By Mark and Ellen Zobrist members of Mississippi Valley chapter
In 1970 my parents bought a small cabin at Lake Lotawana, Missouri. The property included a boat house and a 1957 Chris Craft Sportsman. During the summers of my high school years I helped my dad refinish the boat and our family had many memorable times on the lake. When I left home for college, my father decided it was time to sell the boat and someone on the lake purchased it.
In June of 1985 I was at the lake and I asked my dad if he knew where the boat was. We went into the cove where he thought it would be and, and sure enough there it was with a for sale sign on it. I could not resist the great memories that it brought back and decided to buy it. We named it Old Sport.
I returned home with it to my home town of New Haven, MO. It was refinished around the year 2000 and Old Sport won a crystal Champaign bucket for being the most original boat at the 2005 ACBS boat show at the Lake of the Ozarks.
In 2013, my wife Ellen, and I inherited the Lake Lotawana property. After some renovation and restoration of the house and boat house Old Sport returned to the lake in July of 2017.
A local group of wooden and classic boat owners formed the Lake Lotawana Wooden and Classic Boat Club that year and we have participated in the show in 2017 and 2018.
Old Sport is currently having its motor rebuilt at Fox River Valley Boat Company and it should be good to go for the summer and the third boat show to be held this September.
Love these family stories!!!
Great story Always nice to keep in the family.