(by Marcus Divita, secretary Rocky Mountain Classics)
We’re the Rocky Mountain Classics chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, serving the geographical region of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico. We’ve always known that our passion for historic boats isn’t just about preserving the past—it’s about inspiring the future. That’s why, starting in 2021, we created a simple but powerful way to bring kids into the fold: youth workbooks designed to make boat shows fun, engaging, and educational.
The idea came from my own family travels. Each time we visited a U.S. National Park, my kids loved collecting “Junior Ranger Badges” after completing the park’s activity booklets. The booklets gave them a sense of accomplishment, helped them connect with the parks, and—perhaps best of all—my wife and I often learned something new as well. Their favorite part was getting “sworn in” as an official ranger.
I began to wonder: could we bring that same spirit of exploration and learning into our boat club? The answer was yes—and the Rocky Mountain Classics Youth Workbook was born.
Just like the National Park version, our workbooks are designed to involve the whole family. The kids get the assignments, but parents often lend a hand, which means they too get a deeper appreciation of our hobby and heritage.
We built the activities around the five mission points of the Antique and Classic Boat Society:
- Bring People Together
- Protect the Heritage of Boating
- Promote and Encourage Boating
- Educate concerning Safety and Protocol
- Serve as a Communication Channel
We hand out booklets at our Denver Boat Show in January and at our Grand Lake Boat Show in July. Kids complete activities ranging from drawing a picture of themselves aboard a boat, to choosing their favorite wooden or fiberglass boat, to answering a safety question. Two challenges even require them to chat with one of the boat captains—a feature we love because it sparks real conversation and connection.
The first two years of the booklets the Pau Hana, a 1962 Uniflite owned by Greg Marken, won the Kid’s Choice award by an overwhelming margin. It was such a favorite, in fact, that we had to split the category into two: Favorite Wooden Boat and Favorite Fiberglass Boat. The Pau Hana still dominates the fiberglass votes, and in recognition of its streak, we now award the winning trophy as the “Marken Cup.”
The workbook program has also become a community effort. A few of our members’ wives run the booth, handing out booklets and prizes as kids return with their completed work. For rewards, we keep things fun and lighthearted: sailor hats (ordered in bulk from Amazon) and rubber duckies, both of which are huge hits.
And because we’re boaters, we like to keep things simple. Each workbook fits neatly onto one double-sided page, folded in half. It’s easy to print, easy to hand out, and easy for kids to complete is a short amount of time.
The result? Smiles, laughter, new knowledge, and—most importantly—a deeper connection between families and the history of boating. Our hope is that through these small but meaningful activities, we’ll inspire the next generation to value and preserve these beautiful boats just as much as we do.
