By Dan Arena, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Dan Arena was born in 1916 in Oakland, California near Lake Merritt. Dan and his younger brother, Gene, made the Lake as well as their father’s nearby Golden Gate Winery their personal playground during their adolescence. They had constant access to water and the woodshop within the winery.…
By Bill Calliet, Smith Mountain Lake Chapter Metal fasteners have played a critical role in boatbuilding for centuries, evolving alongside advances in metallurgy, woodworking, and marine engineering. From hand-forged iron nails used in ancient vessels to today’s precision-manufactured stainless steel screws and silicon bronze bolts, the choice of fastener has always been influenced by strength,…
By Don Leutz, Northern California/Lake Tahoe ACBS Chapter When a boating disaster strikes, you need to be ready. Sometimes, that means you must abandon ship due to a collision, fire, sinking or some other cause. A “Ditch Bag” or Abandon Ship Bag has long been an important piece of equipment for boaters to have on…
By Jeff and Diane Waco, Rocky Mountain Classics Chapter A lot has been written about Esmeralda, but very little about her origin story—how she came to join the Rocky Mountain Classics Chapter and earned the rare distinction of honorary member of ACBS. Like many great stories, it all began somewhere unexpected: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While…
By Robert Charron, 1000 Islands Chapter In the summers of the early 1950s I explored the shores of interconnected lakes and streams in the Allagash region of northern Maine. I came upon a new Chris-Craft runabout and was totally mesmerized by its sleek design and gleaming mahogany. How was I to know this enchanted vision…
I was born into a boating family in 1952. My grandparents owned Burkhardt’s Boats and Motors located at 4th & Jackson in Topeka, Kansas. Starting in the mid 1940’s my dad, Roy Jensen, raced boats for Burkhardt’s Boats and Motors. One newspaper account of the races shows him racing with the Quindaro Boat Club members…
A Restomod Evolution By Cathy Wallace, Heartland Classics Chapter Performance vehicles played a large part in my upbringing. Our family spent weekends at the drag strip; my dad and I raced snowmobiles, and my older brother, Charlie, raced the Pro Superbike road circuit. This aspect of family life set the stage for the evolution of…
By Jeff Waco, Rocky Mountain Classics Chapter In a recent issue of the Rocky Mountain Classic’s Chapter’s newsletter, the Bilge Pump, we went over the marine compass and what it does and doesn’t do. So where do we go from there? There are two distinct ways. One is to press the power button on your GPS/Chartplotter.…
By Lee Chase, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Over the years, I have heard old boat and car enthusiasts lament the banning of lead compounds in automotive fuel. The lead compounds increased the fuel octane rating and was credited with lubricating properties which helped to preserve valves. While automobile fuel is lead free, aviation fuel (avgas)…
By Captain Don Leutz, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Technically, the term “Flotsam” has a specific meaning under maritime law. “Flotsam” is defined as debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result of a shipwreck or accident. For the purposes of this article, and for the lack of a better term, I am going…
A 1964 28-foot Chris-Craft Sea Skiff gets a new life and steals the show. Story by Kasey Rideout, Kyle Jamar, and Brent Howard, Heartland Classics Chapter members Photos by Kyle Jamar In the beginning, according to Brent Howard, he wanted a boat booth for Heartland Classics to use at Workshops, Boat Shows and Events, resulting…
Story by Clay Thompson, Photos by Forrest Bryant, Heartland Classics Chapter Continuing with the second installment of stories about “firsts.” Many think disc brakes came out in the 70’s, but Tucker did have them in the 40’s, however, in England, Lanchester offered them in 1902. With boats, well, they just are much more simple than cars. Not much…