This week’s featured ACBS chapter is Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes.
Clicking on Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes will take you to more information about this chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, show the events they have already posted for the coming year, and some news stories and pictures that have come from their chapter. This chapter is frequently known as BSLOL. They were recognized as the ACBS Chapter of the Year in 2016.
The BS stands for Bob Speltz who from early childhood in Minnesota until his death collected and recorded the history of small pleasure craft. The book series The Real Runabouts was authored by him. He is credited for preserving information about boat manufacturers, large and small, and specifications about hundreds of small craft.
LOL stands for Land-O-Lakes, although the members of this chapter do like to laugh out loud, too. Minnesota is the main venue but memberships come from the Dakotas, Iowa, Wisconsin and many other states. Maybe because of the 10,000 lakes, BSLOL holds many different events during the year and a full program of workshops, too.
The Boathouse is the chapter’s award-winning magazine. It is always full of technical advice, historical articles and pictures, and pictures from current events. It may be the reason many of the BSLOL memberships come from outside of their immediate region.
The Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter hosted the 2015 ACBS Annual Meeting and International Boat Show.
The Antique and Classic Boat Society is an international organization made up of 54 chapters. There are chapters in the United States, Canada, and France. Each one of the chapters has a dedicated page on this website that includes the upcoming events which have been submitted to ACBS, news articles in which the chapter has been tagged, and any additional pictures identified with the chapter.
Always identified with a certain geographic region, they all seem to have their own personality, too. Find a chapter near you by zooming in on the Chapters’ Map.