Classic Boating Family Destinations - Part 2

I think it may be an interesting experiment to see if I could plan a trip that would include as many of my own personal (perhaps selfish) ideas of destinations that include Classic Boating and Maritime Museums. The first step would need to include a direction on the map so lets say New England for now. There's bound to be some great museums in that direction and from magazine articles I know there's a higher percentage of antique and classic wood boats there than other destinations may offer.

The first step may be to locate some museums in the area that specialize in maritime history. That's easy with Google. Using the term "maritime museum" hundreds of possibilities pop up. Besides all of the museums and historic sites that are listed there two other useful websites listed. They are Smith's Master Index to Maritime Museums www.maritimemuseums.net and Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM), www.councilofamericanmaritimemuseums.org , (quite a keyboard full) that can be helpful.

Next, I Googled the term "classic boating" and found several club websites that could perhaps lead to cool destinations if they have shows planned in a reasonable location and time frame. Among those listed are The Antique & Classic Boat Society (ACBS) and The Chris Craft Antique Boat Club (CCABC) along with several local Chapters of the ACBS.

Now I have some websites to visit that could lead to some order of destinations and events, a lot of homework to do. I started with Museums that I'd love to see, namely, The Mariner's Museum in Newport News, VA, The Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT and The Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY. In searching the Museum websites and some Club websites I found the makings for a great plan that includes all 3 museums and 2 fantastic classic boat shows just one week apart. Amazing!

The Mystic Seaport Museum sponsors their Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous on the last weekend in July and The Antique Boat Museum has their 44th Annual Antique Boat Show and Auction on the first weekend of August. Maritime Museums and Boat Shows! What more could a classic boat lover ask for?

Well, for one, a traveling companion. preferably my wife. Do I use the approach..."Hey, guess what we're doing this Summer" or is there a way to include her in the planning? There certainly was for our Mt Dora destination last March and it will again be, not only necessary but will add to the adventure. She loves history, she's never been to Washington DC, Williamsburg is very near to Newport News, VA, there are beaches nearby as well. There are tons of interesting places to go and things to do between all three of the above destinations. There's also the remote possibility of some compromise in order to make the trip a successful and memorable vacation for both of us. We'll see what happens.

Ebay Strikes Agian. Vintage West Bend Wood Child’s Powered Boat Circa 1950s

Sometimes ebay is just a plain ol' freak show. I love it. This item just came up today. Item Number 200186958840. You have got to love it. It's a go cart boat. It measures about 88 inches long.. lets see thats about 7 feet. The starting bid is $500, so not sure how fast it will sell, or for that matter what is even worth. Enjoy and happy bidding. If one of you buys this thing, please let us know. We would love to do a follow up.

New Classic Boating Magazine Is A Classic!

The latest Classic Boating magazine just came in the mail. Thank god. I had just finished reading the Brass Bell for the 4th time and needed a fix. This is also a great issue. There is a great article on varnish and a chart comparing the brands in this issue. And a good calender for the 2008 shows. As well as some fantastic photo's of.. well.. classic boats. Classic Boating is one of those magazines you have to have to know whats going on and for those cold winter days. If you don't have a subscription, you should. You can contact them at 262 567 4800 or snail mail them Classic Boating 280 Lac La Belle Drive Oconomowoc, WI 53066-1648 There web site is under construction, we will update when its alive again. 

Classic Boating Family Destinations

Do you love traveling to new destinations? Do you need to find places that are of interest to everyone in order to plan a getaway with the spouse or travel companion? If so, plan a trip that includes something for everyone.

My wife, Grand Daughter and I did just that last March. It was their spring break (wife teaches, grand daughter is school age) and just another week off for me (retired). We planed a week in sunny Florida beginning with a day at the new Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. Here, Sami is trying to sneak up on some creepy, crawly sea creature at the Aquarium when I interrupted her for this "glamor" shot. She loves adventure, volley ball, soccer, boys and boating with G-Pa. She's an absolute joy to be with.

We then spent three days on the beautiful white beaches of Panama City Beach, FL . Here, wife Karen rearranges furniture while Sami is is working on a tan to impress her fellow classmates.
We did all of this in exchange for just two days at the Sunnyland Annual Antique Boat Festival in Mt Dora, Florida, one of the premiere boat shows in the entire country with literally hundreds of antique and classic boats to enjoy. This coming March the Festival will be moving to Tavares, FL, at the other end of Lake Dora, not far from Mt Dora.

As you can see, Karen and Sami were thrilled to be there while I took in all of the old woodies, saw old friends, met folks and enjoyed my fair share of the week of 2007 Spring Break. Actually, they were very good sports about the exchange of time, a day at the aquarium, three days on the beach for them in exchange for two great days at one of the largest woody boat shows going.

We all enjoyed the entire experience so much that we may just need to do it again some day.

New Authors On Woody Boat Blog

What a great holiday gift. New authors for woody boat blog. Several experts, several rookies, and one old schooler that has a ton of information, and thus hates anything on the internet. That means more diverse content. More opinions. Better information. And better spelling. There have been many conversations regarding the difference of a blog and a forum. In its simplest form. A forum is a conversation of folks interested in the same topic, like the Chris Craft Boat Buzz. A blog is a publishing venue for one or more authors. Commenting is what makes it seem like a forum. What Woody Boats Blog is doing, is attempting to give a voice to all those in the Antique & Classic boat world that wish to publish there thoughts in one place. Journal there boat progress or new purchases, barn finds. Regardless of brand of boat or technical knowledge. With Unique Visitors from all over the world, even the middle east. Woody boats in Saudi Arabia? Come to think about it. One good sand storm could save hrs on prepping for varnish. mmmmm

Burn Pile or Restore?

