Welcome 5-TEEN In An AristoCraft 9-TEEN, Cobra 60, V12, Algonac 2015 Style!

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Well, we have done it, burned up an entire year of classic boating and we now turn our focus onto the new year. The magic of 2015, and the joy in knowing that each day of short days and cold weather are one day closer to Lake Dora in just 3 months. The big 60 years of the Cobra, and this year, the return of the Algonac show to its home in June 26-28, Chris – Crafts home with a special event planned. We will be there is full Woodyness.

NOT AN ARISTOCRAFT- A Cobra in Algonac with pal Pete. Darn fuel filters. Best boat ride I have had in years.

Also this year the 2015 Lake Tahoe Concours will be featuring Vintage V-12 marine engines. I wonder if Lake Tahoe will actualy rise cause of all the extra iron in it that weekend?

One of brian Robinsons magic engines in a Gar Wood. NOT in an Aristocraft
This year is set to be one of the best event years in recent history. The good folks that put these events together are raising the bar and making sure you have a great time when you get there, and have something special to see. 60 years of Cobras! Come on! That’s a no brainier, Algonac, the home of Chris Craft and Gar Wood and special tours of it all and get this, that time of year in Michigan, it’s light until around 11 PM..

Hagerty Marine Insurance Sun Screen on the blue Cobra. This saved the day since we limped home for over an hour! The metaphor did not escape me! Thanks Carla!

I am putting on my sunscreen right now .. Snnnnniiiiiiifffffffff! Ahhhhhhhh, the smell of summer, it’s so close here on Woody Boater. There are of course wonderful things to look forward to in your area. Feel free to shamelessly promote them today in the comment section.

Ya gotta love these colors. Classic perfection, where is the Avocado one?

Thanks to Robert Miracle and Texx for supplying today’s Aristocraft eye candy to keep the story moving along.

A different angle

Thanks again to everyone for yesterdays kind words and encouragement. This is all of our site, we need to make sure it stays fun and free of the things that make this world negative!

Thanks M fine for the photo of me in my happy place. Your boat!

38 replies
  1. Texx
    Texx says:

    2015 is shaping up to be a stellar year in the classic boating hobby, with tons of great shows and events being planned across the country, from coast to coast to coast. And the old WoodyCycle is tuned up, cleaned up and ready to hit the ribbon of asphalt to travel to some of those events this summer.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! – TEXX

    • Randy
      Randy says:

      Hey Texx — Happy New Year to you and all!!!!
      Uhhhh, with only 90 cc’s I’m going to have to stick with shows a bit closer to home.

      • Texx
        Texx says:

        Hey Randy – A Honda Super 90, one of the bikes I first learned to ride many (cough) years ago. Hard to find a mint S-90 today. Still love them.

  2. Rabbit
    Rabbit says:

    Happy New Year, Matt and Texx. Thank you for another great year. Personally, I’m looking forward to the ACBS International in Gull Lake, Minnesota. We promise you one of the best ever, in an amazing setting.

  3. Chris B
    Chris B says:

    Happy New Year to all our woody friends, We are ready to hit the road to discover more lakes and fun on the water, looks like a busy 2015

  4. m-fine
    m-fine says:

    Thanks Matt and Texx for another great year on WB. There were a lot of memorable stories and amazing boats plus the upgrade to the new mobile friendly website.

    Winter was horrid in 2014. I was sick pretty much from Christmas until April as we got pummeled by and endless string of polar vortexes brought North Dakota temps to western NY. With a need to escape, I made a last minute trip to Tavares where I not only got to see the Sun (briefly) but I also got to meet a number of WoodyBoaters face to face for the first time.

    Tobler joined our family on July 12th and a week later was at his first classic boat show, the Wine Country show in Hammondsport NY on Keuka Lake. He has put on about 85 lbs since then and is still growing, but he still likes boats and water. Anyone coming to the Wine Country show in 2015 should look us up and stop by for some Menonite bacon and a beer.

    Shortly after the show I ripped up my knee real bad and lost much of a summer of boating, but I was semi-mobile and back on the water just in time for the ACBS international show in Skaneateles. The weather was “interesting” as it often is in western NY in late September, but it was another great weekend meeting more WoodyBoaters and seeing old ones again. Somehow I need to figure out how to escape work and family and get to the International again this fall.

    Well, I gues that wraps up 2014 so thanks to all of you who helped keep the community going last year, and hope all of you have an even better 2015!

  5. Rick
    Rick says:

    2015 will be a great year. The woody is ready and our nearly classic plastic cruiser is undergoing a total gut to make it what it should have been from the factory. Happy New Year everyone.

    • John A. Gambill
      John A. Gambill says:

      Show us some pics of D old Plas Tic Cruise Rrrrr!

      I regard to the Aristo Craft 19. 12 years ago or more when I did my first glass restoration, ( she was a little 14ft Elgin, pic attached), I saw one of those 19’s on a local lake and said to myself then that boat some day will be a collectable sought after boat with her nice lines and that nice big sliding hard top, they are also quite deep so very safe for the kids and the optional in line 6 provides plenty of power for a nice cruising speed as well as the ability to pull a skier easily. Heck, that may be my next project.
      JAG

  6. Jim Staib & Jaxon
    Jim Staib & Jaxon says:

    Well here in Northern Illinois we end the year with NO SNOW! We started it with piles. Only two degrees this morning but in general a banner year. My resolution is for MORE BOATING in 2015.
    HAPPY NEW YEARS

    • John A. Gambill
      John A. Gambill says:

      With the cost of gas being where it is if it stays where it’s at I’ll bet my new can bilge paint that the Tavares show will be the biggest and best they have had in years! As a matter of fact I’m planning dragin the XK down all the way from Mich E Gan!
      JAG

      • m-fine
        m-fine says:

        I offered to write a story and will try to follow up with Mike when the water returns to liquid form so I can get more photos. The boat was covered in one of the Finger Lakes ACBS news letters last year but it deserves a story on WoodyBoater if not the Brass Bell as well.

