By Brian Robinson, Southern California Chapter Finding the oldest Hacker boat is a bit like playing darts, since the first 10 years or so of Hacker construction were all of bespoke boats…one or two, or maybe five of a particular design were built, mostly one-off race boats for particular clients without hull numbers. A few…
John and Rebecca Allen, Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter In the early days of the Chris Smith & Son’s Boat Co., before the design of the iconic Standard Runabout, Henry Ritter, president of H.G. Ritter Cigar Box Co., ordered a custom 26-foot, rear-drive runabout, contract #4. Produced alongside the high end Baby Gars in Smith’s workshop,…
By Steve Tuzinowski Welcome to our 39th annual boat show at the Algonac Harbor Club, “Where it All Began”. This year we are featuring Gar Wood Boats over 100 years. This will be a judged show and we welcome all makes and models of antique and classic boats. Our pre-events kick off on Friday morning, June…
By Paul Miller, Blackhawk Chapter In March of 2015, my friend Peter Mueller sent me an email with a picture of a very unusual boat listed for sale with the suggestion that we buy and restore it. The listing had current pictures and a few original photos said to be from 1947 or 1948. Mention…
By Tony Boudos, Blackhawk Chapter My grandfather owned a marina on the Calumet River in a suburb just south of Chicago and, of course, he had a boat, a 36-foot 1964 aluminum Chris-Craft Roamer called the Sta-Shu III. So, it’s no surprise that our family was into boating. We took many boat trips on Lake…
By David Kanally, Southwest Chapter Member, with Bill Mott, Southwest Chapter Member and Event Volunteer Bill Mott likes boats. Big cruisers and Chris-Craft runabouts are part of his family history. He can drive just about anything that floats. So, when it comes time for the sea trials of the boats we restore in the Wooden…
Tips from a Recent North Carolina Coastal & Piedmont Chapter Workshop By Judy Hills, North Carolina & Coastal Piedmont Chapter When the North Carolina & Coastal Piedmont Chapter gathers in John Justice’s workshop, AKA The Piglet, you know it will be a good time. It was a rainy day when the Chapter recently got together…
By Jeff and Renee Davey, Glacier Lakes Chapter This obsession began when we were restoring our 1947 19-foot Higgins known as Covergirl. We kept seeing a 23-foot Higgins named Foxy Lady winning numerous awards and knew that we had to have a boat like this! After a lengthy search, we found a 1949 23-foot Higgins named…
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…
By Seth Vore, ACBS Community Engagement Manager and Ad/Sponsor Sales The unofficial start to boating season kicked off March 21st-24th in Tavares, Florida with some excellent pre-events, a chapter roundtable and international board meeting, followed by the popular Sunnyland Boat Festival. Personally, this was my first time attending the show and the first time ACBS…
By Bob Mullarkey, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Early mornings at Lake Tahoe, before others are on the lake. I step on the gas pedal and her bow rises above the horizon. Wildwood seems to levitate above the water as scenery flies by. Looking back, I see spray coming off the fins as exhaust trails just…
By Cynde Smith, Adirondack and Lake Champlain Chapters Maybe it’s because I’m in marketing, or maybe it’s because I’m also in the boat restoration business (my husband and I own Tumblehome Boatshop)… or maybe it’s just because it’s a creative expression, but I really enjoy the art of “decorating” boats for a boat show, particularly…