Vintage
Race Boat Shop
Vintage
Race Boat Shop
We maintain vintage wooden boats.
APBA Vintage Race Boat Circuit - 2008
Our first APBA sanctioned vintage race boat regatta was at Clayton, New York in 1992, where we got a chance to run our beloved vintage race boats on an actual race course, running some pretty hot laps. Since then, in the spirit of Gar Wood and Orlin Johnson, we have run our beloved Gar Wood Speedster on the APBA Vintage Race Boat Circuit. Like vintage car racing, there are actually people out there who run their vintage race boats on APBA (American Power Boat Association) sanctioned race courses, and participate in a very active APBA Vintage Race Boat Circuit.
These vintage regattas are run under the rules and regulations of the Vintage & Historic Division of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) and Tom Bertolini is our Chairman. This is pretty serious stuff, complete with surveyed race courses, safety inspections, drivers meetings, crane launching and demonstration heats usually of 5 or 6 laps. We do have fun, but safety is our main concern, and our APBA Vintage & Historic Division has a great record of running safe events. Click here for more info - APBA V&H Division
Click here for recap & photos - Wolfeboro 2007
Click here a complete list of all 2008 APBA sanctioned vintage events
For 2008, we are planning to attend the following APBA vintage events:
APBA Annual Meeting and Hall of Champions - January 30 - February 2, 2008
Our annual meeting this year is being held in Detroit, and it is important to have a large vintage turnout. First of all, it's gonna be a fun event at a great location, but more importantly to gather and discuss our many issues of growth - cause our Vintage & Historic Division is the fastest growing group at APBA !!! Click here for photos
APBA Vintage Winter Gathering - February 2, 2008
Valleyfield, Quebec APBA Regatta - July 4-6, 2008
Ben Lemay is working hard to bring our vintage race boats back to Valleyfield again this summer. This is a huge event, the largest inboard regatta in North America, running all inboard hydroplane classes, Jersey Speed Skiffs, flat bottoms, and of course our beloved APBA vintage race boats.
Detroit APBA Gold Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Regatta - July 11-13, 2008
Tom Bertolini and Joe Schulte are hard at work, planning for this summer's Detroit APBA Gold Cup. This is perhaps the most exciting event on our vintage circuit - as we get to run with the big dogs - the unlimited hydroplanes. In addition to the spectacular Unlimited Hydroplanes, this is also a very large gathering of beautiful vintage race boats - including 3-point hydroplanes, Jersey Speed Skiffs, Gold Cup fast steppers, and fire breathing grand prix hydros. The vintage boats will on display all weekend, and will also ran demonstration heats on the historic Detroit Gold Cup race course. This year, we will again be located in the "Piston Park" area, close to the start/finish line, and the logistics will again be just superb - thanks to the event organizers. We will have lots of space, 3 cranes for just our vintage boats, and over 100 feet of good docking on the water. The boats will be crane launched, and the docks will be so long that we will be able to pre-stage our vintage heats at the dock. The boats will all be released all at once - great fun and very dramatic - especially on heats with over 8 vintage race boats !!! Click here for photos
Clayton Antique Race Boat Regatta - August 14-17, 2008
The past comes alive as some of the best known race boats of bygone eras return to Clayton, New York, for our ninth Antique Race Boat Regatta. Clayton is the birthplace of our APBA Vintage & Historic Division, holding our first antique boat regatta in 1992, and Clayton continues to be the biggest event on the APBA Vintage Race Boat Circuit. This summer's regatta expands to 4 full days and with addition docking, well over 150 vintage race boats are expected, and will be running demonstration laps on a course, setup in front of the Museum. So if you wanna see lots of vintage race boats running at speed, you just gotta come to Clayton 2008. In addition to seeing and hearing these unique and beautiful boats run, spectators are invited to view them close-up in the pit area, at the Museum Docks. If you're in the sport, want to be in the sport, or just appreciate vintage race boats then Clayton is "THE PLACE" to be. This is a huge event with lots of action and varied activities. Click here for photos
Wheeling Vintage Race Boat Regatta - August 29-31, 2008
Dan and Deb Joseph invite you to their second annual, Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta, August 29-31, 2008. This year's event expands to three full days, with registrations, safety inspections and a social gathering all day Friday, August 29th and exhibition heats of vintage race boats on the beautiful Ohio River all day Saturday and Sunday, August 30-31.
