Damon Howatt/Martin Archery
—The Story
by Scott Toll
Several months ago I was asked to write about Martin's Archery's Ventura recurve. This was an exciting project because I like them, own one, and have always been interested in Damon Howatt and his bows. My father, Russ Toll, hunted Blacktail deer back in the early 1960s with a 66-inch Damon Howatt Hunter, and was very successful with it. He still has this bow today and it is nearly identical in dimensions to the Ventura I have now. As I began my research on the history of the Ventura recurve, which covers more than thirty years, I soon realized that there was much more to this story than just the bow. . .
Damon Howatt
According to an advertisement I found in Archery Magazine, dated August 1960, Howatt offered their hunter models in 62 inch and 66 inch lengths, in draw weights up to 75 pounds. Today, the Howatt Hunter and Ventura have replaced these older bows. Limb length and shape are pretty much the same for the older, newer, shorter, and longer versions. This limb design has proven itself over thousands of bows and a lot of years. They have changed handle shapes and materials slightly, but have still kept this same limb design.
Recurves were the most popular bows during the '50s and '60s, and manufacturers such as Damon Howatt, Fred Bear, Ben Pearson, and the like were selling thousands of them annually. Each of these archery giants produced complete lines of bows to fit the needs of beginners, bowhunters, and even serious tournament archers. Archery was a different scene back then because archery equipment was much simpler to use. Their only contention back then was whether or not to use sights for hunting. At some tournaments they even had a special class for shooting "Power Units;" that is, heavy weight bows normally used for hunting.
It was during this era that bow builders began using fiberglass as a backing for their bow limbs. Fiberglass-backed bows provided better durability, efficiency, and increased arrow speeds for the poundage used. The average archer could shoot a bow better than before. Archery, as a sport, grew rapidly, creating a high demand for quality equipment. Bows and arrows were mass produced to fill the need, and this reduced their cost. Now, the entire family could afford to participate. Archery clubs began to spring up everywhere. Special bowhunting seasons were introduced for those hunters willing to accept a greater hunting challenge.
Mr. and Mrs Howatt with some jumbo carp.
Damon Howatt was willing to take on the archery challenge on a much larger scale. He was very fond of big game hunting and archery golf. He was a very successful archer, but was most famous for the bows he built. Even today, archers still know his name through his bows.
Mr. Howatt was in the advertising business in 1938, when he became interested in archery. This happened when an archery movie was playing in town and a bunch of guys at the sign shop started fooling around with the cheap bows and arrows that had been used as "props" advertising the show. It wasn't long before there were broken bottles and busted arrows all over the place.
Shortly after his odd introduction to archery, Damon built his first bow. It was a straight-limbed yew-wood longbow, what we would call a selfbow today. By 1939 he organized the first archery club in Yakima, Washington. At first, bowmaking was only a hobby for him but, soon it became a full time hobby as archery increased in popularity and more and more people wanted to buy his bows. In 1943, he decided to build bows full-time. His first plant was located on a five-acre tract five miles west of Yakima. It was a small building where he and his wife worked together. Damon built bows while his wife built arrows. Their business grew rapidly and it became necessary to build a larger place. They constructed two buildings with a combined space of nearly 5,000 square feet and named it the "Howatt Plant." By 1957, the Howatt Plant was producing 5,000 to 6,000 bows and 30,000 arrows annually. Most of Damon's hired help were state-ranked archers who had become very skillful with the bow and arrow before they became bowyers. It's no wonder they were producing some of the finest bows in the country.
As a small business, during the '40s, Damon and his wife enjoyed many bowhunting trips and archery tournaments, but by the late '50s, the business consumed most of their time. In 1961, Damon Howatt decided to retire. He sold his business to Bob Paisley, owner of the music stand factory next to him. Six months later, Damon Howatt was killed when struck by another car at an intersection while driving his Volkswagen camper. He was only 57 years old when it happened.
Today the Howatt Plant is owned by Martin Archery, and Larry Hatfield is manager of this facility. I met with Larry this spring and learned most of Damon Howatt's story from him.
Larry met Damon Howatt in the mid-fifties when Damon and a friend happened to be bowhunting near his cattle ranch. Larry was curious about them when he discovered they were using bows and arrows. He asked them about their equipment and then invited them to hunt on his property anytime they wanted. A week later, Damon showed up again, only this time he brought with him another bow, for Larry. They became good friends and started bowhunting together on a regular basis. Not long afterward, Larry started to build bows for himself with some help from the "boys from the plant." Larry recalled when they used to leave a window open at the plant on the weekend so that he could crawl through and work on his bows when the plant was "normally closed." His interest in archery grew, and he eventually started working for Damon full time as a bowyer. That was 40 years ago and he has never lost his enthusiasm for archery or the operation of this plant in all those years.