I saw this boat advertised on http://www.tradingdock.org/ with no photos attached but at a price that got my attention. I contacted the seller and soon received photos of her. For some reason my wife couldn't get too excited about it. But I saw an opportunity to undertake a worthy project of restoring this bit of boating history to her original beauty. After the deal was final, I drove 24 of 36 straight hours to drag her home. My wife's first comment when I arrived was "What were you thinking?"


For most folks, this boat is beyond hope of ever looking new again. It's no more than an organized pile of kindling wood on a trailer or needs a ceremonial burial at the nearest land-fill. Even for some folks in the restoration business, she's probably beyond hope as the cost could easily overcome her restored value.

The truth is, they would have a pretty good argument. However, to me it represents a part of the history that needs to be saved. It's one more of these classics that can be saved, that may otherwise have been lost. She represents a romantic past, a gloomy present state, but an exciting , fun and adventuresome future. It represents one more of these old boats that may survive another 60 years, preserving the history of that era for another generation to enjoy.

So, Burn Pile or Restore? Definitely, RESTORE! Will her restoration cost more than her restored value? Probably. Will it be worth the effort? Absolutely! Here's a photo from a 1948 Sales brochure found in the Chris Craft Antique Boat Club Archive. It's quite an incentive.

Antique & Classic Chris Craft Boat Archive

It might seem here that WoodyBlog is some sort of marketing tool for the Chris Craft club. Well in some way it is, as we are for any organization or brand that is advancing the world of Antique & Classic boats. And right now, The Chris Craft Club is way out ahead of any one doing so. The Brass Bell, the Boat Buzz and now the Chris Craft Archive is the cherry on top. This archive is an amazing new benefit being done by the club. The migration of information to web based is an unbelievable undertaking. Bill Bassler of the club is doing an amazing job. The club has value other than a collective universe of like minded folks. It's providing instant information at your fingertips. In my mind the future of all clubs. Give it a try. The photo up top is from the archive after typing in 1941 Chris Craft. The catalogue came up and every bit of information on that year. It's rather amazing. You will need to sign up to the club. But this alone is well worth it. www.chris-craft.org/archive

Old School Gold Leafing Through The Mail.

So, you are ready to letter your boat, you have a name, and you want it done correctly by hand. But, you live in an area that does not have such a service anymore. You are not alone. So you go online only to find lettering, you can even type in the name and see how it looks. It's wrong, but what choice do you have. Well here is your answer. Kaptain Krunch of Wino Sign Co. winosigns.googlepages.com Has perfected this method of hand lettering on Vinyl, then gold leafing with real gold leaf, and can send it to you in the mail. It's looks great and surprisingly is not that expensive. You get the hand lettered look that is critical, the gold, nickle, or silver leaf that you want, and you can do it in your garage. It's also a great alternative for your boat numbers. He is currently working on a website. He is a hand letterer, not a web master... His email is KaptainKrunch@verizon.net he lives and breaths classic boats and cars.

New Brass Bell is Best in Show.

WOW. We just got the latest issue of the Brass Bell. This issue is gorgeous. Those of you that are in design and publishing must bow their heads in respect. This magazine is becoming one of the nicest publications in the country. You will not find a more beautiful depiction of the Rehabbing of a Pre War Gemmer Steering Box. That's not a joke. Really. So imagine the treatment of Black Beauty on the inside and on the cover. Go to www.chris-craft.org/signup/ Sign up to the club and get yourself on the mailing list. It's just one of the many benefits of being in the club.

Welcome Boat Buzz folks

Welcome to all those from the Chris Craft Boat Buzz Forum. Please jump in and add to the fun. WoodyBlogger is a fun collective journal for classic boat folks. Advice about places to go, great boats. Thanks for coming by. Woodyboater.

Photo's of Classic boats. Enjoy.

Glen-L Boat Plans, Patterns & Kits

If you are the kind of person that takes the do-it-yourself route. Visit www.Glen-L.com this is a mother load of information for you. They have been around for ever. The model above is from a Glen L catalog in the 50's.. mmm that makes her around 70 now... Sorry to ruin the moment. Glen-L is a very respected name in woody boating and you can either build your boat the way they used to or tweek it your way. Regardless this is a fantastic place to start. There is more to building a boat than getting some plans off the internet. You will need advice and the correct supplies. And after your done, you will want a place to show off. The web site is very strong, with a great community, great shots of folks boats. Old historic shots. The whole deal. Visit it soon, it's only 5 months til spring...

More Painted Antique & Classic Boats

While working on Lil' Suzy. We came to appreciate the painted Classic boats. As beautiful as Varnish is. For a change it's cool to apply paint. And I mean not just a coat of white paint. Try something fun, like a Shark mouth. Or orange paint. Wow, what a fun color choice for the time and it looks fantastic. For something even more radical. These two Barrel Backs show the contrast. Both are as done this way at the factory. One for racing, one for bragging. You can see how varnish became a thing of the past. All the boats looked the same. Not to mention a pain to work with. Paint was a cheap way to differentiate them, and held up longer. Later in the 1960's many hulls were pretty much the same, only the hardware and color was different. For your Antique or classic woody though. Paint is a fun option. But only if your boat came that way. There are many that came painted, Chris Craft Rockets, Expresses, Barrel backs, Racers. Gar wood has some painted boats, As did Century, with some very cool stain options. We will always be on the look out for more. Please send photo's if you have a great painted woody boat.