Browse news articles, stories and media for the the Antique & Classic Boat Society; including photographs and stories related to ACBS International and it’s chapters.
By Steve Karstaedt member of Blackhawk chapter I’m just an old Beloiter that’s family had a second home on Delavan Lake back in the 40’s and 50’s. Our U-22 Chris Craft my Dad sold to our friend and neighbor in the late 50’s, but I swore at 16 I’d have another “Woody”. I bought my…
By Randy Fletcher & Heidi Szonn members of the Thousand Islands chapter The adventure started in 2006 as a volunteer at the Antique Boat Museum Boat shows and Race Regattas, meeting many wood boat enthusiast along the way. Conversations ensued through the next three years as to the upkeep, maintenance and storage of these beautiful…
By member Walter Legett member of Bayou chapter I looked at the boat on the internet for about 3 years and read Danenbergs book on restoration of wooden runabouts, after the third time reading the book I decided to purchase a wood boat. When I was growing up in Gulfport, Miss. The rich folks had…
By Dale Crochet member of ACBS My fascination with the classic Chris-Craft goes back 35 years ago when I went to a family reunion with my new girlfriend at a lake in northeast Ohio. It was love at first sight….with her dad’s 1956 Custom Sportsman. The family has a reunion every year and I would…
By Brian Keen -Motor Boat Garage & member of the Ohio Valley chapter In 2016 we bought a building that was built by an electrical contractor back in the 1940’s. The building originally had a lighting showroom in the front and shop space in the back. We bought the building from the grandchildren of the…
By Dave Zinnecker member of the Southwest chapter My earliest childhood memories always included boat and boating. My father was a wooden boat builder who worked for his oldest brother, at Red Head Boat Company in Houston TX. When my Uncle retired, Dad was more or less forced to go into business for himself. He…
By Trux Dole member of the Columbia Willamette chapoter The Minnow, a 16’ 1930 Dodge runabout, is somewhat unique in that it is basically all original. Across the entire country, there are only 7 similar boats made between 1930-34 listed in the ACBS ranks. Of the four 1930 models, only one other still has the…
The Smith Mountain Lake Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society held their annual fall cruise in the Blackwater section of Smith Mountain Lake. Eleven boats and twenty-six chapter members and their guests met at Christmas Tree Island and “cruised” to Magnum Point Marina for lunch. This will be the last on-water activity for…
by Chris Ogilvy member of the New England chapter Elco first appeared at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in 1893, Chicago, where they produced the 36′ launches that carried the fair visitors. They later built a vast boat yard in Bayonne, N.J. to meet the increasing needs of the growing boating community. Cheerio was one of…
By Greg Adams member of the Blackhawk chapter I had always wanted an antique wood boat, and once we started renting a house on Northern Michigan’s Walloon Lake, I knew it was time to starting looking. I decided early on that I wanted something that was uncommon and possibly something with a connection to our…
The next major project was really a series of projects. With the assistance of my son Chris, a graduate of the IYRS school of composite fabrication. We sail Phoenix hard and in 2012 she had 39 years of sailing; I saw her sitting out in front of our house and saw a hull dimple on…
by Bruce Cox member of ACBS Photo credit Rob Migliaccio My involvement with the 36 started early. The 36 was designed and built by Bill Shaw, President of Pearson Yachts, a division of Grumman Allied industries. Bill Shaw was a friend of my father, joining us skiing the winter the 36 was in design. In…