Larry gave me a first-class tour of Martin Archery's Howatt Plant. We talked about archery and bows for the better part of a day. He never hesitated to answer any of my questions. For the last two decades, he has endured the many changes that the archery industry has gone through. His knowledge of bows, their design, and bow manufacturing is very extensive. He knows what it takes to produce high quality, affordable bows for today's market. Don Jewett, his foreman, was also there to answer any questions I had. Don has been designing limbs and laminations at the Howatt Plant for the past 39 years.
When we walked through the production floor, it was a very busy place. There are approximately 20 workers doing all sorts of things. The entire place is very clean and organized. It's not exactly what I would call a production line; but rather, a number of small working areas where each worker completes a specific part of a bow. Most of the workers have more than 10 years working experience here. They must like their work because employee turnover is almost non-existent.
The production floor is an exciting thing to see, with its organized stacks of raw materials and bow pieces. There are machines of all types being used for a multitude of tasks, such as producing double-tapered laminations and the cutting of riser materials prior to glue-up. The dozen or more bow presses are located in one corner of the production floor. These presses are state of the art with electronic sensing devices, computer controlled heat strips, and timing devices.
The tillering and shaping of the bows are done by hand the same way as any other custom bowyer would do it. They make their own laminations using a special machine which Damon Howatt designed and built. It works so well that there is no need to attempt to improve it. After the laminations are ground, they are individually flex-tested and marked for identification. A myriad of other machines are used to produce the other riser materials needed for constructing the bow. Once the raw materials have been reduced to usable pieces and then glued-up in the presses, except for a few rough cuts, the bow is finished using hand tools.
Recently, I was at an archery shoot and had a conversation with an "old timer," who used to work for Howatt in the early '60s. His name was Gerald Rimbey. He was a bowyer then, and also the Northwest Regional Champion instinctive archer at the same time. He told me, "We only had five or six bowyers at that time and maybe 10 more workers. Bowyers were responsible for shaping the limbs, tillering the bow, and aligning the nock grooves. The rest of the workers would cut raw materials, glue up the bows, and then finish the bow."
There were several bowyers working at the time I visited the plant. I was impressed with the skills they were using to align and mark limbs, set the string grooves, and tiller the bows. Larry Hatfield and Don Jewett certainly know how to select good workers. Each worker will complete a single task for 30 to 35 bows each day. Larry explained to me that they can produce a higher quality product at a much more affordable price by having each worker specialize.
There is nothing lacking for quality in this place when it comes to machinery, raw materials, or workmanship. The Howatt Plant is even building bows for their competitors. I recognized these bows immediately and knew that these bows were selling for about twice the price of a Martin. It's no wonder they're not worried about their competition.
It's not fair to call these bows production models because they build them exactly the same way as any other custom bowyer would. The Howatt Plant buys raw materials in huge quantities and then reduces it to usable parts. By doing so, they control the quality much better and can still offer bows at a much lower cost. As each worker completes his or her task, the bow is then passed onto another worker where it will be inspected one more time. It is highly unlikely that a bow will make it past 20 people if it has a flaw in it. If there is anything wrong with it, even a blemish, they discard the bow.
THE VENTURA:
The Ventura is an exceptionally easy bow to shoot accurately because of it's longer riser. It's limbs are nearly the same length as most other shorter hunting recurves on the market. This is an ideal combination because a longer riser provides better stability while the shorter limbs produce greater arrow speed. It is a fun bow to shoot in the field and on the range. The Ventura is an easy bow to shoot from both a vertical (target) or canted (hunting) bow position because it is a very stable bow.
It surprises me that the Ventura is considered more as a target bow than a hunting bow. It makes an excellent hunting weapon because it is so "shootable" and is available in draw weights up to 75 pounds. There are only a few 66 inch or longer, one-piece, wooden recurves available on the bow market today and Martin produces about 500 of them annually.
The statistics for my personal bow are as follows:
Length:
66"
Draw Weight:
50# at 28"
String Length:
60 3/8" (using 3/8" dowels in loops)
Brace Height:
8 1/8"
Sight Window:
200" out from center
Arrow Shelf:
3" above center
I like to use a chronograph to test a bow for its consistency in casting an arrow the same speed each time. Consistent arrow speed is a good indication of it's "shootability," and this can make a big difference in long range accuracy. It is also important to compare relative speed differences when shooting light or heavy arrows. Faster does not mean better; however, and it is much more important to use a chronograph to find out which weight arrows produce the most consistent speeds when arrow weight might vary slightly.
I was able to produce my most consistent speeds using the lighter weight arrows. This is probably due to the lighter mass weight of the limbs which is so common with recurves.
