Kanallys' 1957 16' Cowell King with 1960
Mercury 45 hp outboard, Tenkiller Lake, OK, 2003
Welcome! This site was created to preserve the memory of Cowell Boat
Works, and to find and unite Cowell boat owners wherever they may be. We're very pleased to announce the recent completion of a total restoration of a 1957 16' Cowell King by a team of members from the Chautauqua Lake Twin Tiers Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. Here's their Cowell on display at the July 7, 2012 CLTT Boat Show. Watch a video of the event.Learn more about this '57 Cowell King.
Cowell Boat Works was a family-owned boat manufacturing business in Erie, PA.
Active from the mid 1950s until 1960, Cowell manufactured some of the most
attractive and durable lapstrake and mahogany watercraft ever conceived.
Watch a Cowell in action now!
Cowell Marque Club created to support Cowell owners!
Through the support and encouragement of the Antique
and Classic Boat Society, we have created the Cowell Marque Club, an
organization for owners of Cowell Boats dedicated to the preservation and
restoration of Cowell boats and the discovery and preservation of Cowell Boat
Works documentation. Before long, we'll be able to provide additional
history and details regarding the origins of Cowell Boats.
Efforts are underway to locate and catalogue Cowell Boat Works information.
The Erie Maritime Museum
already has a number of Cowell documents and photographs archived, and continues
to collect information and artifacts. We are interested in including
all Cowell boat owners in this effort. Send us an email with your contact information by clicking
the Join Now button below. We'll respond with full information (no
charge)!
Terry Kish of Lorain, Ohio, aquired a very original 18' Cowell Sportsman in the summer of 2018. You can see photos of her remarkable state at the time of his purchase here.
Tom Calalesina, Rick Couchenour, Andy Robinson and Skip Vincent of the Jamestown, NY area have completed a 2-year restoration of a very pretty 1957 Cowell King 16-footer. See more!
Howie Thomas of Fairview, PA has completed the restoration of a unique 15-foot Sportsman Model. You gotta see this!
Curtis Pound of Fairport, NY has a Cowell that has been in his family since 1980. See photo at the end of the Models section!
See original brochures as well as modern day photos of various Cowell models
in the models section.
Bob Summers, who lives on Grosse Ile, MI at the mouth of the Detroit River on Lake Erie has a '59 King!! Restoration underway soon!
Feel free to e-mail us with any
ideas, questions, or Cowell Boat sightings!
See a very nice newspaper article on Cowell Boat Works published by the Erie
Times News by visiting their website at http://www.goerie.com/,
and enter the words Cowell Boat Works in the search window.
There are about 15 known surviving Cowells. Many have been nicely maintained
by their owners. This 1959 Sportsman in Connecticut is a perfect example.
This 18' Cowell Sportsman is powered by a
Mercury 50 hp and has a 6 hp Johnson trolling motor.
Kanallys' 1957 Cowell King taking a spin on
Moss Lake near Gainesville, TX in 2006
