In this issue….

President’s Message

Upcoming Events

What’s in a Name

Who Knew

Joy Ride To The Coeur D’Alene Classic Boat Show

Inlet Belle’s True Identity

Talking Up Our Club

OACBS President’s Message – February 2020



Well, here we are in the doldrums of winter, the beginning of February, and boating is but a mirage in the desert. Alas, April is only 8 weeks away!!

Just a quick recap of club activities, some of which will be presented in more detail later in this newsletter. Your Board of Directors has had a couple of Skype meetings since the last newsletter; the financial health of the club has not been better for many years thanks to a very generous donor the last 2 years. Tyson Konecny and Danny Hinds have suggested a change to the name of our Society to more accurately reflect that large geographical area that our members hail from and Tyson and Kelly Williamson have worked on a more concise Mission Statement for the Society.

On the summer activity schedule, we still have work to do to firm things up. We have decided to put a concerted effort in to have as many club members as possible attend the International Show in Couer d`Alene, Idaho on the September 18-19 weekend. We also plan to be involved in the Peachland World of Wheels event in May, and Kelly is working on a possible Poker Run on Shuswap Lake in the July-August time slot. We have had some contact with he Peach City Beach Cruise group in Penticton about the possibility of getting involved with their massive car show, however, due to the sheer scale of their event it won`t likely happen this year.

In closing I just want to give a shout out to Steve Leslie and more recently Kelly Williamson for doing such a great job on this newsletter. It takes a lot of work and a lot of prodding of folks like me to get content for this production. I would invite all members to pass this Newsletter along to anyone they feel might enjoy it and please consider submitting an article, photos, poems, etc. to the editor for future editions!

Here`s to a short winter!
Jim Cooper

If you’ve never been to a ACBS boat show I highly recommend you come and see what its all about!

The people are always friendly and the boating is great!

This year’s International is in Coure d’Alene, Idaho. We are hoping to see lots of OACBS members attend.

While many dates have yet to be confirmed we will continue to keep you updated as we hear…

May 17, 2020 Peachland World of Wheels

Peachland, BC Contact https://www.peachlandcarshow.com/

July, 2020 Renton River Days

Renton, Wa. Contact https://acbs.org/pacific-northwest-chapter/

TBA, 2020 CWC Boatshow at Lake Oswego

Portland, Or. Contact http://www.cwc-acbs.org/

Sept 5-7, 2020 Priest Lake Dry Rot Show

Priest Lake, Id. Contact https://priestlakedryrot.com/

Sept.15-21, 2020 ACBS Inland Empire Chapter Presents

ACBS International Boat Show 2020

Coeur d’Alene, Id. Contact https://acbs.org/2020-international-boat-show/

TBA, 2020 Okanagan Antique & Classic Boat Show

Penticton, BC. Contact https://oacbs.ca/

Oct., 2020 Mahogany & Merlot

Lake Chelan, Wa. Contact https://www.mahoganyandmerlot.com/

Pre-event Stehekin run

Just as your Transom tells a story, so can your club’s name.

Your board of directors has been hard at work on a number of issues. When we looked at membership we found members from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Okanagan, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Two questions came up, “ Why are we called the Okanagan ACBS?” and, “ Are there people who don’t join because they think our club is limited to the Okanagan?”

Yes, the core group is and has been in the Okanagan but we are trying to increase our membership and want our name to attract and reflect all of our members and the area we represent.

Danny Hinds and Tyson Konecny have proposed “ Western Canadian Chapter of the ACBS” or abbreviated, “WCACBS”. Its mainly some paperwork, website work, and logo work that will need to be done. We feel that this name change will better describe the demographics of our members and our catchment area.

Our board has also improved our mission statement to read “To Promote the Love and Enjoyment of Historical Antique & Classic Boating”

We would love to hear your comments… please email any of the board members.

Want your boat to be featured on “What’s in a Name”?

