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Web EditionTable of Contents
(Underlined articles from the printed issue of ACBS Rudder are online.)
Notes from San Diego
Membership Report
President's Message:
From the Chapters
Open Exhaust: Fairing Tips
The Wooden Boat Widow Blues
Museum Watch
Spotlight on a Chapter: Okanagon
The Dodge Watercar: Part 2
The ACBS Tiller
Ship's Stores
Trading Dock-Classified Ads
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Officers for '98-'99President...............John Harvey |
DirectorsJeff Stebbins (BSLOL) ...............1999 |
President's Message
Gosh, my year as president of ACBS is up! It's hard to believe a year has gone by since the Baltimore Annual Meeting.
This has been a good year for ACBS - a few highlights are: We reached a new high in membership with 5,400 registered. The constitution has been rewritten (and approved.) The By-laws are now being worked on, and with Dick Sherwood in charge I am sure it will be accomplished in the near future. We also passed a resolution to set up an education and community service fund.
Mary and I have traveled from coast to coast this year with meetings from Baltimore to Useppa Island, from Seattle to Clayton and to San Diego, and attending boat shows in Mt. Dora, Crystal River, Lake Winnespasaukee, Clayton, and our own show in Hessel. What a year!
If you were at headquarters for the Boat Show or the Raceboat Regatta or since, you probably noticed our new nautical flagpole. We can thank Jeff Stebbins for taking on this project and the following people for making this possible through their donations: Nancy Stebbins Larry and Jamie Ginsburg Hagerty Marine Insurance Todd Warner The family of Lindsey & Wanda Hopkins Jean Hoffman in Memory of Dawn F. Hoffman
My personal "Thanks" to all of you for this great addition to ACBS Headquarters.
It has truly been an honor to be president of our great society. Thanks to a dedicated board and under the guiding hands of John Harvey, our treasurer of the past several years, I am happy to say that ACBS is in a strong financial position. A special thanks to Martin Zonnenberg, Don Babcock, and David Burns who helped guide us through some rough water. Also to Jeff Stebbins and Todd Warner who made the Presidents Manual a reality. The President's Cup recipients for this year are: Dick Sherwood for rewriting our Constitution and membership classifications, bringing in three new chapters, and for his work on the education and community service fund, along with other duties as a director. Ann Sorandt for all the hors she has spent as Headquarters Administrator overseeing the functions of our office in Clayton, NY.
I am sure the next year, with John Harvey as president, will be
another good year for ACBS. Thanks for the memories!
Tom Flood
Past President
Tom Flood was recently honored at the 21st Annual Les Cheneaux Islands Antique & Wooden Boat Show for his passion for wooden boats. He became interested in wooden boats when he would go down to the Hacker Plant and watch his father work. Eventually he worked there also and gained an appreciation for the craftsmanship involved with wooden boat making. He got his first boat when he graduated from high school in 1957 and since has owned and restored many wooden boats of all ages and types. Congratulations Tom and Thanks for a great year!
Dear Members,
Well, my first order of business as your new President is to first
thank our outgoing President, Tom Flood, for all of the time, effort and
just plain old hard work that he has put into ACBS this past year. Our
organization is growing up and it seems each year we have new
challenges. Tom Flood provided us with strong leadership this past year
as difficult issues arose. Thanks Tom!
My second "Thank You" needs to be a very big one to the Southern California chapter who hosted the 1998 Annual Meeting. David & Beverly Klages, Larry & Jamie Ginsberg, and Marj Dougherty as well as the entire group of "Worker Bees", who made their little paradise in San Diego a great weekend for all of us form all over the country. The meeting was incredible well organized and the individual boat ride in San Diego harbor were indeed a great highlight. Again, Thank You Southern California!
This next year promised to be another great year. There are challenges and new directions that will keep our International Board of Directors working hard. Our winter boar meeting this year will be in Crystal River, Florida on February 19-21st. I would like to urge all Chapter Presidents to attend or to have a delegate with proxy at the meeting. These meeting are open to all members. You do not have to have an "official" title to attend…please just come and join us for some work and some fun. You won't regret it!
