In the summer of 2008, a fun and fast boat line, AristoCraft, was featured in ACBS Rudder. Initially constructed of plywood, when fiberglass came on the scene, AristoCraft made the bold move to completely switch production. There is really nothing to distinguish this farmhouse from any along the road in Alpharetta, Georgia, until you see…
By Dave Rosenberger, North Coast Ohio Chapter Time to get DOWN and DIRTY, which is slang to do unpleasant things with the phrase first used in the 1940s. I’m referring to the winterization of our pride and joys, and I do not profess to be a marine mechanic (we do have those in our chapter),…
On April 30, 2004 the Glacier Lakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society Inc., was granted a charter from ACBS. But the chapter’s origins date back to 1974 when several boat dealers and interested parties got together at the Milwaukee Marine Dealers’ Boat Show to discuss having an antique and classic boat exhibit…
1956 26-foot Chris-Craft Continental Gary and Susan Rechcygl, Glacier Lakes Chapter “That’s my boat!” Not necessarily words you want to hear when backing out of a dock. Gary Rechcygl thought he was about to hit another boat so he put Double Trouble in neutral. Standing on the docks at the Lake Geneva boat show that…
The Chesapeake Bay has always been a place for boats, especially in the Annapolis area, where a small group of like-minded people happened to meet. In 1976, when almost all new boats were made of fiberglass, this group shared a common love for boats made of wood. They also shared their knowledge and skills, essential…
By Conmy F. Oamek, Northern California Lake Tahoe Chapter In 1977 we were invited to Mission Bay in San Diego to film a McDonalds commercial. Well, really, our 1964 14-foot Amphicar named Our Yacht was. The commercial began with Ronald and several McDonalds characters driving on to the beach in an Amphicar, for a day…
The Allegheny Chapter of ACBS was formed in 1996 to serve Western Pennsylvania, but our 31 members hail from Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia. Members can boat on any of Pittsburgh’s three rivers (the Monongahela, the Allegheny, and the Ohio), the Beaver River, and the Youghiogheny River, among others. For those who prefer lakes,…
By Jeff Shook, Columbia-Willamette Chapter Dreadnaught II started her long and colorful career as a rescue vessel in the US Life-Saving Service (USLSS) so named until 1915 when the US Revenue Cutter Service and the USLSS merged and became the US Coast Guard. The lifeboat was an English invention adopted by the USLSS. Lifeboats were…
The Manotick Classic Boat Club came about in the mid 1970s mostly from young professionals and small businesspersons who bought wood boats because they were cheap and floated, (sort of), and you could turn the ignition key and they would go (sometimes). The need to exchange information to keep them going evolved into a local…
By Founders and volunteers of Save the PT Boat, Inc. Bill Weaver, Fred Juras and Jack Coulter Save the PT Boat, Inc. is a member of the Columbia-Williamette Chapter World War II had started in Europe and the U.S. anticipated the need for a small, fast, maneuverable, and well-armed vessel to patrol and defend the…
It’s all about family and friends sharing fun on the water. Founded in 1992 with twenty members, this small group in Oregon and SW Washington grew. In 1993, chartered as the Columbia-Willamette Chapter (CWC), the 37th chapter of The Antique & Classic Boat Society now has over 75 registered members and in 2023 was honored…
By Amy Scanlin Museums and Archives are treasure troves of history. Antique Boat Museum, The Mariner’s Museum and Park and many others bring to life long ago and sometimes forgotten photos and documents that open the door for new study and exploration. Deep in the Archives of the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis,…