The Nominations Committee, chaired by past president, Stan Struble, is pleased to introduce the candidates for two officer and four director positions for the 2021 board of directors. The ACBS board of directors unanimously voted during their meeting on June 20th to extend the the terms of the current president and vice president by one year. Voting ballots are included in the summer issue of the Rudder (mailed week of July 20th).

Treasurer – Scott Mason (Pacific Northwest)
I live in Tapps, Washington with my wife Patty, where I am the President of the Pacific Northwest ACBS Chapter. A longshoreman in the Port of Tacoma, I attended the University of Puget Sound, earning a degree in Business and Public Administration. Previously, I worked as an accountant and owned a breeding and boarding farm in Eastern Washington. My interest in vintage boats began while attending a hydroplane race where I met PNW members and saw their boats. I attended the Concours d’Elegance at Lake Tahoe and bought a 1959 Chris-Craft ski boat. It turned out to be too small, so I bought a 1961 Shepherd, which I named RHUBARB, and had it restored. RHUBARB has traveled to annual meetings and shows at Gull Lake, Minnesota, Racine, Wisconsin, Port Huron, Michigan, and Alexandria Bay, New York.

Secretary – Maggi Cassell (Southern California Chapter)
I grew up in a boating family in rural Northern California. My grandfather kept a Chris-Craft cruiser in San Francisco Bay, and runabouts kept following my father home after work. From early child-hood, many family vacations were spent in a classic boat (sometimes on the trailer in the hotel parking lot handing Dad tools while he tinkered). After graduating from USC in Los Angeles, I returned to Northern California for a couple years to work in my father’s small restoration shop where I developed brightwork skills that would earn high marks at the Tahoe Concourse d’Elegance. As a wedding present, my parents gave Rob and me an empty 15-1/2-foot 1941 Chris-Craft hull, with a sealer coat of varnish, multiple boxes of parts, and a long way to go. Over the next two years, Rob and I spent our vacations completing the restoration, cementing a third generation’s passion for antique and classic boating. I am currently the past president of the Southern California Chapter of ACBS, and over the last few years I have also become that chapter’s first social media manager and have been part of the judging team at the Lake Arrowhead Show. I live on the northern edge of Los Angeles with my husband Rob, two dogs, and three classic boats.

Director – Rob Cassell (Southern California)
I married into antique and classic boating 18 years ago and my wife Maggi and I have been mem-bers of the Southern California Chapter ever since. Our wedding present was an incomplete 1941 Chris-Craft model. A few years and a lot of weekends later, Knotty but Nice made it to the Tahoe Concourse d’Elegance, and has since been enjoyed across California. After dabbling with other project boats, including a 1956 Bryant Raider and a 1959 Chris-Craft Continental, we’re back to refreshing the little Chris for this year’s Lake Arrowhead Show. In addition to several years as an Arrowhead judge, I am moving from SoCal chapter secretary to vice president, and this year am involved in developing and expanding the chapter’s web and so-cial media presence. I recently volunteered with a committee that demonstrated the viability of electronic meetings for the ACBS board of directors. I am looking forward to bringing my profes-sional experience working in healthcare construction management to bear in support of the board as it supports our hobby across the country and around the world.

Director – Dave Bortner (Bob Speltz Land O’ Lakes Classic Boat Club, Blackhawk, Glacier Lakes, Jerry Dy-hrkopp/Iowa Great Lakes, Michigan, NoCal/Lake Tahoe, Sunnyland, and Thousand Islands)
Drawn to wood boats after receiving “The Golden Book of Powerboats” in my Christmas stocking at age five, I selected the Century Coronado on page 134 of the Dreamboats section as my personal dreamboat. I began “messing about” in wood boats in my teens with my father who suggested buying, selling and re-storing wood boats might be a great way to finance college. I ran a boat business full time while earning my BS in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. My father and I were regulars at the BSLOL Rendezvous in the 1980s, and won his first BSLOL award (Best Century, go figure) in 1983. After graduation, I went on to a career in magazine publishing and moved to the twin cities in 1989. After building and selling the magazine business I came back to boats, and founded Freedom Boat Service in the fall of 2009. I am currently serving my final year as president of BSLOL (term limit). I was co-chair of the 2015 Woods and Water ACBS International Boat Show in Minnesota and currently serve on the board of directors and as vice-president of the Legacy of the Lakes Museum in Alexandria, Minnesota, and on the International Advisory Council of the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York. I also served on the board of direc-tors, and as president, of the Twin Cities Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. I write regularly for the Hagerty Marine Newsletter.
I’m damn lucky to be engaged to my long-suffering soul mate, Michelle DeMist, who may or may not know exactly how many boats we own. We are currently restoring a 1917 brick foursquare farmhouse.

Director – Kathy Rhodes (Toronto)
In the early 1990s, my husband Bryan and I joined ACBS-Toronto at the Toronto International Boat Show. Shortly after that, Bryan attended his first Winter Workshop where then Classicboat editor, Bob Brown, asked if anyone could help proofread the magazine. Bryan volunteered me, and two things came out of that event. First, I became the proof-reader and second, I started attending events with Bryan. I eventually became editor of Classicboat and joined the ACBS-Toronto Board (and ACBS-International) in 2000. Since joining ACBS, I have been involved with numerous shows and developed many friendships across the vintage boating community. During my tenure, I have served on such committees as Value for Member-ship, Boat Show (Planning and Promotion), Website Development, Museum Relations, Strategic Planning, and Revitalization. As part of these committees I was able to form collaborative relationships/agreements with organizations having similar interests to ACBS-Toronto such as the Canadian Canoe Museum and Kids & Classics Boat Museum allowing us to fulfill our mission statement. We are also growing the future of boating through our sponsorship program with IE Weldon SS where students are involved in building small wooden craft as part of a Dual Credit program with Fleming College. I am honored to have received a number of awards for my efforts, though the reward is truly in seeing how ACBS-Toronto has grown and evolved over the years. I’ve served in different roles on Classicboat for 20 years, most notably as editor, and in 2019 our chapter received the Best Newsletter – Medium Chapter Award (International). I retired as editor of Classicboat after the Summer 2019 issue. In addition to creating Wood Boat Wednesday, a weekly e-blast for ACBS-Toronto members, I positioned the club to make better use of online event registration.
In 2018 I was inducted to the ACBS-Toronto Honor Roll and received the Mary Herwig Award (International). I look forward to serving you as director and furthering the ACBS mission.

Director – Lindy Robinson (Southwest Chapter)
I grew up fishing and water-skiing with my family near Graham, Texas. I learned to sail while obtaining a chemistry degree at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. I met my wife Lisa in 1980, and we were married in 1984. My first restoration project was a 17-foot Thistle sailboat. It needed new hardware, lines, paint and varnish. While attending Keels & Wheels in 1997, we met many members of the Southwest Chapter ACBS. We pur-chased a 1959 17-foot Lyman outboard shortly thereafter and joined ACBS and the chapter. Since then I have held many positions with the chapter, including director, vice president, and president. I am currently back in the vice-president’s seat. I am also on the board for Keel & Wheels as Southwest Chapter liaison, a member of the US Power Squadron (aka “America’s Boating Club”) and a former BSA Scoutmaster. In addition to the Lyman we now have two classic Chris-Crafts, a 1955 18-foot Continental, and a 1958 26-foot Sports Express. I am looking forward to serving on the International Board and traveling to more shows.