by John Nemmers member of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes chapter The story of this 1965 Resorter ’17 (RS6558), originally christened “Carol Ann 3rd” after my two oldest sisters, begins on Otter Tail Lake in west central Minnesota. My father, a commercial and custom-built home contractor, built a summer cabin for our family in 1962, a…
By Joe Lepley member of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes chapter Those of us who belong to ACBS have read articles and seen pictures of dozens, perhaps hundreds of makes and models of beautiful old wooden boats. Some makes and models appeal to us more than others. Sometimes the lines of a boat just take your…
By Andy Luikens member of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes chapter 1962 Dorsett is the second classic fiberglass boat that they have had and by far one, we will never let go of. The hunt for this specific make and model started when I learned that famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy was responsible for its styling.…
by Denny Newell member of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes chapter For more than six decades, the N.J. Blanchard Boat Company produced some of the finest yachts, sailboats, and motor boats in the Pacific Northwest. Blanchard had built his business on manufacturing large custom motor yachts and stylish sailing vessels. It wasn’t until the early 1920’s…
by Jeff Peterson member of the Northern California/Lake Tahoe and Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes chpaters Riva Aquarama Hull #313 was originally delivered in 1969 to Colin Will in the city of Lausanne Switzerland on Lake Geneva and was given the name Erue. In early 1969, Riva was transitioning the Aquarama model from a Series II to…
by Cheryl Ahlcronoa member of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes chapter My father, Edgar Ahlcrona, owned Tonka Bay Boat Works in Tonka Bay, Minnesota, from 1947 through 1972. They manufactured Crona Crafts and marketed these runabouts as the new style trend in the mid 50’s. Boating for my father and his brothers (Robert, Richard and Bertil)…
By Kevin Fitzke, member of the Land-O-Lakes Chapter I built the boat from scratch in a little over two years time. I incorporated my own styling features along with installing a small block 283cuin. engine. It’s a blast to drive and a real joy to be out on the water with.
By John Hart member of BSLOL Chapter It was a few encounters with a Thompson boat around 1965 that launched my interest in wooden runabouts. Whether as a passenger watching the water rush by during a tight turn, as a spotter monitoring the status of a skier, or as a person on the end of…
Andreas Jordahl Rhude owns many Thompson boats. Valhalla is one of them. She is a 1957 Thompson 17-foot Sea Lancer with 1957 Johnson RDEL-19 outboards. Andreas Rhude is a member of the Bob Speltz Land-o-Lakes and Glacier Lakes Chapters. Here is a Classic 1962 Dorsett 17-foot Catalina with a 1989 Yamaha 90 hp engine. Her…
Double D’s, pictured above, is a 1959 22-foot Shepard Runabout 110 owned by David and Dolores Little, Norfolk, VA. She is powered by a 440 Chrysler. She lives on Glaston Lake (North Carolina) during the summer months. Buttercup is a 1957 18-foot Lyman outboard runabout. She was purchased from the second owner in 2017 who…
By Don Knauff member of the BSLOL chapter I was looking on the internet for some information about my 1955 Chrysler Imperial and I saw a photo of a 1955 Desoto pulling a boat with large fins that really intrigued me. I knew I absolutely had to have a boat like it to pull with…
By Roger Fox member of the BSLOL chapter Vixen is a 1948 Chris Craft 17’ Deluxe Runabout, powered by a KBL Racing engine. The Boat is owned by Roger Fox of Shoreview, MN. The boat was manufactured in Cadillac, Michigan and delivered to a dealer in Superior, Wisconsin. Vixen has been seen on a Channel…