Report and photos from Dan Gyoerkoe, ACBS Executive Director
Twenty-eight people from 11 different States and the Ontario Province in Canada attended the Annual Spring Symposium co-hosted by ACBS and the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY.
Friday afternoon, participants visited several local boat shops (boat shop hop), the ABM’s Doebler Storage Building, and had access to ABM’s vast library and archives.
The Doebler Storage Building has a collection of more than 200 boats (powered and nonpowered), engines, and more and is only open to the public 1-2 days per week during the season.
Saturday offered the opportunity for the participants to get their hands dirty with four different sessions, Staining and Color Matching, Fiberglass Boat Repair, a restoration project, and a build a boat project.
During the 2017 Symposium, participants completed the task of adding a new bottom to a 10 ft racer (left picture). This year the participants cleaned up the edges of the bottom, reinforced the transom, and added frames for the decking. The MT boat (right picture) is a restoration project underway at the museum. The process is to remove and replace 3 planks on each side, flip the boat, replace the stringers, flip the boat again to replace the remaining old planks. This method keeps the shape of the boat.
Sunday offered an excellent presentation on engines.
Many thanks to the Antique Boat Museum for hosting the Spring Symposium.
Look ahead and plan for the events you can attend – with or without your boat. THEN take pictures and send with the story to share the fun through this website.
Email to kathyparker@acbs.org
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