Member Spotlight: Andy Luikens, Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter

Are you getting excited for the 2024 Vintage Boat Week in Brainerd, Minnesota? This member spotlight features Andy Luikens, president of the host chapter and one of the many who are planning this year’s event! If you haven’t already, mark your calendars for September 8-14, 2024 and we’ll see you at Gull Lake!

My passion for vintage began at a young age as my father is a classic car guy and we always found ourselves riding in the 1950 Studebaker Champion or attending car shows to admire others rides. As I got older, our family moved to the lake, and we were blessed with modern boats and pontoons to enjoy the water. This was a fantastic way to enjoy our summertime and I was truly blessed to always have a reason to be on the water. That said, I never lost site of the passion for the past and the history of vehicles, be it cars, tractors, and now boats.

Fast forward to college and I had the pleasure of attending my first ACBS show while on vacation to see my uncle in Kalispell, Montana. There was just something amazing about seeing the boats of the Big Sky Chapter on the docks of Flathead Lake and that got me thinking, I no longer had a boat of my own as I had moved four hours from home, but I had landed a mere 45 minutes from some of Minnesota’s prime waters. After a few quick searches on Craigslist, I located a 1969 Crestliner which became my first vessel in the classic boat lifestyle.

I used that boat on weekends with friends and then started to show it from time to time, not because it was something special but because I enjoyed the community of like-minded people on the docks. Add a couple of more years to my life and I became a member of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter, and the hobby turned into an obsession.

This was especially true when I was informed that famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who was responsible for the Studebaker that I grew up with, was also responsible for the styling of a certain kind of boat. So, I sold the Crestliner and started searching the internet for a Dorsett Catalina. Thankfully, it only took me six months to locate one, however it was in Sisters, Oregon, which is a long way from home in Fargo, North Dakota. After a few calls to the seller, it was agreed that he would hold the boat for another few months until a road trip to Oregon could be completed. On Memorial Day weekend, 2016 my father and I loaded up for 3,000 miles in four days. Thankfully the trip was truly blessed by the boat gods as the Catalina and trailer were successfully towed back to North Dakota without issue after sitting unused for over five years. We named the Catalina Good Like This and we are proud to say she is still in our collection and we regularly use it to enjoy the weekend and go to boat shows as the teal color and 60s styling are truly eye catching.

Now you may be wondering how the “I” became “we” and believe it or not amidst the buying and selling of boats I got married to my wife Anna and we added our son Finn to the family. With these additions to my life a 17-foot cabin cruiser wasn’t going to do the trick forever so in 2022 we went on another search to locate a fiberglass Century Coronado which we affectionately call Good Like This Too. This larger and more powerful boat has been a great addition to our family. We use it as the daily driver and Finn would tell you the big boat is much more fun than a pontoon.

Through all this boating I began to serve on the Board of Directors for the Bob Speltz Land O Lakes Chapter and now in 2024 I have been honored to assume the role of President of the Chapter. ACBS is a dedicated group of passionate people and offers so many opportunities to come together to share our enthusiasm with others. Our family simply loves the learning, boating and community our Chapter and ACBS provides, which is why we often say that the boating family is simply part of our family. Be it young or old, wood or fiberglass, we believe that the world of classic boats has a place in our history and are truly blessed to be the friends and users of a few amazing watercraft. See you on the water soon.