Our national organization is only as good as the people serving. You
as a member are very important in this organization and I would truly
enjoy hearing from you. If you would like to become more involved, if
you have suggestions or would just like to talk about old boats, please
feel free to call me anytime.
John Harvey
Office: 7011 Main Street
PO Box 8000
Frisco, TX 75034-8000
(972) 712-8000
e-mail: jharvey@mail.voyagermarine.com
Home: 1213 Shahan Prairie Road, Little Elm, TX 75068 (972) 294-1538
THE HISTORY OF THE OKANAGAN
ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT SOCIETY
In the Spring of 1990 several friends were socializing at the Kelowna Yacht Club, and out of the blue one of them said "Why don't we start our own antique boat club and have a boat show?" Since they all owned wooden boats they thought it would be wonderful idea, and decided to contact other wooden boat owners that they knew.
In April the first meeting was held and in attendance were Dave & John Stringer, Andrew Middleton, Vic Spencer, Arnie Brown, John Hindle, Ken Geis and Stephanie Taylor. John Stringer was nominated the first President with the others filling in as members of the executive committee. Wasting no time, they decided to organize the boat show for sometime in August. As for a venue, they felt the most logical place to hold it was the Hotel Eldorado, a 1920s hotel that had recently been restored to its classic design after the original building was lost in a fire. They contacted the owner, Jim Nixon, and he was delighted to offer the use of his hotel and docking services.
After the venue was determined, plans fell into place and the second weekend in August was selected for the date of the first boat show. A welcome reception was planned for the Friday evening with hors d'ouvres being provided by the hotel, wines supplied by Ross Fitzpatrick of Cedar Creek Winery and Labatt's Brewery donated beer for the reception. Saturday evening featured a salmon BBQ and on Sunday there was the 'El's' famous Brunch. Things were off to a really good start! Publicizing the event, which is always a challenge,proved fairly easy when we "leaked" the information to the press and managed to get free TV time on the local station.
A number of events and displays were organized including antique cars from the British Car Club, the Janzen Nostalgic Swim Collection Show, a water ski show, a rowing display on the water and a display of antique racing rowing shells on the dock during the weekend. Boats were entered in historic, antique and classic categories and a trophy was offered for the People's Choice for the Boat of the Show. A total of 16 boats entered and a crowd of some 300 or so came along to admire them. The winner of the People's Choice for this first event was Arnie Brown's boat 'Brand X' and was well deserving of the award.
After this first event there was no holding the folks back. The second annual boat show was again at the Hotel Eldorado on the second weekend in August. We again featured the ski show, the racing shells display and the fashion show, but this year we added a Dixieland Jazz Concert and Ted Bajer's Barbershop Quartet. The Vintage Car Club joined the British Car Club in displaying their beautiful automobiles. Other added items, which continue to this day, were the Sail Pass / Power Run and the now famous War Canoe Challenge. Reports regarding the number of boats registered this year are varied, but the most reliable source indicates that 20 were on display.
In June of 1992, after lots of work by John Stringer and others, we were now ready to be incorporated as a non-profit society and we received our incorporation certificate.
The third year our fame had spread and we were now attracting entrants from the U.S, primarily the Northwest, thanks mostly to the efforts of Arnie Brown and Vic Spencer, giving us a much larger number of boats to put on show. New to the show this year was a memorabilia display of boating history throughout the Okanagan Valley. In an attempt to initiate other social activities for the members we organized a fall picnic by the lake, followed with a wine and cheese party in December at the Cedar Creek Winery.
Due to the increased interest in out boat show it was imperative that we increase the dock facilities. With the support of the Hotel in providing the materials coupled with our donated labor, two floating docks and a breakwater were added to the mooring facilities. This same year we held our 4th Annual Boat Show with 30 boats on display. After much discussion, we decided that now was the time to join the International ACBS. We became Chapter No.39.
