How It Started
In 1995, four wooden boat owners got together to form the North Coast Ohio (NCO) Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. Rich Baratha, Bob Otto, Les Demaline, and Jack Lynett met at the Holiday Inn in Montrose, Ohio and drew up the documents which permitted the new Chapter to chart its course in the boating world.
At Skaneateles, New York, during the spring quarterly meeting of the ACBS directors, the proposed Chapter was presented and approved; within two months, NCO held its first boat show at Spitzer Marina in Lorain, Ohio on the south shore of Lake Erie. From then on, the Chapter grew rapidly. The Chapter’s geographic area is from Toledo in the west to the Pennsylvania line in the east, south to Mansfield and north to encompass the Lake Erie south shore and its adjoining waterways and boat shows are held on the south shore of Lake Erie and the inland lakes in and around northeast Ohio.
Chapter Activities
NCO members love to attend events and cruises in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Virginia and enjoy “caravanning” to neighboring chapters to support their events. Some extended trips have taken NCO members to; Skaneateles, Hammondsport and Lake Chautauqua, New York, Indian Lake, Marietta, Conneaut and Buckeye Lake, Ohio, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, and Lake Wawasee, Indiana to name just a few.
The Chapter has hosted boat shows on Lake Erie and on many inland lakes within the Chapter area, with the primary show held annually on the Portage Lakes near Akron. This show has been a resounding success for 25 of its 48-year history.
Additionally, the Chapter hosted a boat show annually at Lake Chautauqua, New York for over ten years and were instrumental in encouraging and assisting boaters in that area to form their own chapter.
With a love for vintage boats that is fueled by the growth of boating and social events, NCO is a very active Chapter. Boat shows, workshops, rendezvous, cruises, social gatherings, and monthly board meetings are all well attended. The Chapter also holds nine-chapter meetings a year with an average attendance of 25 to 30 members. In addition to business topics, members are encouraged to share restoration tips, experiences, memorabilia and memories. NCO also has helped grow youth activities such as model sailboat building and racing.
Restoration and Guidance
Several NCO members are active in restoration of wood and fiberglass boats and mechanical repair. The Chapter is fortunate to have restoration facilities in the area for working on our boats and for guidance for those doing their own work. Over the years, several well attended workshops were held at member’s facilities where restoration methods and tips have helped NCO members in their individual projects. One of the things they are particularly proud of is their success in enticing local suppliers of restoration products to attend and make worthwhile presentations at our workshops.
Since the beginning, NCO has always been one of the most active and involved chapters of ACBS. Several Chapter’s board members have also been involved on the International ACBS board. Some members serve as judges at the ACBS International Boat Show, at neighboring chapter shows and their own shows. The Chapter also mentors young members to learn the judging process and have travelled to new chapters to assist in training them in judging techniques. The continued growth of NCO Chapter is evident as they were recognized as the chapter with the highest percentage of member growth in 2014.
Membership
Within their first two years of forming, the NCO Chapter grew from it’s four founders to 57 members. Since then, they have had as high as 125 members. As with many chapters, membership has fluctuated with the passing of legacy boaters, but the Chapter is presesently 97 members strong and has successfully signed many new and younger members.
One of their successful efforts in keeping members informed is the publishing of their monthly newsletter; The Beacon. For many years, the Chapter only published a quarterly newsletter but realized up-to-the-minute communication was much more effective for them in gaining and keeping members informed and active. The Chapter also has an active Facebook page and website.
The North Coast Ohio Chapter is positioned to grow and support the boating hobby in northeast Ohio and are committed to furthering the education of young members in classic boating hobby and growing their membership for the betterment of ACBS.
NCO members participate in a Community Service Project.