Lessons Learned from the Restoration of Inlet Belle By Ian Devlin, Western Canadian Antique and Classic Boat Society Oftentimes retirement continues to be as big a learning opportunity as the working years. This has certainly been true in my case, particularly since taking on and restoring a “gray hull.” Inlet Belle’s hull was stored out…
By Don Gulliksen, Lake Hopatcong Chapter Our Chris Craft was built in 1931, now over 90 years ago. We don’t know how many owners she has had or how many adventures she has been a part of. She lived through the Great Depression and World War II. She even survived the boat industry shift to…
By Steve and Denise McCune, Southwest Chapter This story is of course about boating, but it is also about how others helped us to realize our life-long dream to one day own a yacht class boat. A great man once said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people…
The France Chapter recently traveled to Venice, Italy for the ASDEC (Associazione Scafi D’Epoca e Classici) meeting. They visited the lagoon and navigated between the famous islands of Burano, Murano, Mazzorbo and Torcello. Then, towards the end of the afternoon, they followed the Grand Canal where it was magical to see the palaces, though the…
This first-of-its-kind event provides learning opportunities, hands-on activities, and a boating experience on the Detroit River for students and young adults. A first of its kind collaboration between educational and youth organizations, marine companies, and state leaders is set to make waves in Detroit on July 31, 2024 in an effort to expand access to…
By Amy Scanlin Photos courtesy of the Eastern Shore Maritime Museum For many thousands of years a tiny bi-valve has captured our culinary senses. Greeks were the first to cultivate oysters amidst broken shards of pottery and Roman emperors traded oysters for gold. But, closer to home, and in more recent times, oysters have also…
With ACBS’s 50th anniversary on the horizon, it’s a great opportunity to dig into the archives… way back, to the early days of ACBS and the Rusty Rudder newsletter – copied by mimeograph, stapled and sent to members. These newsletters present quite a history! For instance, in Volume1, Number 1 of the Rusty Rudder, dated…
In the heart of Erie County, a historic gem is being meticulously restored to its former glory. Built by the renowned Lyman Boat Works, this pre-war 24-foot Lyman Custom Runabout with an all-weather hardtop holds a special place in maritime history. Constructed between 1937-1940, only three of these hand-built beauties remain in existence today. One…
I, Victor Strange, and my wife Linda Dungal bought land at Lake Thingvallavatn in 2009 in the south of Iceland. We built a summer house there and soon after went looking for a boat to take out on lake, the biggest in Iceland, and inside of the National Park, about a 45 minute drive from…
by Margaret Horn, Columbia Willamette Chapter The Columbia Willamette Chapter (CWC) of ACBS is lucky to have Frank Robinson as an active member. For 31 years, this quiet man who never seeks to be the center of attention has served his chapter on the Board of Directors as well as in various other capacities. In…
By Bill and Jan Stephenson, Michigan Chapter Bill Stephenson has been a big Donzi fan since he was in his early 20s. Back then he worked for the company and bought his first Donzi in 1969…55 years ago. Today, he and wife Jan have three Donzis. Their oldest is an 18-foot 1968 Corsican with the…
Gil Maringer, North Coast Ohio Chapter The attached dealer notice was included with each new boat shipped from the Chris-Craft factories. There are some interesting observations. First, dealers were expected to be located very close if not on a waterfront, and they were supposed to run the boats before transferring to a customer. Number 6…