I tested this bow using my 31-inch draw length, which I controlled by having an archery friend watch my arrows as I drew them and anchored. At this draw length my bow has a draw weight of 58 1/2 pounds. Test results were as follows:
These test results show that the heavier arrows will produce more consistent arrow speeds when arrow weights vary; such as when using wooden arrows. I must use aluminum arrows when I shoot my recurve because wooden shafts are not available in the length and spines I need. But, if I were able to obtain wooden arrows, I would use them in the heavier weights. Aluminum arrows are so closely matched in sets that it's a matter of (1) personal choice and (2) which arrow trajectory is most desirable for the archer.
Martin Archery sells most of their Venturas to the Europeans as FITA training bows. The Federation Internationale de Tir a L Arc (FITA) is Europe's version of our own National Archery Association (NAA). The NAA's stated purpose is "... to perpetuate, foster and direct the practice of archery in the United States in accordance with the high spirit and honorable tradition of that most ancient sport."
Comparable to Olympic competition in format, they both shoot multiple arrows at each target and include some very long-range shooting. Full-blown Olympic recurves are very expensive by the time they arrive in Europe, costing somewhere in the neighborhood of $2000.00. Venturas are a fraction of this cost, enabling many more archers the opportunity to participate in archery.
The Ventura was first offered by Howatt (now Martin) over 30 years ago as an affordable target bow for the average archer. Top-of-the-line target recurves with their custom fit handles and exotic woods were three times as expensive. According to a 1964 news release by Howatt, "At $44.50, the Ventura was added to fill the need for a quality bow at a modest price. This was accomplished by eliminating many of the custom options available on most Howatt bows. Length, handle style and bow glass color were also standardized on the Ventura."
The Ventura will break all the rules when we try to decide which shooting form or style is best suited for it. It will accommodate target form; that is, using a vertically-held bow and a low anchor; or hunting form, which involves canting the bow and using a high anchor. It is quick handling and can even be used like a longbow for moving targets. It really depends upon the archer and for what purpose the bow is being used.
Gail Martin with the new "Dream Catcher" recurve..
This year Martin is offering two new bows: the "Saber" and the "Dream Catcher." The Saber is a 62" recurve with lines similar to Howatt's famous Del Rey target bow which was built in the early '60s. The Del Rey was their top of the line target recurve and was offered in 62", 66", and 69" lengths. The Del Rey was a very expensive bow ($150.00) at the time and even came with a padded suede carrying case. The Saber is actually a shortened version of the Del Rey and is better suited for the bowhunter.
The limb design and riser configuration of the Saber is completely different than Martin's other recurves; It is more reflexed. When unstrung, the entire bow will lay flat on its belly when placed on the floor. A more deflexed bow will only touch at the middle of the limbs and the handle will be an inch or more higher than the floor.
When I received this bow I hardly looked it over at first because I was so eager to shoot it. I grabbed a half dozen different spined sets of arrows, stuck a feather rest on it and went right to it. Within fifteen minutes I was able to match up some arrows and shoot it very accurately. This bow was rated 55# at 28" and so, by the time I stretched it out to my 31" draw length, I was pulling 72 pounds. Even at this poundage, I could shoot it comfortably. A bow of this length is much better suited for someone with an average draw length, nearer to 28 inches. Even so, I enjoyed shooting this bow and it felt very stable.
The "Dream Catcher" is Martin's newest bow, so new in fact that I was unable to obtain test results prior to press time. The bow is named after the famous Native-American artifacts that, according to lore, filter dreams and only allow the good dreams through. The Dream Catcher is a custom-built, 60" recurve featuring an eye-catching combination of Bubinga, Amazakoue, Maple, and Red Elm. Each bow has a drawing of a dream catcher on the riser, and is available in weights up to 75 pounds.
Gail Martin
As I mentioned before, Martin Archery now owns the Howatt Plant. In 1976, Gail Martin purchased the Howatt Plant from Bob Paisley. At that time, Gail was the largest bowstring manufacturer in the U.S. along with building and selling arrows. Eventually Gail expanded his facility in Walla Walla, Washington, to accommodate a quickly-changing archery industry. Today, Martin Archery manufactures the most complete line of Archery equipment in the world.
When I visited Martin Archery's Walla Walla facility, I was very impressed with their collection of bows. There were countless numbers of fancy recurves from the past, displayed on their walls, along with old broadhead collections and Indian artifacts. Besides the recurves, there were Asiatic bows, longbows, self-bows, and even some very strange bows I'd never seen before. If a person has an interest in older and rare bows, or the newest that Martin Archery has to offer, I would highly recommend a visit.
