Hackercraft

"The engines were used in P-38 and P-51 Mustang fighter planes," he said. "It just purrs on the water."

Nalbandian, 73, who is retired and lives in Beverly Hills, put his Hackercraft in dry dock because Michigan's harsh winters would otherwise ruin a classic.

"About 17 years ago I bought the Hackercraft out of Detroit," Nalbandian recalled. "There are very few Roundabouts of this size. Thirty-five foot is one of the biggest ones you'll see. It gets a lot of looks."

When he's not pleasure cruising Lake St. Clair or the Great Lakes, Nalbandian takes his boat, "Flying Target," to antique and classic boat shows across Michigan and the Midwest.

"It's a vintage craft," he said. "It's got the ultimate character. And is it beautiful riding. I've taken multiple trophies at antique shows."

Nalbandian used to own a Garwood in his early years, but these days he said his taste revolves around Hackercraft from the legendary Hacker Boat Company of Mount Clemens.

"There's really nothing like it," Nalbandian said. "It's a Hackercraft."

For Bryan Nelson and Chuck Crochman, its business as usual, whether they're taking Hackercrafts or fishing boats out of the water for winter storage.

"Right now we're doing about 15-20 boats a day, and in a couple weeks that will increase to about 30 to 40 a day," Nelson said Thursday. "At Jefferson Beach there are seven heated storage facilities and three cold storage buildings. There's room for a lot of boats."

Nelson said October is usually the time when boaters take their crafts out of the water.

"It's been pretty nice weather, so I'm guessing as soon as it turns cold for a couple days there will be more boats coming out," Nelson said. "We're busy right now, but we'll be in full swing in about a week or two."

Still, Nalbandian said he wants to make sure his Hackercraft -- worth an estimated $500,000 -- is safely tucked away for a long cold winter.

"I can't wait to get it back out next year," he said.