From John Seal, Publicity Chairman SML Chapter ACBS The Smith Mountain Lake Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society recently held their annual fall workshop at Bill and Sue Garrecht’s incredible shop in Huddleston, VA.  The 26 members and guests in attendance learned from other local club members about 3 topics that are useful…

By Gary Cunningham, Michigan Chapter, and Mark Gelders Loon is a 1949 Hinckley 34 SW sailboat which is in the process of undergoing a complete restoration in Macatawa, Michigan at the Eldean Shipyard. She is a very unusual Hinckley sailboat because she has never been in salt water. Loon was taken directly from the Hinckley…

By Doug McQuilken, Blue Ridge Chapter I was not looking for another boat but serendipity struck! I’m browsing through Craigslist and spot a recent posting for this boat. Looked interesting but when I found that it had been donated to a local non-profit that provides wooden boat building programs to children https://lowcountrymaritimesociety.org/ , I was…

By Scott Rossley, Bay State Classic Boat Club  I have always had an interest in Boston Whaler boats ever since I was in middle school. After owning many runabouts, most recently I acquired a 1957 Chris Craft Holiday and my interest in older boats began. Fast forward to my 50s when I spent more and…

By David Quirsfeld, Glacier Lakes Chapter This Thompson Sea Lancer had sat idly in a garage since 1984 until I rescued it from an estate sale in 2021.  Unfortunately, the 1980s vintage 80hp Mercury outboard was sold before I learned of the Chicago area sale.  With no dry rot to speak of, its overall good…

Varnishing Tips and Photos by Joel Terbrueggen When it comes to varnishing there are any number of ways to accomplish it. I do not believe one way is necessarily better than another, it all comes down to whatever technique you are most comfortable with. After sealing, I use a Scotch Brite pad or 320 grit…

Bleaching Tips and photos are by Joel Terbrueggen After stripping, sand the entire boat with 60 grit, followed by 80 grit. Now decide what area is to be bleached. Usually, it will be only the blond areas of the decks. However, it sometimes may be necessary to bleach the sides or even the whole boat…

From Mike Green, Maritime Classics, Water Wonderland Chapter We know many of you have your boat hauled into your garage for the winter. AND maybe you are even thinking about doing a little bit of touch up work on it. Others might be on year two or three of a multi-year restoration. Here are some…

Note: This is the first of several articles on marine engines written by Bill Hancock, a member of ACBS and the Sunnyland Chapter since 2007.  Find the leak Recently one of our members thought he might have a leaky oil cooler. The question became; how do you test a cooler for a leak? Before we…

By  Robert Greco, Sunnyland Chapter It started with a garage sale. I have been collecting old Johnson outboards for a few years, eventually gathering up the whole 1956 lineup, from 3 to 30 HP, my favorite motors.  A friend of mine spotted an old Johnson outboard at a garage sale not far from my house,…

Staining Tips and photos are by Joel Terbrueggen Pre-Staining Most of the time, new or replacement planks are much lighter than the surrounding wood or original wood. Here is a technique that usually works well for me. If the color difference isn’t significant this 1st option sometimes works. After sanding and fairing the area with…

Imagine my surprise when as a novice to boating I found out that “Brightwork” referred to the varnished wood on a boat. It’s easy to display that showroom shine on your boat when it is in the dock at a show or even getting ready for a run to the neighborhood marina for an ice…

Article and Photos by Joel Terbrueggen This article is to let you know that you should not underestimate the usage of superglue in finish repairs. I like to use both the Thin and Medium viscosity along with the Accelerator to speed up the curing process to instantaneous. Here are some instances that I have found…

Safe Boating week is May 18th through May 24th. For more information, visit www.safeboatingcampaign.com By Dick Werner & Brent Howard. As we are all well aware, we have that highly explosive liquid on board many of our old boats call gasoline. That liquid is very capable of vaporizing and releasing fumes. These fumes are heavier…

Varnishing Tips and Photos by Joel Terbrueggen When it comes to varnishing there are any number of ways to accomplish it. I do not believe one way is necessarily better than another, it all comes down to whatever technique you are most comfortable with. After sealing, I use a Scotch Brite pad or 320 grit…

By James Sanders, member of the Michigan chapter. I purchased this boat in 2003 after riding in a similar boat in some very rough water. At that time I owned a 31’ Chris Craft Commander and a few wood Chris’s prior to that. The first summer we used the boat primarily in the Algonac area…

By Gary Fesperman, ACBS Secretary and member of the Blue Ridge Chapter. Several members of the Blue Ridge Chapter, the “5200 Bottom Gang,” got together to install the outer bottom planking on two boats in three days last week. The first boat was a 1965 17′ foot Chris Craft Ski Boat owned by Lee Mapp…

By Jeff and Renee Davey, members of the Glacier Lakes chapter. Our Higgins obsession started about 37 years ago while on vacation in northern Wisconsin. We stopped at a local marina and purchased a 1947 19’ Higgins Deluxe Runabout. After sitting in storage for over 30 years, we finally decided to restore her. She is…