Lee and I journeyed up to the 52nd Annual Boat Show held in Clayton, NY the weekend of August 5-7. If you have never been up to the Thousand Islands, this is a must to put on your “bucket list”!
The show opened on Friday August 5th to heat, sun and humidity and lots of boats! This year’s Marquee boat was the “Dispro” (i.e., the disappearing propeller boat) and they were well represented with approximately 21 boats of various lengths and manufacturers and years. Chapter members Gail and Wes Van Dine had their 1950 Greavette Dispro named “Bounty” displayed on land with a great collection of period memorabilia, seat cushions, etc. All the Dispro’s exhibited, be it on the docks or on land, always had people milling about, taking pictures and speaking with the owners. Ian Dickerson, an authority on Dispro boats, gave a very interesting talk and used the boats on land to show visitors the various differences between the manufacturers.
Saturday again dawned hot and sunny and despite that, there was a very good crowd throughout the day. Judging started early and it was nice to see that there were exhibitors there who were experiencing their “first” Antique Boat Museum Show. The “Youth Judging”, sponsored by Hagerty Insurance drew a large number of kids and it was great to see the next generation of boating enthusiasts!
Antique Boat America started the boat auction right on time and although it was hot, bidding was spirited and all but 3 boats sold. The highlight of the auction was a 57 foot, 1924 Smith and Williams Motor Yacht named Kensington – a very large boat!
Sunday brought the awards ceremony and the Marquee was recognized throughout the ceremony. I am pleased to say that Wes and Gail’s boat “Bounty” won for Best Canadian Boat Other Than A Shepherd – congratulations! Our trip home was somewhat uneventful (with the exception of the 2 hour traffic delay) and Lee and I look forward to the 53rd annual show in 2017. – Bette Heinzman, Chapter Secretary
Friday July 8th saw many boats being launched and many going out for a short “cruise” prior to our cookout provided by the Essex Lions Club. The weather cooperated and everything went off like clock-work.
The Mystic Model Makers again outdid themselves with the models brought this year. Two new model makers were in attendance with models we had never seen before. It was always busy around the tables, with questions being asked and pictures being taken.
My thanks goes out to all the volunteers who helped launch, dock and coordinate the boats and trailers as well as those who helped out during the show. We will start planning our 2017 show shortly! – Lynn McFarlin, Chapter Vice President and Boat Show Chair.
This year was no exception with many shops in Essex and the surrounding area providing us with gift certificates or gift cards.The list was impressive and certainly everything was well received by our show visitors. Saturday’s raffle tickets sold at a fast pace and it was interesting to watch how people put their tickets in the bags – some spread them out amongst the 26 raffle items and some just put all their tickets in one bag! It was great to see a child’s face when he or she won – they were so excited!
Saturday’s silent auction featured a Limited Edition Print by the artist Darrell Bush (he does the covers for Cabela’s), entitled Legends at Bay, an Artist Proof by California Artist Paul Bailey (who did the Chris-Craft “pin-up” girl tee shirts that we had for sale, of a Chris-Craft and GarWood racing, a model of a Chris-Craft Barrel Back, a beautiful half hull of Baby Bootlegger and a whimsical lab robe/child’s quilt entitled “Preppy the Whale”.
Rob and Kim gave out “extras” of our various posters as well as helping visitors complete the “People’s Choice” forms and direct them to the boats on the docks, the model makers under the tent, ship’s store as well as the vintage cars and boat building up on the Lay House lawn.
Best Preserved – 1961 Grady White owned by Rich Rosselli – “Castaway“
Best Chris Craft – 1959 Chris Craft owned by Richard Haupt – “Old Timer“
Best Non-Wood – 1964 Aqua Ray owned by Todd Williams – “Telstar“
Most Original (ACBS Award) – 1951 Hiliner owned by Brian Carey – “Sweet Jane“
First off, let’s explain what the Disappearing Propeller Boat, often called a “Dippy”, actually is. The disappearing propeller was invented in 1915 and manufactured into boats up until the year 1958. The engine itself is very small, which means the boat is only going about six miles an hour at top speeds. One of the benefits to owning a Dippy, besides the slow and relaxing ride, is that the propeller can pull up into the interior housing, allowing the boat to go in very shallow waters that would normally only be fit for a canoe or kayak. Wes’s favorite part about the boat is that it is a very unique and unusual boat, that often strikes up quite a few questions.
The Van Dine’s found their boat, Bounty, in the free boat section of Woody Boater magazine in 2009. The Van Dine’s drove up to Canada, where the boat was stored upside down on a woodpile, and took the boat and the half of the engine that came with it. Once they had brought the boat home, they restored it with Schuyler Thomson, from 2013 to 2015.
Last summer, the Van Dine’s brought their boat to a couple of shows. One of them was our 31st Annual Mahogany Memories Show in Essex. Unfortunately, the engine wasn’t quite cooperating so Bounty couldn’t go in the water, but it was still a very neat boat to see up on the lawn. The other show Bounty went to was the 37th Annual Finger Lakes ACBS show up in New York. At this show, Bounty took home the Best Preserved Launch and was able to be enjoyed in the wonderful water. This summer Bounty and the Van Dines will be headed up to the Clayton Boat Show in New York, where the Disappearing Propeller Boat is actually the feature boat.
Southern New England Chapter - ACBS 
