Boater faction!

[David Conwill]

Anybody seen one of these in the flesh? I'm interested in how these compare with the Olney and Tesis that seem to be the bread-and-butter of the boater market these days.

Initially I thought this might be a Tesi, but it says hand woven in Ecuador.

-Dave

 

[Mr E Train]

Dave, that looks just like my Pana-boater, which was made by Capas, which I introduce in this thread a while back. Panama Bob said a while back that he knew the maker and was going to contact them to see about distributing these hats, so I guess he did.

One of the selling points of the Capas is that it's Teflon-coated, and that is one of the selling points here as well. It looks like it probably has the same wire going around the edge of the brim to add stiffness. I'm pretty sure it's the same hat. If it is the same, the cheapest place to get them is http://gentlemansemporium.com (sorry, P.B.!).

 

[David Conwill]

Thanks, Mr. E. I wondered about those, but I thought Panama Bob's looked like it had a thicker brim and less taper. Could just be an optical illusion, though.

-Dave

 

[Mr E Train]

They sometimes look tapered for some reason in the stock photographs, but mine isn't tapered at all and looks exactly like Panama Bob's, except for the aftermarket puggaree. I think what you perceived as a thicker brim was just the thicker welted edge where the wire is concealed. Anyway, I like the hat, it's more comfortable and versatile than the usual Tesi or Ponte Rialto boater. I didn't care for it at all with the red and blue band, but with the pug it became a lot more wearable.

 

[David Conwill]

I remember your conversion. It sure did end up swell looking.

I've been planning to hit Henry the Hatter this spring for my first boater, but on a whim, I just put in a bid on a vintage Lee on eBay.

-Dave

 

[Engrishman]

Whilst I notice that all the boaters I've seen in this thread have natural-coloured brims, is there such thing as a boater with a coloured border around the outer edge of the brim of the hat? I'm wondering if such boaters are even for sale, as I would be interested in buying one. Alternatively, would it be possible to sew/dye on a border?

Also, does anyone know where to get this boater below? I recall it showing up earlier in this thread, but without mentioning where to buy one.

 

[dhermann1]

That's also a Milan. Absolutely not a boater or a skimmer or anything of the sort. All the hats of this style that have been posted will have soft flexible structure. Totally different from a boater, which has a totally hard, rigid structure. You tap on it and you hear a loud rap.

 

[dhermann1]

BTW, if you went back to 1925 and wanted to buy what we here call a boater, what you would ask for is, a straw hat. That's what they were called back in the heyday of their popularity, just a straw hat.

 

[David Conwill]

Interesting tidbit, dhermann1. What did the guys in the 100-year-old Shorpy beach pics that I see wearing soft straws ask for? A Panama?

-Dave

 

[dhermann1]

Yes, a Panama was a Panama back then. It came from the fact that men working on the Panama Canal used to wear them. Tho the US started work on the Canal around 1908, the French had been there for a good while, wearing hats and dying of yellow fever in the hundreds.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Boater Faction crew just picked up a 1920's Boater in good shape will need a new leather sweatband in the future. The question I have is there is a slight warping of the brim in the rear of the hat most likely it was not stored properly as most vintage hats are not stored well. Any Ideas on how to handle this I would like to have a flat brim. This boater has a thick straw brim.

 

[Lefty]

That's also a Milan. Absolutely not a boater or a skimmer or anything of the sort. All the hats of this style that have been posted will have soft flexible structure. Totally different from a boater, which has a totally hard, rigid structure. You tap on it and you hear a loud rap.

Please do not insult milans by putting the name on that monstrosity.

 

[Dinerman]

That's also a Milan. Absolutely not a boater or a skimmer or anything of the sort. All the hats of this style that have been posted will have soft flexible structure. Totally different from a boater, which has a totally hard, rigid structure. You tap on it and you hear a loud rap.

I sold that one a couple years ago. It has a hard, rigid structure. Not a soft milan by any means.

 

[dhermann1]

This one??? Innnnnteresting. I guess you can't tell without handling it. Was it made in Italy?

 

[mayserwegener]

This old M. E. G. & Cie. (Straßburg) has Milan like straw and is rigid but is not as rigid as a typical Boater.

 

[Lefty]

I love that one. There were certainly milans in the shape of boaters, as plenty of old catalogs show. Depp's hat at the end of PE looks very much like it might be milan.

 

[Dinerman]

This one??? Innnnnteresting. I guess you can't tell without handling it. Was it made in Italy?

It was. Had one of those cool floating sweats and a pleated liner with some kind of fancy venetian scene. I saw another one once at an antique store in Maine. Also a no-name hat other than a "made in italy" stamp on the sweat (not embossed- just on top), that had turned green. If I remember, the rim had a bit of chipping. Harder to set down a hard hat like that when it has a flanged brim without incurring some kind of damage.

 

[Big Man]

I bought myself a new hat the other day and thought I'd give a review of sorts in the event anyone here was interested. The hat is from Village Hat Shop,and is listed as their "Budget Skimmer". ( http://www.villagehatshop.com/budget_skimmer.html ) The hat sells for $18.95, has a 3 3/4 inch crown and a 3 inch brim, and is listed as "one size". The $18 price got the best of me and I just had to order one to see what it was.

For $18 I really wasn't expecting much, but was a little surprised when it came. The hat is not all that bad. If the brim were in the 2 1/2 inch range, I believe it would b better. With the larger brim, it tends to not hold itself straight. I have a big head (size 7 3/4), and the "one size" fit surprisingly well. The hat is light weight and very comfortable. I had a great uncle who I remember as always wearing a straw hat, and this (with the exception of the overly large brim) reminded me a lot of the kind of hat he used to have.

Would I recommend this hat to wear out on the town? Probably not. But, as a good summer hat to work around the house and garden, well I think I found a good use for this $18 hat.

Here are some photos of the hat, so you be the judge.

 

[David Conwill]

That does look remarkably good! Thanks for the review.

-Dave

 

[David Conwill]

I've been planning to hit Henry the Hatter this spring for my first boater, but on a whim, I just put in a bid on a vintage Lee on eBay.

I won!

First hat I've purchased on eBay. Keep your fingers crossed that it's as nice as it looks in the pictures.

-Dave