Our 5th boat show was held in 1995. Wonderful weather and a record 1,500 spectators and 46 boats made this a fantastic event. New this year was the Apple Box Races for kids and the number of awards given out had now risen to 5. Our membership newsletter was going out to 99 people. A houseboat chili party ended the year's activities.
In 1996 we decided to organize an area where parents could leave their children while they toured the show. Aptly named the Kids Kare Korner, it was an instant success, with the children having loads of fun while making model wooden sail boats . A total of 45 boats registered this year and the show was another resounding success.
In 1997, despite unusually high water, 47 boats registered. Our usual activities continued: Sail Pass and Power Run, Memorabilia, War Canoe Challenge, Apple Box Races, Kids Kare Korner, Car Displays, Friday Welcome Party and the Saturday BBQ. It was decided to move the Awards ceremony to Saturday evening to make it a more formal affair which was warmly received by all participants.
Our 1998 show saw our spectators now number around 2,000 and 44 boats entered . We endured temperatures of 104 degrees on Saturday and high winds on Sunday, so activities were a little restricted. But again the show was considered a huge success and we look forward to something spectacular for our 10th anniversary. In 1998 we also helped our members in the Kootenay area organize their first annual Boat Show in Nelson, B.C. which was a tremendous success by all accounts with 18 boats in attendance from B.C. and Washington. We look forward to a much bigger show next year.
While at times it seems like the only goal of our Club has been to host our annual Boat Show there is an element that has developed within the club which would like to foster the growth of interest in all aspects of wooden boats in our geographic area. The goal is to accomplish this not only by hosting events such as the annual boat show but also by encouraging both the members at large and the youth to become more involved in the Club and its events. Wooden boats are not just about flashy boat shows, money and rare expensive boats, it's about the preservation of these boats of all types and those who see the value in preserving a wooden boat for the love of it. We must perpetuate the preservation and fascination our generation has with these wonderful old boats so they may be enjoyed by the many generations to come.
Use A "Stink Block" To
Fair Your Boat
Stan Petersen
A restoration tip which is used at the Temple of Reconstruction in Mount Dora, makes use of a product which bears more than one name. To one it is glass foam insulation. To another it may be called a "stink block." And, to one who does not have any Victorian sensitivities, he may, using the German term, call it a "Fartblocken." All of this because it smells like low tide or just plain old hydrogen sulfide.
Anyway,
we find the stink block, (which comes in a block measuring 4"x4"x24")
to be very effective when fairing the hull of a mahogany boat. The glass
foam consists of tiny bubbles. When cut to size the saw creates
thousands of tiny craters which are razor sharp. As the block is used,
the bubbles wear down creating new ones. It cuts like 50 grit sandpaper
but doesn't load up and leaves a smoothness like 100-120 grit paper.
Needless to say, this is not the only product used in fairing. We may
use an air file, a long board with various paper grits, smaller hand
blocks or hand pads. All dependent on what and where you are sanding and
how tired your arms are.
I found when fairing my 1966 Sheperd that I could check my work by placing a blue carpenters chalk block (15 cents each at Ace Hardware) in my hand and rub the hull until it was blue. Then using the "stink block" rubbing of the hull removed the blue chalk as the hull was faired.
There are a couple of words of caution when using the "stink block". 1. Since it is made of glass, use a good dust mask and vacuum up the glass dust. 2. Glass is abrasive so you may wish to wear gloves on your hands. 3. You may elect NOT to use the "stink block" on wood that well remain light or blonded. There sometimes remains a gray residue in the wood that could come back and haunt you. Use your judgement.
Where can you get this product? We buy it from Specialty Products and Insulation Co., 3330 Vineland Road Orlando, FL (1 800 659-7742) When we bought a case of 24 in November 1997 it cost $3.61 each including tax, FOB Orlando. Another source is Eastern Refratories Co., PO Box 327, 60 Holland St Lewiston, ME 04240 (207 783-2075) There is a good article about the stink block in the Sept/Oct 1995 issue of Wooden Boat. (No. 126) The article appears on page 115 and is written by David Stimson.