Send your story and a transom shot to Steve at leslieland@telus.net

Here’s an exciting story from Andrew Middleton at Boathouse Bay Classics / Absolute Classics.

This story is happening now and we will keep you up to date as this story unfolds!

Serendipity is an illusive concept and when it presents itself, one finds great value and benefit, not sought by ordinary means. It has intervened in my life many times and each time my path is altered. Having graduated from University in the 1980’s, I began to plot my course in Life. “Set sail through uncharted waters, behold sites unseen and find passion in life, without compromise”, was my mantra. I’d searched far and wide in my young life for some semblance of meaning and realized the box I had chosen to live in wasn’t big enough. Time to step out. My chosen Port of Call…London, England. My Mission…define my role in life by refining my inherent talents. I obtained an Ancestry passport which allowed me to live and work in the UK. The flight from Vancouver to London in 1987 proved to be a steppingstone as I soon realized I was about to settle in a World class City where one could study just about anything. I assembled a list of interests that were in line with what I valued and promptly contacted a variety of Training Centers. I decided to take the Train to Lowestoft, NE of London and arrived at the International Boat Building Training Center (IBBTC), a world-renowned College for Wood Boat building. It was a summers day and the Boat house doors were open. I was overwhelmed by what I saw within. Graceful lines and glistening paint, curled shavings carpeting the floor and the sight, smell and sound of wood enveloping the exquisite shapes. I pondered, “Where has this been all my life?” Without hesitation, I enrolled in the school and on graduation, gained my apprenticeship. I went on to work for Jack Chippendale, a highly respected British boat builder. In my free time I ‘d scour the countryside for sites of interest. One day, I ended up in the Lake District, North of Liverpool, after hearing about the Lake Windermere Steamboat Museum (now called the Windermere Jetty). The museum had amassed a collection of Steam powered Launches but also retained a few Classic motorboats, specifically a 1937, 16’ Chris Craft Special Race Boat. The Windermere Motorboat Racing Club supported racing on the lake throughout the 1920’s-1960’s.

When we think of “messing around in boats” one cannot help but bring the British to mind. They are legendary for their unique ability to make their mark on the water. Historically, British vessels were innovative and State of the Art but often very fast. British Motorboats were no exception and with the advent of mass-produced internal combustion engines, the race was on to beat the competition. There has always been a nautical rivalry between England and the USA. In 1903, Sir Alfred Harmsworth offered up a trophy to recognize achievement in Motorboat Racing, not between boats or drivers per say, but between Nations. One has only to reference the epic battle on the water between Garwood’s Miss America and her rival Miss Britain in the 30’s. This decade set the stage for Motorboat racing on both sides of the Pond. Chris-Craft wanted a piece of the action and actively marketed its product all over the world, including the UK.

I returned to Western Canada in the early 90’s and began restoring Classic Mahogany speed boats. By chance, early in my career I found a 16’ Chris-Craft Special Race Boat race within a 2-hour drive of my Boat Works. Unlike most of the painted Special Race Boats, this boat was ordered by a Canadian in 1937 who insisted it be stained and varnished. I sold it to Dave Lobb who went onto restore it as “Rascal.” Since then we have restored and brokered countless Classic Speedboats and the demand remains very strong.

About a year ago, we were contacted by young couple in the UK who wanted us to sell their Classic Chris-Craft. When told the boat used to race on Lake Windermere, we got rather excited. Once I learned the boat was a 21’ Chris Craft Cobra, stored in a barn and not used for decades, I was virtually on the next plane out to the UK. I learned the Hull number was 50 and the original Chrysler Hemi V8 was still in the boat. It was imported new into the UK by Mr. Brooker who was a member of the Windermere Motorboat Racing club. In addition, it was part of a fleet of boats that escorted “Teal”, the Queens Launch, across the lake in the mid 50’s to celebrate her Coronation. The young couple had inherited the Cobra, had no use for it but wanted the boat to go to a good home. They insisted we find a suitable buyer who would have it restored at Absolute Classics Marine.

