On Feb 26, 8:19�pm, WaIIy wrote:
On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:11:45 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould

wrote:
In researching an article about one of our local boats, I wanted to
put the �year that Tollycraft was founded into perspective.

Interesting trivial factoids.

In 1936,

Don't think so.....

�In 1946 he purchased a Central Lumberyard and Millwork plant operating
it until a raging fire destroyed the plant in 1952. That same year he
began Tollycraft Yachts with 8 employees. In the spring of 1959 the
Tollycraft Plant, adjacent to the Kelso, Washington Airport, was built
in just 90 days. History began and throughout 35 years over 6,000
vessels were built.

http://www.tollyclub.com/tollycraftfounder.htm

Follow the NW Yachting link from Tim's Wikipedia site:

You'll find an interview with Tolly himself, where the interviewer was
able to extract the following details about Tolly's first boat
building ventures:

"In 1929, Tolly enrolled in the architecture program at the University
of Oregon. Shortly afterwards, the stock market crash on "Black
Thursday" precipitated a run on the nation's banks, including his
father's, causing it to close permanently. Family funds and Tolly's
savings ran out and he had to drop out of college after completing
only two years.
Fortunately, Tolly was resilient. In 1933, while visiting
relatives in Kelso, Washington, he saw a real estate office for sale.
With a borrowed $500, he bought it and found himself managing and
selling about 170 properties that had been foreclosed during the harsh
Depression years. Hardworking and honest, he did well enough that,
after ordering the plans from Popular Mechanics, he built the first
boat called "Tolly," a 36-foot, Douglas-fir planked vessel with a
mahogany deckhouse. He continued his real estate business - and built
more boats - until he entered the Coast Guard in 1941"

Based on that, it does look like 1936 is decent claim for the year
that Tollefson first began building boats.