Live-ish From From Portage Lake!
Mulligan” 1953 19’ Chris Craft Riviera owned by Mike & Barb Hillier, Akron, Ohio
Fellow Woody Boater Walt Stashkiw reports in from Ohio. It reads like a formal report and all the words are spelled right. I think, not sure. Like a buried Philips screw on a pre-war bottom. I can’t tell. Regardless, it’s nice to see a cool show happening on a warm weekend!
Sleek Antique”, 1950 13’ Century Imperial, Terry Egert, jr., Akron, Ohio
On Saturday June 24 th, the Portage Lakes 42nd annual antique and classic boat show drew a record crowd to one of the best attended shows in many years.
View of the “On Tap at the Harbor” restaurant and the boat show, east side
This free event will be held from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the “On Tap at the Harbor” restaurant and docks, on Portage Lakes Drive in Coventry, hosted over 50 classic wood and fiberglass boats; in the water and on land displays. The show lived up to its reputation of bringing the elegance and craftsmanship of America’s skilled boat manufacturers to all the residents visiting the show.
View of the “On Tap at the Harbor” restaurant and the boat show, east side
This show has been held in these same lakes since 1975. Run by the Northcoast Ohio ACBS
Youth Judges looking over a 1966 14’ Starcraft Falcon, Dan & Ashley Rithcey, Bolivar, Ohio
-6 Youth Judges awarding the 1 st place award to a 1959 19’ Chris Craft Silver Arrow, Aaron LaDonne, Pittsburgh PA.
Unique to this year’s show was a contingent of “youth judges”, made up of area grandchildren of some of the participants and a local Boy Scouts of America Troop 215. These young judges were managed by club member Ray McFarland and enjoyed learning the intricacies of learning how to judge boats using the ACBS Judging Guidelines.
Youth Judges giving an award to “Class of ‘61” 1961 18’ Lyman, Bob Susick, Barberton, Ohio
The youth judging program is sponsored by the Antique and Classic Boat Society and the Hagerty Insurance company.
“Knot Wood”, 1985 20’ Elite Craft Riviera, Dave & Connie Owen, Akron, Ohio
The show was sponsored by over 65 local businesses and others who graciously donated funds to operate the historic show. The Portage Lakes Antique and Classic Boat show is a part of the 4th of July festivities held in the area; including fireworks, boat parade and sandcastle building at the local state park.
Chris Craft Silver Arrow
“Class of ‘61”
2014 Custom Runabout, Ynot Yachts, Bob McLain, Pittsburg, PA
“Legend”, 1948 20’ Chris Craft Custom Runabout, Gil & Cheryl Maringer, Akron, Ohio
Home built runabout, Ramsey Brothers Marine, Toledo, Ohio
Thanks so much for the great report Walt, looks like a fantastic event, we look forward to visiting one day!
What do you do when you aren’t happy with a youth judge score ? You can’t call them an “old coot” or “senile” like you can with most judges. Maybe “wet behind the ears” ?
HA. Make sure there is an iphone running when you chew them out. I want a clip of that!
When I head up the Youth Judging program at the Spring Lake and Boats on the Boardwalk boat shows, I take a different approach to educate the kids. My Youth Judges are from the local Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization, (Bigs and Littles) and most have not had the opportunity to even be near a boat.
So I try to select 6 or 7 different hull styles to point out why a certain boat is popular or different from the last one we looked at.
Try to make it a fun time, educating them, without them knowing that they are actually learning something is part of the task. You would be surprised how much knowledge each child takes away.
Another thing I tried this year, was not to wait till the awards presentation, since most of the Bigs and Little need to leave early.
Instead we had the Littles walk up to the winners and present their awards, and further talk to the boat owners; this seemed to go over very well. The boat owners really enjoyed the interaction with the Littles.
A big thank you to Hagerty Insurance for providing the “KITS” for this program, making the Youth feel special. Each kit contains a hat, shirt, layard, scorecard and in total, costs a pretty penny. Thanks Carla…
Hello, I just wanted to set the record straight on the pic of the homebuilt. Ramsey Bros. had no hand in its construction. I was wearing a shirt which I bought at a past show that they host in Toledo. My buddy and I just wanted to attend the show as spectators but somehow wound up in it. We just thought it would be a fun way to go. Thanks Matt