Hi Scott,
I attended the Tahoe Show many years ago and came away equally impressed - the old runabouts are certainly a source of inspiration for deck graphics.
I've personally built 8 kayaks with a "runabout" inspired graphic and helped with 4 others built by students.
The "runabout" is a great graphic in that it is simple to build - no crossing lines or swoops means much less complicated fitting of strips - and it imparts a classic richness to the boat that is hard to achieve any other way.
I tend to use Alaskan yellow cedar for the light pinstripes as it is very white (if carefully selected).
For the background woods, I've used Honduran mahogany, Khaya, western red cedar, and Peruvian walnut with good results.
Good luck with your build.
Joe

: I've been keeping a log of deck patterns used on the classic speedboats of
: the prewar and postwar period (Gar Woods, Hackercraft, Chris Craft, et
: al), as my daughter and I are building a CLC Wood Duck hybrid this summer.
: The lines of that boat, it seems to me, lend themselves to adapting
: speedboat patterns, which, although planked, are essentially the same
: thing as stripping. Last weekend, I attended the Lake Tahoe Concours of
: fabulous speedboats, with a snazzy new lens in tow. I shot a bunch of the
: boats and thought I'd share, since I believe many of us (all of us?) keep
: a swipe file of design ideas we can use in furthering our addiction...uh,
: hobby.

: Anyway, I hope these shouldn't be posted under Off Topic, and that you enjoy.

: --Scott