ACBS Member Highlight: Dave Bortner, Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter

Dave Bortner is a BSOL Chapter Member, and, as the owner of Freedom Boat Service, a long time ACBS Sponsor. Here is his story…

Drawn to wood boats after receiving “The Golden Book of Powerboats” in my Christmas stocking at age five, I selected the Century Coronado (speeds to 55 mph!) on page 134 of the Dreamboats section as my personal dreamboat. I’ve been fortunate to fulfill that goal, with a 1961 Coronado powered by a Cadillac Crusader. I’m most drawn to Century boats, both wood and fiberglass, and include the very last 1968 wood Coronado Century built, with 427 Interceptor, and a “unicorn” 1959/60 Coronado with Chrysler Hemi among the boats I’d be least likely to sell.

I began “messing about” in wood boats in my teens with my father. My parents bought a summer home in the Minocqua, Wisconsin area, and we spent our summers there. We weren’t using any of the cars my father and I had worked on together, and one day, he said “you know what we should do, we should buy an old boat, and restore it, and then we’d have that to use up here.” He didn’t have to ask me twice, so we located a very original 1955 Chris-Craft Capri, and refinished it together. Next up came a 1958 Century Resorter, and when we had finished that one, he asked whether I was having fun restoring the boats. He suggested buying, selling and restoring wood boats might be a great way to finance college, and off we went. I ran a boat business full time while earning my BS in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

We were regulars at the (BS)LOL Rendezvous in the 80’s, and won our first (BS)LOL award (Best Century, go figure) in 1983.

After graduation, I embarked on a career in magazine publishing, which caused me to move 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 believe in stewardship, not only of our boats, but the organizations which serve the hobby. I am a Past President of BSLOL, have served on the board of BSLOL, was co-Chair of the 2015 Woods and Water International Boat Show, and will do so again this year, as we welcome ACBS back to Minnesota for the International Boat Show. On behalf of BSLOL, I also chair the annual Gull Lake Classic at Bar Harbor Supper Club show, which has become a must-attend show, mostly due to the involvement and support of John Allen and Lee Anderson.

In addition to BSLOL, I’m a member of the Glacier Lakes (Milwaukee), Blackhawk (Chicago), Iowa Great Lakes, Sunnyland (Florida), Michigan, Thousand Islands (NY), Northern California, and France Chapters of ACBS. I currently serve on the ACBS International Board, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Legacy of the Lakes Museum in Alexandria, MN. I also serve on the International Advisory Committee of the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York. I have also served on the Board of Directors, and as President, of the Twin Cities Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America. I’ve written regularly for the Hagerty Marine Newsletter, and am always seeking out opportunities to spread the word about our vintage boat hobby, including, recently, in the Robb Report Magazine, and Boating Magazine.

I’m damn lucky to be engaged to my long-suffering soul mate, Michelle DeMist. We make our home in Mayer, Minnesota, in a 1915 brick four-square farmhouse, which we survived restoring together in 2020. Our rural property also serves as “world headquarters” for Freedom Boat Service, with shop and storage buildings on site.

I truly cherish the relationships we’ve developed being a part of vintage boating. As the concept and reality of the “town square” has receded from modern life, it’s heartening to be part of a community, a ‘tribe”, if you will, of like-minded individuals who share a common love for vintage boats and boating. While we come together under the ACBS umbrella to share that interest, the real benefit is the community of great people with whom we interact.