In celebration of Dads and Father Figures everywhere, Happy Father’s Day! Rocky Mountain Classics Chapter member, Kevin Anderson, has a classic boat named Skipper’s Dream. It’s a Doug Brown original built in 2012. Kevin was adopted at a young age and never met his mother and father. As Kevin got to be an older adult,…
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By Gilbert Vacheret, France Chapter I’m happy to present to you my Pedrazzini boat, she is an European classic boat with lots of American boat character traits. In the beginning in 1906, Augusto Pedrazzini emigrated from Italy to the shores of Lake Zurich where he started his nautical experience. Even though this brand is a…
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Many dream of finding that perfect boat, one with pedigree that becomes a centerpiece of family adventure. But, what if you owned this boat… twice? And what if you learned this boat was built by Chris Smith himself for his son in the basement of their family’s Michigan cottage? Coming soon in Summer Issue of…
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Salt and brackish water: Just how harmful are they to antique and classic boats? by Judy Hills, Roving ACBS reporter Those ACBS Chapters that put on shows where the water is salty or brackish may have a hard time convincing ACBS boat owners to show their boats in the water because of their fear of the…
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By Tom McGowan, Lake Hopatcong Chapter I first met the Old Timer in 1956 when I was 6 years old on a visit to my grandparents’ house on Lake Hopatcong. She was then 32 years old, retired from her career as a Lake Hopatcong tour boat and spending her days floating alongside my grandparents’ dock…
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By Janice Miller, Finger Lakes Chapter Member As I write this piece, looking at the snow-covered pines outside my window with a glimpse of the clear blue lake in the background, summer and boating weather in Upstate New York, seem a long way off. I live and work in the beautiful Finger Lakes region where…
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By Brian Robinson, Southern California Chapter Finding the oldest Hacker boat is a bit like playing darts, since the first 10 years or so of Hacker construction were all of bespoke boats…one or two, or maybe five of a particular design were built, mostly one-off race boats for particular clients without hull numbers. A few…
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By John McClelland Photos taken by Debbie McClelland and Babs Hammersla Great family memories are made while boating on the water but we can’t forget to make memories in all aspects of boating. Our active family is one that thoroughly enjoys many aspects of boating and spending time on the water. Our children, Norah (8…
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In celebration of Christopher Columbus Smith’s 163rd birthday (May 20, 1861), enjoy a reprint from Number 1, Volume 2 of The Brass Bell published in 1975 by the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club. This issue featured Miss Belle Isle, at the time it was the oldest known operational Chris-Craft in existence, built in 1923 in Algonac,…
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John and Rebecca Allen, Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter In the early days of the Chris Smith & Son’s Boat Co., before the design of the iconic Standard Runabout, Henry Ritter, president of H.G. Ritter Cigar Box Co., ordered a custom 26-foot, rear-drive runabout, contract #4. Produced alongside the high end Baby Gars in Smith’s workshop,…
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By Steve Tuzinowski Welcome to our 39th annual boat show at the Algonac Harbor Club, “Where it All Began”. This year we are featuring Gar Wood Boats over 100 years. This will be a judged show and we welcome all makes and models of antique and classic boats. Our pre-events kick off on Friday morning, June…
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By Peter Robinson, Allegheny Chapter In 1957 my uncle Skip purchased a 14-foot, 1957 Larson Falls Flyer for $800. As I understand it, 1955 was the first year Larson built this fiberglass boat. The bubble engine cover, like ours has, was an optional design. Today only three like it survive. Our family loved that boat…
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