  7. Alan Frederick
    Alan Frederick says:

    2015 will be a GREAT boating year here at Smith Mtn. Lake too. We’re going to be celebrating our 25th Annual and planning on having our biggest and best boat show ever.
    Anyone who hasn’t ever boated on Virginia’s “Jewel of the Blue Ridge” is in for a treat.

    I’ll be beatin’ the bushes to try and get all you “WoodyBoaters”
    down here for the Sept. 12th weekend.
    Big smiles, smooth waters, fantastic scenery, great boats, the best venue, – we’ve got it all!

  8. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Per Matt’s suggestion, I would like to shamelessly promote our Michigan Chapter Algonac show! This is the 30th Anniversary show, and it will include three days of great events. Cruises of the St. Clair Flats on Friday to an island lunch, and on Sunday to the Old Club brunch. The Saturday show is at the site of the original Chris Craft plant with the theme of “Blonds Have More Fun” featuring blonde decked boats of all manufacturers. As Matt mentioned, we are also working on a tour that will feature the maritime significance of the area, including where a couple of great guys named Chris and Gar would hang out. Mark June 26 – 28 on your calendars and join us for a weekend of fun “Where it All Began”.
    Happy New year to all our WoodyBoater friends from the Michigan Chapter!

  9. John Baas
    John Baas says:

    Happy New Year! 2014 was a great woody boating year for the Baas’. We enjoyed the heck out of our first inboard, the 1955 Correct Craft Atom Skier, which took Best Preserved at the Pewaukee Boat Show in August. I helped my neighbors find and purchase their first woody classic, a 1946 Higgins. Randy and Judy Wagner are loving the woody life-style. 2015 brings us to the 5th anniversary of the best little boat show in North Western Wisconsin….the Chetek Fly-In and Wisconsin-Built Boat Show. August 9th at the Chetek Airport. Bring your Wisconsin-built classic and join us August 9th! email me for details: jpbaas@att.net

  10. John Rothert
    John Rothert says:

    Happy New Year to all and many thanks to Matt and Texx for another great year gone by.
    Looking forward to Tavares and seeing all the gang.

    As for this New Years Eve…what else!!!!! I am GOING BOATING….spending the night on the cruiser, yes in the slip, and yes with the heat one…but tomorrow…crank her up an cruise!!
    John in Va.

    • Troy in ANE
      Troy in ANE says:

      John I was really hoping to join you for that New Years Day ride. Thank You for considering it.

      See You At Dora!

      Happy New Year to All!

  11. Dennis Mykols
    Dennis Mykols says:

    Happy New Year to all our WoodyBoater friends! We look forward to spending time attending small inland lake Classic events in 2015, with our 14foot outboard. Starting with my own home town show on May 30th, the “Spring Lake Wooden Boat Show”.
    See how I worked that plug in… lol

  12. Dennis Mykols
    Dennis Mykols says:

    To all those “classic event chairmen”, please e mail me your event details so I can include it in the Launch issue of the Great Lakes Scuttlebutt Boating Magazine. This will be the fourth year we compile and devote two full pages of listing for classic events “AROUND ” the Great Lakes region. (within 50 -75 miles inland of the five Great Lake shores). Send detailed info like you send to ACBS, etc… The additional exposure may help your attendance. dennis@greatlakesscuttlebutt.com

  13. Scott
    Scott says:

    Matt,
    Happy New Year to you all as well! You can imagine I love seeing the photos as well. Its amazing, seems like in the last two years we are now restoring and selling just as many Aristocraft Nineteens as we are wood based hulls. The classic glass boats are really catching on, and we are happy to be part of it! Thanks for posting the photos!
    Photo, our family enjoying our Nineteen this summer on Lanier, with my Daughter Ella at the wheel…

  14. Wilson
    Wilson says:

    Thanks to Woody Boater for brightening each day with something different.

    Guess I went right over the “smut” without knowing it, or I’m too old to be offended.

    Keep up the good work….You do a great ( seemingly impossible) job of providing fun and enjoymenteach day for all of us.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR, to Matt & all

  15. Dick Dow
    Dick Dow says:

    Bright and sunny here – but about 30 degrees, so no boating today… Happy New Year! Here’s to many on-the-water adventures in 2015 – we’ll see you out there!

      • Randy
        Randy says:

        … wellllllll, they did manage to take off but sometimes the landings were no too ‘safe’. I remember seeing one back in the mid-’50’s here on Lake Washington (Seattle) on one of my family’s boating outings. The helicopter rotor assembly (rotor angle of attack controlled by hand) was affixed to a 14′ or so aluminum skiff. He got off the water (probably 30′ or so) and the came down pretty hard. Don’t remember what transpired after that — I’m sure a trip to the hospital was next up. Never saw another one like that again.

        Hi Bill/Gail/Scott & family!!!!!!

  16. Wicked Wahine
    Wicked Wahine says:

    Congrats Texx & Matt for a great 2014. Looking forward to 2015. Much Aloha from the Wicked Wahine and the So Cal ACBS

  17. Philip Andrew
    Philip Andrew says:

    Happy New Year everyone from down here in the sunshine. Still a couple of months before the biggest boat show in NZ. ( it’s also the only boat show! )
    I’ll be reporting live in March.

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