A “Workshop” Every ACBS Chapter Should Have This! Thanks Buffalo.

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Getting her ready for the Summer! Freshly painted Chris Craft Green and White.

This past weekend as you know we made the trek up to Buffalo and along the way to pick up the Wicker Sisters, we were invited By Woody Boater Andy C in the comment section to visit the Niagara Frontier ACBS Work Shop. Not a work shop on doing stuff, but a real building club house type thing. WOW. What a cool space and fantastic idea. Why doesn’t every chapter have a place like that?

An unassuming building on the outside

The meeting room in the shop

A club house, workshop storage area for folks to gather all the time rather than during a meeting. It’s genus and how it should be done.

This Penn Yan is there to “hopefully ” take a slight bend in the hull wood. She is just hanging around

There are a bunch of Coronado’s in there, and that massive thing in the back is actually a race boat from back in the day! Under restoration! YIKES!

Lots a great guys all getting there boats ready! Final coat of varnish on a wonderful Century

Getting ready

There are boats and cool stuff in all sorts of stages of repair! Below is a one family boat being saved for another decade

That lettering! Ooof Ya!

A flat Keel, these parts of from preserved Lumber found in Boston Harbor and is over 100 years old!

The boat has been in the family since new, and in the “Shop” for some of that time being restored.

More cool stuff.

Bob and his golden hat! How cool is that? This stuff is just laying around. It’s a living museum, without being called a “museum”. That would ruin it. It’s the continuum of our life thats special here!

They have a board room! HA How many bottles of Schmidt’s were downed at this table with a bucket of Wings over the years? mmmmmm

Fun show stuff for the kids

One cylinder power

Andy C’s 25 Sportsman ready for a new bottom. Yikes that thing is massive. Oh wait. I knew that.

More Century’s

In our town of Reedville we have a place we would love to purchase for just a situation. Its just not for sale. But I have dreams of making a place with Free coffee, and always helping folks understand the world that I love so much. Like a church for classic boaters. I think there is one of these around in Florida I think as well. Does your club have one? If not, start looking around, it makes sense and is a great way to grow your chapter and thus the ACBS, and thus the culture.

8 replies
  1. Alan Frederick
    Alan Frederick says:

    The neat part about the club’s shop is that it opens up opportunities to work on boats even though many of their members may not have the room back home to do so. Another great thing is that if someone needs help or advise, there’s always someone around that can give that helping hand.
    The Buffalo Maritime Center is located in another section of the building and they too are involved with restoring and building all sorts of watercraft including mentoring kids in boat building skills.
    It’s a great asset for the Niagara Frontier Chapter.

  2. JimF
    JimF says:

    The Wooden Boat Association in Dallas, TX has such a place. Always something going on.
    woodenboatassociation.com

  3. John Rothert
    John Rothert says:

    Damn but that is special….wish we had one…..I personally have a great shop but a group site would be neat… Reedville Museum has a nice one…

    John in Va.

  4. Jim Staib
    Jim Staib says:

    Was it in the old Pierce-Arrow car factory? I seem to remember picking up a part many years ago in a place like that and someone mentioned it was the old factory

  5. Rabbit
    Rabbit says:

    The fact that it’s the old Pierce Arrow factory makes it about 100 times cooler. Maybe every chapter should start a program where people can put their pole barn or shop into their will. What a legacy that would be to leave behind to your pals. And we gotta admit, with the average age at most chapters, it could happen relatively soon.

  6. Rich DeGlopper
    Rich DeGlopper says:

    Rich DeGlopper
    A number of years back the Niagara Frontier Chapter had a work area where many individuals worked on and restored their boats that was located at the old Pierce Arrow Factory on Elmwood Ave. This new workshop is located closer to the Niagara River.
    If you would like to get a facility started in you neck of the woods, I would suggest you visit your local banks which may be holding foreclosed buildings that they would donate to 501c3 organizations to get it off their books!
    Come to Buffalo this July for our “Thunder in the Outer Harbor” event featuring the evolution of raceboats as well as classic cars. We can give you a tour of this facility as well as a couple of others in the area. For event details visit: http://thunderouterharborbuffalo.weebly.com/

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