In 1948, the Hacker Boat Company built a boat for the City of Detroit to operate as a police patrol boat on the Detroit River. She’s special, and not just because Hacker produced only 10,000 custom boats during the company’s existence. They named her Fireball. Originally, she had twin Chrysler straight 8 engines, but in…
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…
The first weekend of August was a big one for the Water Wonderland Chapter. With two events, a casual Lake Leelenau Rendezvous hosted by Bob and Mary Shapton, and their yearly Boats on the Boardwalk, it was all hands on deck for a great time! First, on Friday, August 1, the Lake Leelenau Rendezvous was…
In the early 1980s, a group of vintage boat owners living on one of Michigan’s many pristine bodies of water in the Grand Traverse region organized the Long Lake Wooden Boat Club. Gradually, they became aware of an international organization called The Antique and Classic Boat Society; from this awareness would come the Water Wonderland…
By a 1930 17-foot Model 99 Runabout owned by Brock and Donna Horsley, Water Wonderland Chapter I am a Chris-Craft, a 17-foot 1930 Model 99 double cockpit, turtle back runabout with an interesting story to tell. I am the prototype, the first of the Model 99s, and the first Chris-Craft ever built under 20-feet. The…
Start the Boating Season Early! by David Irvine, Director, WWC While many are working on their boats or dreaming of soaking up/launching their classic boat, every February, many Water Wonderland Chapter members in Michigan are jumping into action! Our chapter has had a presence at the Grand Rapids Boat Show in southwest Michigan for well…
By John Young, Water Wonderland Chapter I’m John Young and have been a member of ACBS for many years, and boats have long been a part of my life. I have two wooden boats, a 1958 Lyman 16.5ft outboard with a 1958 Johnson 35hp and a 1953 Chris-Craft 17ft Special Sportsman with a 1959 Chris-Craft…
By Gary Cunningham, Michigan Chapter, and Mark Gelders Loon is a 1949 Hinckley 34 SW sailboat which is in the process of undergoing a complete restoration in Macatawa, Michigan at the Eldean Shipyard. She is a very unusual Hinckley sailboat because she has never been in salt water. Loon was taken directly from the Hinckley…
By Mark Moulton, member of the Water Wonderland Chapter Mary T. II has been a passion of mine since the age of thirteen. Originally named Amy, I am the third owner of the 94-year old boat. She was built in October 1929, just as the Stock market crashed, and the production of new Hacker-Craft dwindled.…
We have had an amazing time in Bay Harbor, Michigan, for the 2023 Vintage Boat Week! ACBS members got to tour breathtaking boathouses with fabulous collections. They cruised Lake Charlevoix, the Inland Waterway, Walloon Lake, and despite the rain had a wonderful time. Some even dipped their toes in Lake Michigan. There were tours of…
by Tom & Diane Emling, Water Wonderland chapter Our Gar Wood Speedster Loon Magic is a 2001 exact re-creation of the original 1935 gentleman’s racer. Loon Magic comes to current owners and ACBS Water Wonderland chapter members Tom and Diane Emling – filled with lots family stories, fond remembrances, and a fascinating folklore of growing…
by Casey DeHollander member of the Water Wonderland chapter My first memory of wooden boats goes back to my uncle’s Chris-Craft U-22 on Lake Charlevoix. She was a real head turner. Another uncle owned a cottage on Big Star Lake. I spent a lot of time there in the summers watching the fastest boat on…