Only 55 of the 21′ Cobra were sold along with 51 of the 18′ Cobra. Both production runs ended within a year.

It took us a year, but a local client stepped up, delighted at the prospect of seeing the Cobra roar across the water. We arranged to have the Cobra loaded into a container late last year, transported to South Hampton and then loaded on the container ship, MOL Experience. The ship crossed the Atlantic with stops in Savannah Georgia and Venezuela, through the Panama Canal, on to Los Angeles, Seattle, then Vancouver with an ETA of February 1st, 2020. We will see the Cobra at our Boat Works in early February. Restoration will begin forthwith with a goal to return this Cobra to “As delivered condition.”

Most of us would be fortunate to be able to say we have seen a 21’ Cobra up close and personal. Some are privileged to own one of the 55 built, but not many happen upon one without actively looking. Serendipity strikes like again.

Andrew Middleton

Kelowna, BC

www.absoluteclassicsmarine.com

Last fall I submitted this article to the ACBS editor.  You may have seen a highly edited version in the most recent edition of the Rudder (Fall 2019).  It was great that they like it well enough to use it.  They chopped a lot of the text and pictures out due to space constraints.  The OACBS will be encouraging participation in the International show at Coeur D’Alene in September this year. We thought it would be timely to share the full unedited version. There was more to the story. Enjoy.

Kelly

Note: Story and photos submitted by Kelly Williamson, a director of the Okanagan ACBS Chapter.

This year Jenni Medina and I found we had some extra time in August and made a last minute decision to try and get in some ACBS shows. I had heard many times that the summer boat shows in Idaho were really good. So we packed up Joy Ride, the 1954 Chris Craft Custom Sedan and headed down to northern Idaho from our cottage at the Shuswap, British Columbia. We were too late to make the judged show at Sandpoint but could still get to Coeur D’Alene Classic Boat Show and Priest Lake Dry Rot Show. These started in late August and ran through the Labor Day long weekend. The first stop was Coeur D’Alene. The show was scheduled for Friday August 23 through Sunday August 25, 2019. The Coeur D’Alene Classic Boat Show normally attracts about 60 boats and about 10,000 visitors.

Even thought we were late with our registration, James Fleming of Hagadone Marine Group was very helpful with getting us organized with all the appropriate information. James was also very helpful throughout the show and a pleasure to talk to.  The instructions he provided had us trailering the boat to Hagadone Marine’s Blackwell Island Marina north dock on the Spokane River on Friday and launching there.  We were then to boat over to the Boardwalk Marina at the Coeur D’Alene Resort on the lake and get set for the show.

We were met at the boat ramp by Daryl Reynolds, Ron Yandt and the Hagadone staff. The operation there was like a well-oiled machine and was great way to get started. Experienced marina staff put my boat in the water. Launching was a smooth stress free experience. We were afforded ample time to clean the boat there before moving to the show area.

Meeting Daryl and Ron was a big bonus. They were super helpful and were outstanding ambassadors for the ACBS Inland Empire Chapter.  Daryl Reynolds is a past president of the chapter. Ron Yandt is a long time leader of the group.  I took a few minutes to chat with these two gentlemen and found that Ron’s family had a history of building wood boats. They operated Yandt Boat Works at the location where the Coeur D’Alene Resort is today. Here is a link to a Woodyboater article about Yandt boats with some interesting details and pictures.

https://www.woodyboater.com/blog/2013/08/14/what-are-the-odds-of-finding-a-75-year-old-photo-of-your-antique-boat/

We picked up our show packet at the Boardwalk Marina store and got the sedan situated at our assigned spot. Getting ready for the show, I was cleaning fingerprints from the hard top. People always seem to like to touch it there. I’m still trying to figure out how to address that.

The weather for the show was shaping up to be fantastic.

