Compass Rose started life as a one-off tuna fisher. She was built in Nova Scotia in 1959 for a private party and never used in commercial service. Thirty-nine feet long with a twelve foot beam she has a classic downeast hull form which is efficiently driven by a 300 horsepower diesel. The hull form has…
by Bruce Hurst member of Heartland Classics chapter I basically purchased the boat as a project from one of our Heartland Chapter members. He had bought it sight unseen from a guy in Ohio, he kept it for quite a few years but never put it in the water, when we went to look at…
by Don Swierenga member of the Water Wonderland chapter For decades our primary vessel has been their 1968 Century Resorter “Woodie” with its 390cu.in. Ford V-8 engine. “The dual exhaust of Lake Mac creates a wonderful sound. We plan to never get rid of the boat as it is our connection to special memories of…
by Francis Hopkinson member of the Chesapeake Bay chatper In November of 2018 I was made aware of an interesting boat for sale. It was a 1929 model 100 Chris-Craft (20′ triple). Because it was located near Halifax in Nova Scotia I was somewhat reluctant to follow up on it. However when I saw some…
by John Williams member of the Chesapeake Bay chapter In the fall of 2010 Mecum Auctions assembled the huge collection of boats F. Todd Warner amassed over many years, in an old factory in Winstead, Minnesota. There were more than 100 boats in the auction, and I went through the catalog of what was being…
By Ronda Little member of Norhtern California/Lake Tahoe chapter My husband, Bill, and I purchased Bleach Blond in April 2007. We were not new to boating but were totally inexperienced with wood boats. When Bill decided that he really wanted a wood boat, we joined ACBS before we even found the right boat to purchase.…
by Steve Schilling member of the Buckeye chatper While driving from Buckeye Lake to Columbus, OH on May 14, 1997, I noticed a 26’ Lyman Cruisette on its original cradle on a flatbed trailer. I remember the hull being freshly painted and looked perfect. I had just sold my 1972 26’ Lyman soft top, and…
by Russ Knox member of the Southern California chapter The story of “Knot Yet” began a couple years after joining ACBS and schmoozing rides because we didn’t have a boat of our own. My son found a boat for sale on the internet in a metal barn in Clovis, CA which we purchased (a whole…
by Larry Glover member of the Dixieland chapter It was the early eighties and we were living in Florence, Alabama on the backwaters of the Tennessee River. One day I noticed an old wooden boat, “Lady C”, moored in Emerald Beach Marina. Having dreamed about owning a fifties wooden cruiser, this one just took my…
by Ron Chaverin member of the Blue Ridge chapter She was named “Lady C” by my mother Lee Chaverin for her owners surname, Chris-Craft, and her home of 43 years, Lake Chautauqua, NY. The boat has had 5 owners in her 81 years, of which we know 4, the original being Mr. Anthony Pietrafesa, who…
by Timothy Straker member of the Water Wonderland chapter Growing up in the 70’s on Buckeye Lake in Central Ohio, I was always around classic boats. Sayre Bros Marina on Buckeye Lake was one of the oldest Chris-Craft dealers in the nation. Over the years, countless numbers of wooden boats were lifted over the seawall…
by Thomas Drozd member of Blackhawk chapter “Golden Gal” is owned by Tom Drozd and Georgia Raymond. She is a 1961, 23’ Chris Craft Sea Skiff Ranger bearing hull #SUD23-048. It turns out that Chris Craft produced 56 of this model in that particular year, so it is a fairly rare boat as far as…