Boat show news: Kingston April 5-6
It’s been a bit cold this week, but warmer days are on the horizon. Which means it’s time for things that herald summer, like boat shows.
Here’s an article from the March issue of on-line magazine Thousand Islands Life about an event in Kingston, Ontario this Friday and Saturday (April 5-6). According to the write-up by John Peach:
A first class educational line up will be the key feature of the symposium and will include a stream of Canadian and St. Lawrence River themed presentations focused on the history of the region’s legendary watercraft. The wooden boats of Canada and the Thousand Islands have been known for more than one hundred years for the fine craftsmanship, unique styling, design and construction that made them superior in the eyes of their buyers and owners of the early 1900s.
Cruising the 1000 Islands aboard “Chipanog,” a classic Gar Wood design. Photo: , CC some rights reserved.
Peach divides his time between Huckleberry Island and Princeton NJ. He’s active with Save the River and is no stranger to wooden boats, as detailed in this article for TI Life from 2010: “The Restoration of a Que’Sara, a 1932 18′ Gar Wood“.
The line up for the Wooden Boat Expo and Seminar includes a showing by Denny O’Neil of his feature film “Dreamboats of the Muskoka” and presentations by notable speakers. The event is staged with hosting help from two Kingston destinations, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston and the Pump House Steam Museum.
It’s the heavier-than-usual Canadian content at this weekend’s boat show that caught my eye. But all sorts of boat events are a regular part of life in this region. You might also want to mark your calendar for another worthy symposium May 17-19 in Clayton, NY, co-hosted by the Antique and Classic Boat Society and the Antique Boat Museum. As described on their website:
This spring the Museum and the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS) will be co-hosting their second in-depth, hands-on weekend restoration symposium on May 17-19.
The symposium is for people who love boating, building boats, restoring boats, boat owners, and everyone in-between. For 2013 we are adding a half day to the schedule as well as an hour to each workshop session. This allows more time for questions enabling participants to have more time for practicing the techniques under the guidance of an instructor. Classes include surveying a boat for purchase, basic systems work, wood repair, lofting, refinishing techniques, varnishing techniques, and vintage marine engine repair. You are able to choose between a variety of options to fill your weekend full of interesting classes.
(I should mention that both events – Kingston in April and Clayton in May – are in-depth presentations which require registration and fees.)
An Internet search to research this post turned up another version of the advance publicity for the April’s Kingston show on something called The Woody Boater – which claims to be located in the rustic town of Woodyboaterville on the shores of Lake Cyberspace. (The physical mail address goes to Falls Church, Virginia.)
For some good chuckles read the Woody Boater’s contact page with their terms of use and service.
Scrolling down the same page turns up a special dictionary and some key concepts, like this:
20. Every boat I see, I want. It’s that simple. If I could have a barn full of boats i would… Wait, I do.. Like that show, Boat Horders.. No I need that old pile of worm infested hull boards.. Someday they might be usefull.. …
Does any of that sound familiar?
Tags: antique boats, boat shows, canada, outdoor recreation