Later on Friday afternoon there was a Welcome Reception sponsored by Coeur Custom Wood Boats. It was by the Boardwalk Marina Store and Side Tie Bar. This was a really nice opportunity to meet some of the show participants and have a glass of wine.  As this was our first visit to Idaho we really didn’t know many folks. We enjoyed listening to the singer, Charisa Faith.

The Coeur D’Alene Resort is a great facility for a show.  There is a large hotel with a variety of good restaurants and of course the requisite Starbucks. Unfortunately, this year there were no rooms available for show participants.  It would have been great to stay next to the show site. Near the hotel is a food and entertainment district with many choices for restaurants and bars. The floating boardwalk around the associated marina was stable and wide with room to park plenty of boats and accommodate lots of visitors. The marina seemed secure with no worries about leaving the boats there at night. The resort marina was a bustling place with many activities.  There were all type of boats, big and small, going in an out.  Float planes were taking off and landing.  Several PWCs were buzzing around.  It was fun to watch the very colorful parasailing outfit taking people for rides.

Calgary, where we come from, is a relatively new city and in comparison, Coeur D’Alene was very interesting. The older architecture there was fun to explore. I wish I had tried to get more pictures. There was an abundance of Craftsman Style homes.  There were also some very interesting Victorian Style houses. On Sherman Avenue, the main thoroughfare through the city core, we found a Victorian Mansion converted into a boutique hotel called the Blackwell Hotel.

  The Blackwood Hotel was within walking distance of the show venue. While walking about we found this hotel had a backyard party going on outside. It was open to the public and there was a bar and some entertainment. What a great way to cool off on a summer evening.  If we have  an opportunity to come back, I think this would be an interesting choice of accommodation.

Next to the Coeur D’Alene resort was the 22.5 acre McEuen Park.  It was a beautiful, well-groomed venue. It was a good place to go for a walk and relax or have a bite to eat at Rotary Harbor House (waterfront concession stand/restroom facility).  There was a boat launch and mooring facility adjacent to the show site with ample vehicle parking.

There were many fine boats at the show.  We spent a couple of hours walking around with the crowd looking at the boats and chatting with the other owners.  Below are some of my favorites. 

 Hollywood won the Chairman’s Award trophy.  I thought it was the best example of how to present a boat at a show.  The staging was brilliant and the boat looks like it would be great fun to drive and enjoy.

Wild Horse was the winner of the Captain’s Choice Award trophy.  The boat was freshly restored and was in pristine condition.  The owner drove 14 hours from Colorado to present the boat at the show. I had the honor of helping dock this boat at the Boardwalk Marina on its first outing on the water.

Some of my favorites.

Hagadone Marine Group was the major sponsor of the event. On the Sunday of the show Hagadone posted an awesome photo of Joy Ride on their Facebook page. It was an honor to have Joy Ride represent the show this way.

After the boat show closed on Sunday, Jenni and I had an opportunity to tour the lake with our boat for a couple of hours. Idaho has some of the prettiest lakes anywhere. Lake Coeur D’Alene is dam controlled and is a spectacular place for recreational development.  I could have taken pictures of the lakeshore homes all day.  I think I found Dwayne Hagadone’s house with the signature red geraniums.  It is a stunning modern design.

After a tour of the lake in the Sedan, I treated Jenni to a really nice supper at The Cedars Floating Restaurant. The Cedars was located at Blackwell Island and the restaurant floats where water from Lake Coeur D’Alene flows into the Spokane River. The light fixtures were swinging back and forth while we dined. The meals were gourmet and the California red wine was delicious. It was a nice romantic occasion for us to share. 

We had Joy Ride all packed up and ready to head to our next adventure.  The photo of Joy Ride trailered and ready to go, has Coeur Custom Wood Boats shop in the background.

