by James Rand, Inland Empire Chapter My childhood in the 50s and early 60s was spent on Long Island sound where we belonged to a yacht club. My father had Chris-Craft cruisers beginning with wooden ones and later fiberglass. I bought my first boat at age 14. I loved fishing, water skiing, and scuba diving.…
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 John Carapiet, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Several years ago, I was visiting ACBS member Neal Gapoff’s car collection/workshop and I noticed in the back, on a trailer, a Gar Wood Speedster. The name really got me, Hi Yo Silver and the hook was set. I said to Neal if you ever want to sell…
Andreas Jordahl Rhude owns many Thompson boats. Valhalla is one of them (pictured above). She is a 1957 Thompson 17-foot Sea Lancer with 1957 Johnson RDEL-19 outboards. Andreas Rhude is a member of the Bob Speltz Land-o-Lakes and Glacier Lakes Chapters. Here is a Classic 1962 Dorsett 17-foot Catalina with a 1989 Yamaha 90 hp…
By Bob Schoepe, Penn NE Harveys Lake Chapter My stewardship began unexpectedly in 2018. Her name is August Belle. Oh my! I am the fortunate recipient of previous efforts that I knew nothing about at the time. The pictures you see here were all taken before I came along. She is hull #52535, a 1940…
By David Dickens, North Coast Ohio Chapter As I kid, I had the good fortune of spending the summers at my grandparents lake house on Lake Geneva, WI. I vividly remember going to bed at dusk and hearing my parents head out to the end of the pier as a boat would arrive to pick…
Ted Valpey, New England Chapter (written by Ed Valpey) Herkananda The 1941 Chris Craft 25’ Semi-Enclosed Cruiser, also known as the “Green & White”, was introduced as the U.S. boating industry was struggling to recover from the Great Depression. The retail price of $1,695 was nearly twice that of the average automobile, which may have…
By Ken and Cynthia Miller, Blue Ridge Chapter July 2018, while RVing in New Hampshire, we heard about ”The 18th Annual Vintage Boat and Car Auction” at New Hampshire’s Boat Museum in Wolfeboro. Sounded fun, so we attended and enjoyed the day. Afterwards, we started searching for similar events. We found “The 54th Annual Antique…
By Robert Greco, Sunnyland Chapter It started with a garage sale. I have been collecting old Johnson outboards for a few years, eventually gathering up the whole 1956 lineup, from 3 to 30 HP, my favorite motors. A friend of mine spotted an old Johnson outboard at a garage sale not far from my house,…
French Vanilla is a 1954 Correct Craft Atom, 15-foot with a Gray Marine 4 cylinder 95 hp engine. French Vanilla is owned by Mike and Linda Stevens who are members of the Columbia Willamette Chapter. Mike and Linda Stevens also own this 1957 Higgins 18-foot Speedster. She is aptly named 57 Again. She is…
By Rich and Joan Garvin, Michigan chapter My wife Joan and I both learned to water ski behind a mahogany Century and after going to the wooden boat show in Hessel Michigan in 2016, we decided to keep an eye out for a Chris Craft or Century boat. As is usually the case, according to…
By Donald Drexler, Finger Lakes Chapter It all started in early November 1981 when I was driving down the West Lake Road on Conesus Lake in New York. Sitting on a cradle with a for sale sign, was a 17-foot Century Resorter needing a lot of work. There was no question the style was extravagant,…