Gar Wood was born on December 4, 1880, in Mapleton, Iowa, into a family of 13 children. His father was a ferryboat operator on Lake Osakis, Minnesota, and Gar worked on boats from an early age. In 1911, at age 31, he … 展开

He established the Wood Hoist Co. in Detroit, Michigan, and soon became a successful businessman. Later, he changed the company's name to Garwood Industries, which built racing and pleasure boats under the Gar Wood … 展开

In 1916, Wood purchased a motorboat for racing called Miss Detroit. He also bought the company that made it, run by brothers Chris and Henry Smith (who would later found Chris-Craft in 1924). This led to the construction of Gar Wood brand craft.
Initially still focused on … 展开

Garwood Industries began building boats under the "Gar Wood" brand following his early successes in racing. The most famous were the Liberty V-12-powered 33-foot "Baby Gar" gentleman’s racer built in the 1920s and early 1930s. Along with numerous models of 展开

Wood was known as an inventive genius who, at one point, held more US patents than any other living American.
In 1897, at age 17, he invented a downdraft carburetor which enabled his inspection boat to outrace the other inspectors. 展开

In the 1950s, Wood acquired Fisher Island in South Florida's Biscayne Bay, the last of a series of millionaires to occupy it as a one-family island retreat. He sold it to a development group in 1963. Wood also had a summer retreat in McGregor Bay, Ontario. 展开

He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990. 展开