William H. Truex Jr., 1937-2022, Lake Champlain Chapter & 2022 Boat Show Co-Chair On April 10, 2022, ACBS and the classic boat community lost a true friend when Bill Truex of Burlington, Vermont, passed away. Bill was passionate about boats and ACBS. Over the years he served not only as a leader within the Lake…
By John Dupee, Lake Champlain Chapter Although I grew up rowing an old wooden boat, I am a sailor. I have sailed and owned sailboats for over 50 years. Sailboats are, to my eye, visually appealing, not all, but most. The first time a saw a Lyman was from the cockpit of a 19’ wooden…
By Gene Porter, Co-Chair ACBS 2022 Annual Meeting and Show The Lake Champlain Chapter is pleased to be hosting this year’s Annual ACBS celebration in Burlington, Vermont, the week after Labor Day. The Champlain Valley is at the center of “The Great Warpath” that witnessed most of the major conflicts that defined early North American…
Juel is a very rare 1928 22-foot W. J. Dowsett launch powered by a 1935 4cyl 60 HP Kermath Sea Lion engine. She was built in Portland, Ontario, and has spent her entire life on Big Rideau Lake. She is currently owned by Bob Sneyd of Grand Isle, Big Rideau Lake. Photo was taken by…
By Fritz Horton, Lake Champlain Chapter The Thistle Class sailing dinghy was designed in 1945 by Gordon (“Sandy”) Douglass to reach the post-war market yearning for inexpensive, high-performance one design boats. The design was patterned after then-current versions of the International 14 Class dinghies, in which Douglass had won a bronze medal in the ‘36…
Daniel Stober says, “My Thompson was restored and used by my best friend the late Andy Butchard for over 20 years. She is 19-feet and powered by a 90 hp Honda that has been re-badged as an old Johnson. Custom touches have made her the most wonderful user boat. Member of ACBS and Eagle Mountain…
By Jody Lapham, Lake Champlain Chapter Foreword: It looked and smelled a lot like firewood. When I was a boy, my brother and I spent a great deal of time on Lake George at my aunt and uncle’s camp there. I will never forget the parade of elegance that began at dusk most every night.…
By Jamie Rogers, Lake Champlain Chapter As a young child spending my summers on Silver Lake with my family, water activities were always a part of the day. Three canvas canoes were used throughout the summer months, one solid red, another solid blue, and a bright yellow sail canoe. Over time these boats fell into…
by Matt Foley & Susie Becker members of the Lake Champlain chapter We live a few minutes away from the New York side of Lake Champlain, big water. Summer is the work season for us, so late afternoon – evening getaways on the lake with food and drink, often with friends, are our main form…
by Myndy Woodruff member of the Lake Champlain chapter My wife Kate was chatting with a nurse in Montpelier, Vermont and disclosed our old boat habit. Everybody has an old boat story. It just so happened that this nurse had an old Penn Yan Boat and motor that had been hanging for decades in her…
by John Dupee member of the Lake Champlain chapter Although I grew up rowing and old wooden boat, I am a sailor. I have sailed and owned sailboats for over 50 years. Sailboats are, to my eye, visually appealing not all but most. The first time a saw a Lyman was from the cockpit of…
by Dick Fritz member of the Lake Champlain chapter Whenever I pass Rick’s Antiques I always have to look. Why not? I’ve gotten two dingys, a 1922 18’ Old Town HW canoe and last my 20’ 1970 Celebrity sailboat. Celebrity was originally a Dutch design which allowed the mast to quickly be lowered to go…