By John Coffman On Saturday, October 11, 2025, four boats and a brave band of nine humans (plus one canine with an impressive résumé as boat club security) launched the SML-ACBS boat club for the annual fall cruise. Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia is often called the “Lake Tahoe of the East,” and in 1991,…
By Gene Porter, Lake Champlain Chapter Miss Nancy – a classic “Barn Find” was acquired for $1 as a gray hull circa 2015 from a cabinet builder in NH who needed the storage space in his old barn. For some time I had thought I would be interested in an early Lyman 15’ Yacht Tender…
An inspirational journey of resilience, response, care and recovery while looking to the future……. By Steve Dewire, Blue Ridge Chapter It has been a sincere privilege to follow the recovery process for Lake Lure and Chimney Rock after the overwhelming destruction from Helene on September 27th of 2024. This is the fifth update article for…
September 15–21, 2025 was the Antique and Classic Boat Society’s (ACBS) Vintage Boat Week in Clayton, NY. The theme for the event was “Celebrating 50 years in 2025!” For those who could not make it to Clayton, ACBS requested their chapter plan a local boating activity for September 20th. As we knew most of our…
As told by a skeptical dockhand with a soft spot for strange truths, Rocky Mountain Classics member, John Stiller When a Rocky Mountain Classics ACBS member bought a mannequin at a thrift store, they didn’t have a very good story about where she came from. So The chapter has been having fun taking turns to…
North Carolina Coastal & Piedmont Chapter Submitted by Judy Hills, Newsletter Editor The weather forecast leading up to the chapter’s show scheduled for Chocowinity, NC, on Saturday, September 27th, was ugly. Participants were calling, asking if we were going to call the show off. We decided to proceed—after all, boats are made to get wet. …
The Inland Empire ACBS wrapped up the 2025 boating season with a classic: the annual fall run up the St. Joe River from Harrison, Idaho, to St. Maries. For a while, it looked like the trip might not even happen—Harrison woke up to an Air Quality Index of 165 thanks to Montana forest fires. But…
Wuzz a Fuzz, Tom Flood’s 31-foot Custom Runabout By Dave and Connie Willis, Water Wonderland Chapter Sunk in a canal off Lake St. Clair. Ice had chewed through the hull. Not the best start for a classic boating story! Tom Flood rescued this 31-foot Hacker police boat and trucked it to his workshop in Florida…
By David Irvine, Water Wonderland / Michigan Chapter, ACBS The 47th Annual Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show was held on Saturday, August 9, 2025. The event is held in Hessel, Michigan, just 35 minutes northeast of the Mackinac Bridge, and has been hosted by the Les Cheneaux Historical Association. Proceeds help to fund…
By Larry Tarves, Smith Mountain Lake Chapter Let me introduce you to the Queen Mother of all runabouts. It has ten cockpits, seating for 125 passengers and three engines under the deck; must be a runabout! The Flying Saucer operated out of the docks of Chris’ Seafood Restaurant on the bay front in Ocean City,…
By Alan Hills, North Carolina Coastal & Piedmont Chapter The weather prediction for the week leading up to the day of the Poker Run (Saturday, June 7, 2025) was for a lot of rain, but it improved as the week progressed. Our chapter had seven members with boats signed up to attend. Here is the…
Mountain View Woodies is one of the younger ACBS Chapters, founded on April 23, 2003 originally with 22 members. Receiving formation guidance from the Maine Maritime Museum and the New Hampshire Boat Museum, today, the Mountain View Woodies Classic Boat Club members enjoy some of the most scenic coastline in the northeast. The original chapter…