It’s part of Bentley’s Cruise series, designed for family and leisure use, typically seating 10–12 passengers with a weight capacity of around 2,000+ lbs. This matches the longer profile in your photo rather than the shorter 200 Cruise.
This series began as an effort to rebuild my youthful memories of growing up on Lake Naomi in the Poconos starting in the 1960s. As the stories came together, I wanted to start an online dialog with others who might remember or are making their memories right now. We created an associated Facebook Group, called Lake Naomi Memories, for anyone to share their memories that help create a digital history footprint on the web. Oh, and they’ll certainly help me remember as well. Link below – enjoy the series!
Anyone who has raced a sailboat on Lake Naomi, or on any body of water with a race committee, knows that they’re in charge of the race. Since a fixed point on land isn’t always possible for a start/finish line, the committee usually operates from the water. Thanks to a post from a fellow Facebooker, memories of those dedicated volunteers on Lake Naomi came rushing back with the story of the committee boat fondly nicknamed the Kon-Tiki. What the heck is a kon-tiki?
It’s time I find out, so let’s dig in.
What Is A Kon-Tiki?
The name Kon-Tiki became part of pontoon boat history through its symbolic association with adventure and water travel, named for Thor Heyerdahl’s famous 1947 voyage across the Pacific on his hand-built balsa raft Kon-Tiki. The word entered popular culture as shorthand for daring exploration and the romance of being on the water. The nickname Kon-Tiki for a pontoon boat on Lake Naomi makes sense once you look at the meaning and the cultural weight behind the word.
Originally, Kon-Tiki referred to a creator deity in Inca and Polynesian traditions, often tied to the idea of beginnings, journeys, and life emerging from the sea. The name gained modern fame in 1947, when Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl built a simple balsa-wood raft, named Kon-Tiki, and sailed it across the Pacific. His daring voyage proved that even the most primitive vessels could survive and succeed in long ocean crossings. The raft became a symbol of exploration, adventure, and the spirit of volunteers who were willing to risk discomfort for the sake of community and discovery.
On Lake Naomi, a pontoon boat named Kon-Tiki fit that tradition perfectly. It wasn’t sleek or glamorous, but it was always there, steady and dependable, marking the start and finish lines for sailors. Much like Heyerdahl’s raft, the Lake Naomi Kon-Tiki wasn’t about luxury; it was about function, community, and resilience on the water. For local sailors, the name carried both humor and respect: humor in comparing a modest lake pontoon to a legendary ocean raft, and respect in recognizing the volunteers who, like Heyerdahl’s crew, gave their time and spirit to keep sailing alive.
Kon Tiki Crossover and Pontoon Boats
Pontoon boats in particular were well-suited to this kon-tiki branding. Unlike speedboats or fishing vessels, pontoons emphasized group outings, relaxed exploration, and time spent together on lakes and rivers. By associating them with the Kon-Tiki story, manufacturers could tap into the sense of adventure while marketing a social, fun product. Some models were advertised as floating “islands” or “rafts” on the water, echoing Heyerdahl’s voyage in a more lighthearted way. Over time, the name Kon-Tiki/Contiki became a popular cultural reference, showing up not just in boat names but also in tiki bars, resorts, and travel companies—all leaning on the same image of Polynesian-inspired adventure and escape.
I don’t know who first coined the term to identify the race committee boat, but I remembered the name when former Lake Naomi sailors Will Denton and Steve Hackenberg mentioned it. Hope there’s someone here that can help us remember.
Viaggio Lago 22U Pontoon boat
with a Mercury Outboard
BoatTrader listings for the Lago 22U show prices ranging from $35,999 to around $46,999, with several models (like the 2025 Lago V 22U) starting at approximately $35,999. Lago 22U (Standard) The boat typically measures 22 ft in length (with an overall length of up to about 23 ft) and is 8.4–8.5 ft wide. The weight hovers around 2,400–2,700 lb, depending on configuration. It’s designed for family cruising, featuring plush bench seating that can comfortably accommodate 10–11 passengers, depending on the configuration, and is powered by an outboard engine in the 90–150 HP range. Are they right?
Always looking for older photos.
Previous Kon Tiki Versions
Let us know if you know anything about the history, make, and models that served as Lake Naomi’s official kon tiki
The Kon-Tiki and the Cannon
So we’re on the Lake Naomi Memories Facebook Page, and Will Denton, an Owaissa Cup winner among his accomplishments, posted this photo of a cannon that resembles one his mother used while volunteering on the race committee. Here’s his recollection:
Through the Owaissa camp days and up until the late 1960s, the LN Sailing Association used a small cannon like this one (using powder but no shell) to signal the white flag (10 min til start) the blue flag (5 min til start) and a red flag at the start of each race. Custom was to have the cannon pointed off the back side of the Contiki pontoon boat that was used as one end of the race starting line by the race officials. Then, one day, one of the junior racers named Hope Kaltenthaler came around the back side of the pontoon boat just as the cannon was fired for the 5 min to go signal before the race started. She got a nasty powder burn to the face but was otherwise OK, and that was the end of the cannon, replaced with an air horn.”
So, With That – We Honor Our Lake Naomi Race Committee and their Kon-Tiki Boat
If you have a photo, send it along, and we’ll add it so others can remember these brave souls who followed after Thor Heyerdahl’s (Hay-er-dahl) famous 1947 voyage. If no photos, tell us a story in the comments section below.
So Now You Know about the origins of Lake Naomi’s committee boat – “the Kon-tiki”
Join the Facebook Group – Lake Naomi and Pocono Pines Memories
Start your experience with a live look at the Club Beach at Lake Naomi – Livecam Click Here
North Beach View – Click Here
Series Honors the History of Lake Naomi & the Pocono Pines Area
About The Author
I decided to write these stories down because a friend of mine, with whom I grew up, now lives on Lake Naomi and still sends me photos of the Lake Naomi Club trophy case, where my name, along with my father’s and brothers’, lives on (Thanks, Sue). Thank you for allowing me to document this life experience for the record.
Brooks founded Mr. Local History and the Mr. Local History Project along with his wife, Jill. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and raised in Westfield, Brooks graduated from Westfield High School in 1980 and later from Bryant University. For over two decades, Brooks, along with his brother Brian and younger sister Cee Cee, spent their summers on Lake Naomi with their parents, Frank and Caryolyn Betz, who had lived on Canoe Brook Road since the mid-1960s.
He and his family owned the Pocono Boathouse (Pocono Pines, PA) and the Cranford Canoe Club in the 1960s through the 1990s.
There are likely many gaps in the history that I hope to fill, along with a return visit to Lake Naomi to reminisce and reflect on these stories. This story is part of a series dedicated to the history of Lake Naomi, Pocono Pines, and the memories of my family spending time together. Thanks for reading.
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