by Mike Czuprenski, Michigan Chapter Shortly after our first child was born in 1981, my wife and I decided it’d be a whole lot easier to go camping if we had a trailer to load up all our supplies. Mentioning that to one of my old college roommates, he remarked how his family used to…
By Bill and Bobbi Vogel, Sunnyland Chapter My wife and I are avid boaters. We spend time on the Florida waterways many times each week. Whether it is investigating backwater paths on local rivers, cruising on one of the many lakes or shelling on saltwater coves and islands, our fondest memories always seem to include…
By Rex and Sue Wangler, Jerry Dyhrkopp Iowa Great Lakes Chapter This 1940 Chris-Craft 17-foot Deluxe Runabout, now owned by Rex & Sue Wangler, was delivered to Monroe, NY on July 12, 1940. Her newest port as of August, 2018 are the fabled and renowned “Blue Waters” of West Okoboji Lake, Iowa. In the similar…
By Harvey Lambeth Jr., Adirondack Chapter My Dad purchased the “Highlander” in 1954, two years barely used and unnamed. I was 13 and our family was part of a large, extended family who now number near 300. My great grandmother, Lillian Tuttle, was born in 1856, in the town of Bolton on a farm in…
By Bill Conley, North Carolina Coastal & Piedmont Chapter Since 1975 I have been building furniture for our house. A large wall unit, a curio cabinet, a grandfather clock, and a couple of bookcases. In 2003, we bought a condo in Beaufort, NC. I still lived and worked in Raleigh, NC, but we started spending…
By Chuck and Diane Thornton, Land O’ Lakes Classic Boat Club During the winter of 1956-57, Gene Bartachek saw a Taft Marine Woodcraft kit boat ad in one of his favorite mechanics magazine. He requested their brochure and shortly afterwards ordered the Model 950, 18 ft. Offshore Cruiser. The price was $399 including shipping, minus…
By Trevor Kemp, France Chapter As a 14-year-old English schoolboy I was fascinated by all things Royal Navy and when I discovered that the Thornycroft company had built a series of 40ft & 50ft torpedo boats known as CMB’s, I thought one would make an interesting model. John Thornycroft were pioneers in stepped hull record-breakers…
By Dev Fraser, Okanagan Chapter I have been messing around with boats for as long as I can remember, as there were always boats in my life with family and friends owning and actively using them. This story explains how I came to own the “Shepherd”, a 1954 27-foot cruiser. It was built by Shepherd…
by Joseph McCarthy member of the Southern New England chapter I have to admit that over the years , I have owned many boats. Perhaps one or two may survive today. “CAPER” is the most unique boat I have ever owned and has been a big part of our lives since we purchased her three…
“READING THE TEA LEAVES” On Wednesday Dec 9, 2020, The Sunnyland Board of Directors had to make one of the hardest decisions and that was to cancel the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival for 2021. The decision was predicated on numerous factors and it was very painful to have to cancel the event. Looking ahead to…
by Rob Bruce member of the Columbia Willamette chapter Dream Weaver a ‘62 37’ Constellation Tri Cabin w/ Doghouse has lived a rather colorful life. She has lived her entire life just miles from where she was originally sold, in Portland Oregon. She has a history that needs to be told. For the past 45+…
by Jim Alexander member of the NC Coastal & Piedmont chapter As a kid growing up in NE Pennsylvania we had plenty of outdoor time and lots of swimming in local creeks. Not so much lake time, as the lakes were too far away for biking. However, my parents had two friends with lake houses…