By Vickie Rutkowski, Rocky Mountain Classics Chapter Late in the 1800s, the great Paris fashion houses had a clever way of selling their creations. Every spring and fall they hired the most beautiful young women they could find. They would dress these mannequins, as they were called, in the best of their collections and send…
By Jeff Waco, Rocky Mountain Classics The magnetic compass is basically standard equipment on most boats both large and small. What does a compass do? Almost nothing. Basically, it is nothing more than a disc with some magnets. On the disc are the cardinal directions and degrees. Older compasses did not have degrees, but it…
by Jeff Waco, Rocky Mountain Classics It seems whenever a new Bilge Pump comes out, I highlight a particular boat builder or company. For this issue I am going to highlight the Ditchburn Boats. The Ditchburn Pleasure Boats Ltd was established in 1871 on Lake Muskoka by Henry Ditchburn to build wooden pleasure boats and…
Our final boat show of the season brought the Rocky Mountain Classics chapter high into the Rockies—literally—to Dillon, Colorado, home of Lake Dillon, one of the highest navigable lakes in the country. Nestled among towering peaks and blue alpine skies, it’s a fitting place to close the season, where the thin air makes every engine…
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…
Every summer, Rocky Mountain Classics Chapter’s biggest show of the year brings everyone together for a high-altitude celebration of wood, water, and camaraderie—and Grand Lake never disappoints. With 18 boats in the water and two on land, 2025’s show was their largest yet, full of sunshine, surprises, and stories we’ll be telling for years. A…
(by Marcus Divita, secretary Rocky Mountain Classics) We’re the Rocky Mountain Classics chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, serving the geographical region of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico. We’ve always known that our passion for historic boats isn’t just about preserving the past—it’s about inspiring the future. That’s why, starting in 2021,…
This year has been a milestone for our chapter. We were chartered on May1st 1998 and it all started with several classic boat enthusiasts who were aware of ACBS. They researched how to create a chapter for the Rocky Mountain Region. Even though we started off with just a few people we have grown considerably…
In celebration of Dads and Father Figures everywhere, Happy Father’s Day! Rocky Mountain Classics Chapter member, Kevin Anderson, has a classic boat named Skipper’s Dream. It’s a Doug Brown original built in 2012. Kevin was adopted at a young age and never met his mother and father. As Kevin got to be an older adult,…
This week really kicks off the winter boat show season, where now through April, at regional event centers and fairgrounds across North America the latest models of watercraft are on display for you to check out and buy. They’ll be showing everything from PWCs, fishing boats, pontoons, and wake boats, up to large cruisiers and…
By Leigh & Rory Hettick members of the Rocky Mountain Classics chapter In the 1960’s I worked summers at an island camp above Lake George in the Adirondacks. Transportation to the island was via a fleet of beautifully maintained 50’s Chris-Craft Holidays. In 1965, the camp was given a new Correct Craft ski boat. Those…
By Steve and Susie Frasier members of the Rocky Mountain Classics chapter I, who grew up on Lake George, NY, and Susie, who grew up on Keuka Lake, NY. We meet in Colorado. Newly married and newly retired we see a woody sitting on a trailer in Steamboat Springs, CO. Guess what? This 1968 Century…