Coming to the Coeur D’Alene Classic Boat Show was a great experience.  Launching and trailering Joy Ride at the Hagadone Marine facility was one of the best boat ramp experiences I have had. They treated us really well there.  The architecture of the city’s homes was fun to explore. The boat show venue at the Boardwalk Marina was very good considering the large number of people that came to see the boats. There were some very impressive boats on display there.  This was a great opportunity to meet some new friends and talk to BK Powell once more.  BK has been great about coming up to our shows in Canada and visiting with us there. The 2020 ACBS International show has been scheduled to come to Coeur D’Alene next September.  We enjoyed Coeur D’Alene very much and are going to make a big effort to try and get back there next year for the International.

Our own Ian Devlin was recently featured on the ACBS weekly web watch. If you missed it here’s the link https://acbs.org/history-lessons/

As a testement to the power, knowledge, and advantage of belonging to the ACBS, Ian heard from Eric Hansen, a fellow ACBS member from the Blackhawk Chapter in Michigan. When Eric was asked if we could use his name for this article he immediately replied,

"You can use everything about me. I feel it is most important to keep this history alive. We need to all be a collective of detectives and be able to share with each other. Imagine before the internet when we were not able to search. All of this information was passed around with letters and phone calls. There were wise men of the eras that were the collectors of the information and would disseminate to everyone else."

Thanks for your help Eric!

As a result of my article in the December issue of the ACBS Newsletter, I recieved an email from Eric Hansen, St. Joseph, Michigan, indicating that he thought the Inlet Belle was built by Truscott Boat Manufacturing Company in St. Joseph, MI. and provided me with catalogues dating back to 1898. Through the catalogs and pictures of these Truscott boats from St. Joseph MI, we were trying to identify the hull as built by Truscott Boat Manufacturing. The other interesting fact was that Truscott was proud of the fact that they produced everything in house, the wood planks, the hardware, the fittings, the motors, the canopies, everything under one roof.

With this information, perhaps the fittings would help confirm the identify of the Inlet Belle. There is a large fitting catalog from 1900-1910 that was available to try and find details of my shaft log and rudder/steering system.
It is most intriguing to see the similarity of the 25- foot fan tail Truscott boats. I now have the challenge of obtaining the objective evidence to support that my boat is indeed a Truscott.

I still have four important features that are original to the initial construction:

1) The hull is still original cypress planking on oak frames, as specified in the catalogues.
2)The hull has been restored over the original hull, so the hull dimensions and shape have not been hanged. As stated in the 1901 catalogue the 25 foot model has five feet eight inches of beam and will run in twenty-three to twenty-four inches of water
3) The rudder post and steering mechanism is original to the location that it was installed in the hull. This feature has provided me with the documentation to identify my boat as the same in an historical photo.
4) The shaft log and configuration of the rudder support is same as the original.
I wonder what sort of documentation will be required to establish that the provenance of the Inlet Belle is a 25 foot Truscott?

I have been looking carefully at photos of the 25- foot boats to see details to confirm similarity of these four features. Most photos do not show much detail of the stern deck arrangement, so may I need to find some details on Truscott fittings. I will be developing a photo log to compare my Inlet Belle to other photos of known Truscott boats.

 Thanks, Ian Devlin

If you know of anyone interested in vintage/classic wood boats or classic fiberglass please tell them about the OACBS and welcome them aboard!

If you’ve never been to an ACBS show please consider it next spring/summer. You won’t be disappointed! The boats are cool, the boating is fun, and you’ll love the friendly people that you meet!

Please share some stories and photos of your adventures on the water or on land with YOUR club! You can send them to Steve Leslie at leslieland@telus.net or Kelly Williamson at kelvin.williamson@shaw.ca

Don’t forget to plan to attend this years 2020 International Boat Show In Coeur d’Lane, Idaho

Contact Bruce Middleton if you’re looking for accommodation

Inland Empire Chapter Pre-events September 14-16

Chapter Roundtable and Annual Membership Meeting September 17

International Boat Show September 18-19

Annual Auction September 18

Annual Awards Banquet September 19

REGISTRATION WILL OPEN APRIL 2020

Please be safe and have fun wherever you’re boating!