River, Wyo., and ran to Yuma, Ariz., which he reached in January 1897. The 33-year-old Flavell built a flat bottom boat with a 2×4 frame covered with tongue and groove boards and a double thick planked bottom. Called the Panthon, Flavell’s boat was 15-½ feet long and 5-foot at the beam with no compartments for storage or floatation. Flavell was the first tohave the rower facing downstream and the first to run Lava Falls and Lava Cliff. Reilly’s Flavell was a 16-foot long, 5-½ wide at the beam fiberglass hull cataract-style – a foot shorter than the Susie R with similar plywood decks but a different interior design. It carried three people with a boatman in the middle and passenger facing that position and one behind. Unlike the Susie R this boat had everyone inside and behind the splash guard. Its storage compartments were water tight and the bow and stern compartments were airtight for buoyancy. Its colors were the same as the Susie R but had a less elaborate scheme.
Reilly ran this boat from Lees Ferry to Lake Mead in 1955 with V.R. “Brick” Mortenson rowing and again in 1956 with Martin Litton rowing. Mortenson rowed in 1957 from Lees Ferry to Bright Angel where the trip ended due to very high water (124,000 cfs). The trip resumed with Mortenson in 1958 where he flipped just below Deer Creek Falls and the boat was lost down River. The Georgie White party recovered the Flavell and towed it to Temple Bar on Lake Mead.

Reilly’s party, down to two boats, ran to Lava Falls and decided to let the boats go and hike out. They searched up Lake Mead to find Georgie White towing the Flavell and they found the Susie R half sunk. The last journey of the Flavell with Moulty Fulmer rowing was in 1959 from Lees Ferry to Pipe Springs where Reilly sunk it along with the Susie R.

to build the Susie R. Again, relying more on photographs, Elliot laid out the boat and developed detailed plans. He then cut the sides, bottom and fabricated the boat ribs. Unlike the Susie R construction, which was almost completely accomplished by Elliot, a boat building party was held. In September 2010, a group gathered at Elliot’s home and constructed the hull over a few days of work. Within a few days of the party the bottom of the boat was fiberglassed. Elliot finished the bottom and applied the paint. When dry, the boat was turned over. Then the decks over the forward and aft airtight compartments were added along with the center storage areas. Once the seats were finished the final fiberglass work was completed and the hours of sanding, filling and painting occurred.

The Flavell replica was first put into the water above Moab, Utah, in November 2010 where she joined the Susie R and the GEM for a short run down the upper Colorado. All three boats will run from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry launching on Feb. 1, 2011