is an older image, though I am unsure the age of that photo, estimated as 1956 or 57. That original block building location is in downtown Flippin on Main Street.
On the White, Norfork and Red River's here you will see dozens of 20' green river boats he built. He brought the fiberglass into the wooden jon boats that were being made for the White River float trips. That traditional light green was Kenzie's trademark. He wasn't too fancy and in the early days he focused on the green because it was different. At one time he bought too much and had to use it somehow, it made it easier having one master color. The boats were often tweaked by guides to fit their needs.
Kenzie tried his hand at bass boats in the early 1970's with his own version of a cigar shaped boat similar the DLX tournament model of ours or a TR 10, without the same metal flake. Kenzie would seldom, if ever do metal flake gelcoat. The last bass model I saw was sold at the Powell Hardware's auction about 10 years ago, and Izzy Powell had owned it . It sold to a man in Gainesville and Theodosia, Missouri area. I should have bought it then, and just didn't have time, space or need and regret that.
Oh! it was two shades of Kenzie Green also, on both the deck and hull. Light green and Kenzie Green, take your choice as those were his preference. He tinted the light green on site. That one had a little Mercury on the back and it was all original as Izzy had kept it. By now it probably has been hacked up.
Floyd at Bearskin Marine, Gaye Rory at Shawnee and others picked up the craft from old boats Kenzie built. Today Shawnee and other companies continue to build river boats right next to Bass Cat and Yar-Craft on Highway 126. Most of the ones following Kenzie, with replicas, he outlasted in life as he passed at just over 99 years of age.
Most of the Vee bottoms are mothballed and a few are around Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock still today. Dozens to hundreds of 20' river boats exist in North Arkansas and some in Missouri around Taneycomo and the rivers.
The later building is one located where the Dollar General store is today. Kenzie and Annie owned those buildings on that side of Highway 62/412 where Town and Country Market was located. Two were for Kenzie Kraft Boats and eventually a wire harness company leased those. There are three buildings there he owned, and a fourth at one time.
His (Kenzie's) brother-in-law, Bill King, once stopped by on an every two (2) week rotation, until his passing and their health failing. Bill would drop in the office and sit and drink coffee while his wife had her hair done, just north of the shop by Jo' Enich. Bill kept us in touch with Kenzie, as Bill King lived right across the street from Kenzie and Annie. Neither family had any children so it was up to extended family. Bill worked for Kenzie doing whatever, or whatever is a very broad description according to those who worked there.
Over the early years all of those here in the glass business worked with people who started their careers with Kenzie Baird. We had many from Ann Coplen, Russ Coplen, Jerry Coplen (the Coplen's brothers and sister) Pete and Ruthy and many more. Garland (Doc') Hurst started his career in 1964 working for Kenzie till January of 1969. Then joining Forrest Wood at Ranger Boats when the company was about 6 months old, according to press articles. Garland closed his career out at Ranger and his son (Rick) is still in the marine industry elsewhere.
Kenzie was extremely happy to see that we brought out the Phelix on his old hull format in 2001. That was a simple project boat for us to work on designing the vacuum assembly and processes for the Bay Cat series, and it worked very well. We lengthened, widened and straightened it, though it was still his frame off a boat Steve Eastwold had given us. One other company tried to replicate that vee hull (Jubilee) and the market is just too slim in today's world for any volume. The boat handles extremely well for a little Vee bottom. It is dry, quick and agile with a 15 to 25 HP.
In about 2013 or '14 I actually caught him on the roof of his RV barn power washing the roof, with no help. Realize at this time he was about 93 or 94 years old. He was still driving at that time, trying to visit his niece out west once a year. His comment when I told him he shouldn't be up there,
"Well, somebody's go to do it."
The last trip Kenzie made to Bass Cat was about 2016 and I was out of town. Stuart and the guys showed him around the shop and he told them he didn't miss getting "glass in my socks". He enjoyed the trip and I am very glad the next generation of boat builders got to meet the man who opened the door for their careers. Of course, they enjoyed it as much, or maybe even more than he did. Most had never met him though had many stories of the man who used rolled chicken wire wrapped in glass for molding a stringer. Kenzie's glass work is extremely clean and professional and I have one of his 20' boats myself.
I hadn't seen Kenzie in a while and one day in 2017 I noticed he was not sitting looking out the window and watching the traffic drive by. In those later years he would be seen with the curtains open and a blanket or shawl on his shoulders, just watching the day go by and soaking up the sunshine.
Lowell Marchant (Marchant Lumber) and I shared a good conversation about Kenzie last fall (2018) at our Vendor Appreciation Day. Lowell's dad had the lumber yard where the white building was on the corner of the railroad tracks and 178 Highway in Flippin, right across from where Sodie's was last today. That was the starting place for Marchant Lumber Company.
Kenzie Baird passed on October 25th, of 2017. His obituary is in the images and we have received assistance from his nephew Bill Johnson, and niece Martha Head for this album. A piece was being written on Kenzie's life, though it is incomplete. The Mountain Echo also has a stored archive of some information and I am sure more history and images exist in the drawers of those Marion County, Arkansas residents and others who knew him.
Today the brick home they built, and lived in, still stands in Flippin, it's caddy corner to the Sonic Drive In. The fiberglass rock stood in the yard last I looked, they once built for sprinkler system covers. Kenzie would do more than boats, they did utility boxes, fiberglass rocks and more if he could. His RV barn is there on drainage ditch 90 degrees to his home and the residents have changed.
The production buildings are on the highway and they are standing there almost as before. I am unsure the exact location of the block structure down town, and I think that one might have been razed beside the City Hall, right next to where Ranger started, Kenzie Parnell feels it might now be Diego's Mexican Restaurant downtown. Some of the older timers could probably pin that one down for us.
Today many of his practices are gone and his craft has changed. Though without a Kenzie Baird we would not be building boats in North Arkansas and this man will be forever grateful, grateful to have known the pioneer who started it all in the mid 1950's.
The rest we can verify is in the story and I hope that the generations to follow take time to read this information.
Anyway, this is a stab at the history of fiberglass boats in North Arkansas and how we all got in this game.
Thanks Kenzie, and I hope your reading this on a cloud up there some where in Heaven. I hope we get to go fishing in about 35 or 40 years, we should both already be flying.
See you in about 40 years, if I live as long as you did!
Rick Pierce
