By Craig Magnusson, Pacific Northwest Chapter In March 1922, Baby Gar won the Wood-Fisher contest at the Miami Regatta with Gar Wood at the helm. Today, Baby Gars are thought of as exemplifying the beauty and speed of Gar Wood boats. But in the beginning, they weren’t intended to be production boats. This fascinating article,…
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If you aren’t at the Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival this weekend in Mount Dora, Florida, fear not. Here are a few photos to get you excited for the unofficial kickoff to the boating season! For more photos, follow ACBS on social media. Direct links to our social media are at the upper right of this…
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ACBS Education Committee Report Neil Satterly – Chair ACBS Education Formal instruction for restoring your runabout is coming and you have an opportunity to participate with early enrollment. Earlier this month the ACBS formally partnered with the International Yacht Restoration School of Technology & Trades (IYRS) in Newport, Rhode Island for a new pilot…
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The ACBS Membership Committee is hosting a workshop called Increasing the Value of your Memberships, Strategies to improve your chapter’s member retention rate Save the date: Thursday, April 16, 2026 @ 7:00 p.m. ET Whether your chapter is large, small, or somewhere in between, membership retention is one of your most important concerns. Responsibility for membership…
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By Mark Manes, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter I remember in my childhood driving my father’s 22’ boat from the launch ramp out to Cayuga Lake and having someone yelling at me that I was on the wrong side of the channel. They said something about Port to Port. I remember it, because it was the…
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IYRS, one of six accredited boat building or restoration programs supported by ACBS, is please to announce the start of a pilot program that will teach students how to restore a Chris-Craft runabout to ACBS standards. This limited-enrollment class is perfect for experienced boat builders looking to broaden their knowledge and for runabout enthusiasts looking…
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By Don Leutz, Northern California Lake Tahoe Chapter As a boat owner/operator, there are many responsibilities that need to be taken seriously in order to be a safe boater. Planning and preparation will go a long way to providing safe and enjoyable power boating. Responsibility for the safety of the boat and everyone on board,…
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Coming off the success of last year’s ACBS March Madness bracket, where Epifanes was crowned your favorite varnish, we’re back for another round of fun. This year, we asked our community to nominate the “Most Iconic Vintage Boat of All Time.” And wow… did you respond! More than 1,100 submissions poured in from passionate boat…
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by Lee Wangstad, BSLOL Chapter It wasn’t just the 50s cultural revolution in America that brought style into the American consciousness. Towards the end of the second Industrial Revolution as the last gasps of the 19th century tapered to a halt, the early stages of the 20th century brought a new renaissance in just how…
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By James Black, Chesapeake Bay Chapter After ten years of dedication to restoration, we consider Little Debbie herself to be a finished project. As is, she meets or exceeds all expectations for family fun in and around our lakefront community. However, as a test and evaluation platform for anything old to EV-Conversion, alternative internal systems…
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By Captain Don Leutz, Norther California Lake Tahoe Chapter Boating season is fully underway and there is nothing more sat- isfying than enjoying a day out on the lake. It’s even better when there are no problems that come up, but just in case it’s always good to try to be prepared. One way to…
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Exciting news! After Inland Empire Chapter’s Alan Wardsworth rescued a 1951 Ventnor runabout from a barn where it had sat since 1985, Paul Rodkey agreed to take on this hand-on learning opportunity as the official Inland Empire Chapter project boat. Inland Empire members and students from the local Central Valley High School are gaining experience…
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