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 Jim Hering member of the Michigan chapter My current boat was shipped from Holland, MI. factory to Colony Chris-Craft in Algonac, MI. on June 26,1964 which happens to be my birthdate! She has always been docked on Lake St Clair. Interestingly I know the son of the 2nd owner, the 3rd owner, and the…
by Steve Richards member of the Jerry Dyhrkopp/Iowa Great Lakes chapter The ALWAYS “R”s was purchased new on Labor Day 1964 from the Gipner Boat Works on West Lake Okoboji, part of the Iowa Great Lakes, for $4600. I was 16 years old. We traded in a 16-foot Hafer Inboard, which was a boat manufactured…
by Mark Woolsey member of the Water Wonderland chapter As a kid, our “summer” next-door neighbors on Lake Leelanau had a beautiful wooden boat, a Garwood, that I later found out belonged to Mr. Gar Wood which he used as a tender. The Meeker’s used to take us out on the “BO-BO” for evening cruises.…
The SML Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society participated in a fall cruise this past Saturday on Smith Mountain Lake. Eight boats and twenty members and their guests gathered at Christmas Tree Island for the cruise. The group proceeded to Magnum Marina for lunch after a leisurely cruise in the Blackwater section on…
by Mitch Berg member of ACBS In 1962 my brother and I were trying to talk our Dad into buying a used 61 Coronado Gull Wing. Dad said NO MORE USED BOATS! In the spring of 1963, much to our surprise, our Dad purchased a brand new 1963 Coronado Hardtop. We picked it up in…
by John Carapiet member of the Northern California/Lake Tahoe chapter Several years ago, I was visiting ACBS member Neal Gapoff’s car collection/workshop and saw in the back on a trailer, a Gar Wood Speedster. The name really got me, Hi, Yo, Silver and the hook was set. I said to Neal if you ever want…
by John Thomas member of ACBS I think that this journey is not even about the boat. It is about the subconscious forces within that kept eating away at me – a kind of unrest to design and build this boat. I even awoke from a dream one night telling me that I must design…
by Allen & David Schrandt members of the Heartland Classics chapter We were approached by ACBS to provide a little story concerning our antique boat. The request came with a question, “What is your favorite place to cruise?” Good question, and we’ll work on answering that in time. To do that, we have a lot…
by Tim VanderVeen member of the Southern California chapter A friend of my son’s inherited a 1958 Trojan Marlin, 15-foot long with a 1958 Johnson Sea Horse engine. The Marlin was last registered in 1971 and was in an airplane hanger in San Diego all this time. The family initially thought they would keep the…
by Ed Arrington member of the Sunnyland chapter I lived in New Bern from the 1st to 5th grade. My father knew the owners of Barbour Boats thru his affiliation with the local Chamber of Commerce and was one of the charter members of the Eastern Carolina Yacht Club along with RR Rivenbark, Mr. Barbour’s…
Our Story by Doc Tom Bottenfield There is something special about the feeling you get when riding in a classic or antique boat. The exquisite lines, beautiful woodwork, the purr of the motor and the unique story and history behind each craft. I get that same sensation when I come across a piece of discarded…
by Larry Schnetzky member of the Pacific Northwest chapter We found the 1961 17-foot Tollycraft in Eastern Oregon and moved it to Victoria, British Columbia Canada, for the restoration project. We had the two year project done at Canoe Cove Marina and shipyard. The project started out with removal of the original Y-block 292 CID…