Our Chapter History
Back in 1999, the 9th annual Smith Mountain Lake boat show.
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia is a beautiful, 20,000-acre, man-made lake with over 500 miles of shoreline. It is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains of western Virginia between the cities of Roanoke and Lynchburg. The lake first reached full pond in 1966, making it 25 years old when our Smith Mountain Lake Chapter began.
The Smith Mountain Lake Chapter was born on August 11th, 1991 as the Smith Mountain Lake Antique and Classic Boat Club with 12 members. Our First Annual Smith Mountain Lake (SML) Antique and Classic Boat Show was held on this same date with 9 boats on display.
On August 6, 1999 we became the 44th chapter of ACBS and with over 30 members. One week later we held our 9th Annual Boat Show with 52 boats from 11 states participating. We currently have 63 active members and have continued to hold our Annual Show every year (except COVID). This year, our 34-year-old chapter will hold its’ 33rd Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show on September 12th and 13th. Please come join us on your way to the Vintage Boat Week and the International Boat Show in Clayton, NY.
Chapter Activities
2022 boat show, photo credit: Nadine Breen.
SML ACBS members enjoy using their boats and spending time with other members.
Monthly meetings are held at 7PM on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, usually at the conference room of our local library. We cover club business at these meetings, have guest presenters, review boat or restoration topics and of course visit with each other. The exception to this cadence occurs during December and February, when we gather at one of our great local restaurants for happy hour and a Holiday or Valentine’s Day dinner, favorite times among our members. The December meeting also serves as the installation ceremony for new officers and directors.
2023 Winter Workshop, Photo Credit: Chris Libbey.
We hold a special Spring Cruise in May to kick off the boating season and a Fall Cruise in October as we wind down the season. During the summer we have weekly cruises, on weekdays to avoid the busiest times on the water and at restaurants. We meet at various locations on the lake and then cruise to waterfront restaurants for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. These cruises are flexible, in that we do not make reservations or require members to RSVP, so we may get a few boats or quite a few. This requires us to time our planned restaurant arrivals either before or after the breakfast, lunch, or dinner rush.
In mid-June each year, we have a spring boat show for 4 hours on Saturday at the largest public dock complex on the lake. We have at least a dozen antique and classic boats and their owners on hand and we invite the public to attend via local media and social media. Late that afternoon one of our club members hosts a club picnic at their dock/home and we enjoy winding down from the show that day. It is always a busy, but fun day and a warm up for our annual show each September.
Projects and Learning
Fall 2021 Workshop 1943 Hall Scott Engine Test Run.
We enjoy getting together to learn from workshops presented by club members and outside subject matter experts. These half day events, one in Spring (April) and one in Fall (November), begin with coffee and doughnuts and wrap up with lunch. In between we learn about 3 or 4 topics that relate to our hobby. Sometimes we visit the shops of multiple club members to learn and sometimes we do “Snoop Tours,” visiting multiple member shops just to see what projects they have in process and what treasures someone might be thinking of parting with. No better motivator to clean up your shop than hosting a workshop or other club visit!
Restoring, Building and Cruising Those Beautiful Boats
Our chapter is blessed with many members who enjoy working to accomplish major projects over time. Members are always willing to help as needed and it seems there are always a few members with experience in just about any boat related job, problem, or question one might encounter. Recent examples of major project completions include Bill Garrecht’s 10-year, total restoration of Water Lily, a 1955 19’ Chris-Craft Capri, in time to become the feature boat of our 2019 show. Last year, Mark Thompson finished a 35-year journey and total restoration of Pink Lady, a rare, 1929 26-foot Chris-Craft Triple Cockpit, just a month before she was the feature boat of our 2024 show.
Double Dare Ya, Photo Credit: Alan Frederick.
Our chapter especially looks forward to the completion of member Alan Frederick’s ambitious dream project. He is building Double Dare Ya, a 35-foot, double cockpit, mahogany runabout from scratch. Alan worked with Syd Young of StanCraft Boat Co. to develop his plans which feature a torpedo stern, African mahogany framing, and book matched Sapele on the topsides and decks. She will be powered by a Hall Scott, 998 cubic inch, WWII landing craft engine, built by Hudson Car Company and branded Hudson Invader. Alan has been in the dreaming, planning and material gathering stages for decades, and has been actively building the boat for the last 5 years and plans to have her completed within the next couple of years. Double boat Dare Ya will no doubt be the feature boat of our annual show soon.
2023 SML picnic, Photo credit: Steve Miller.
Cover image photo credit: Bryce Scott.