Bring plenty of fuel !!! Click here for photos
Buffalo Vintage Race Boat Regatta - September 5-7, 2008
Bill and Rich DeGlopper are also busy planning their Buffalo vintage event. Their hospitality is second to none, and the beautiful vintage boats start arriving on Friday morning, Sept 5th with registration and APBA vintage safety inspections during the day, followed with the now famous free "Pit Pass Party" at the Launch Club. The Vintage boats will be on display on Saturday and will run demonstration laps on the historic BLC race course all day long. The sights and sounds are spectacular from the docks - and you just gotta check out the great videos produced by Rich DeGlopper. Click here for photos
Lake George, New York – September 26-27, 2008
Teri and Jean Hoffman will again host their biannual Lake George APBA vintage race boat regatta. The fun will start on Friday afternoon with a parade of our vintage race boats right
through Lake George village, followed in the evening with the infamous feast at the lakeside
home of Jean Hoffman. Then on Saturday we will be running vintage heats on the course all
day long, so bring plenty of fuel. Special feature to highlight the Saturday night cocktail party, another auction of racing memorabilia to benefit the regatta sponsoring chapter. The special prize up for grabs will be a new racing helmet personally signed by all the Unlimited drivers, present and past, attending this summer's 100th running of the Detroit APBA Gold Cup. Click here for photos.
Wolfeboro Fall Foliage Cruise - October 11, 2008 (Local ACBS Event)
George Johnson started this tradition years ago, and now Charlie Train has stepped up to revive
our annual trek. This is a Fall gathering of our local ACBS membership, and a celebration of our beautiful wooden boats. We will depart from the Wolfeboro public docks at 9 AM for a leisurely cruise to Meredith for breakfast. All vintage wooden boats are encouraged to join our entourage along the way. After tying up at the Meredith public docks, we plan to walk up to George's Diner for a hearty breakfast and lots of good vintage banter. After breakfast, Rick Kourian will again lead our entourage on a slow scenic cruise up to Greens Basin at the northern tip of the lake, and then we will return home to Wolfeboro. Click here for action shots of our magnificent triple cockpit runabouts !!!
The following two events are held every other year - alternating with Clayton - start planning for 2009!!!
Rideau Ferry - CBF National Championship & APBA Vintage - August 21-23, 2009
Scott Cameron invites you to Rideau Ferry, to participate in the Rideau Ferry Regatta. The Rideau Ferry Yacht Club is pleased to announce that the historical Rideau Ferry Regatta is back on the Big Rideau Lake this summer. For years, Rideau Ferry was home to one of the largest race boat regattas in Eastern Canada. The first regatta dates back to 1897, when canoes, skiffs and steam yachts were gaily decorated, paddles and oars painted and varnished, oarlocks greased, engines overhauled and oilers filled, coal bunkers packed with the best steam coal, and brasswork polished until it shone as bright as the sun itself. The regattas became increasingly popular in the 20’s and 30’s with record crowds of over 4,000 people attending the one day event in a village with a population of less than 100. In the late 40’s the RFYC Regattas were sanctioned under APBA and attracted many outstanding drivers such as J.L. Schoolcroft, Schenectady, N.Y.; Don Chase, Northhampton, Mass.; E.P. Burger, Sydney, N.Y.; and W.H. Backner, from Gloversville, N.Y. Shortly after, other racers joined in, Chester Olcott, Dover N.H.; H.P. Shakescraft, White Plains, N.J.; and Gaston Facteau, Montreal, Que. Click here for photos
Wolfeboro Vintage Race Boat Regatta - Sept 16-19, 2009
The past will come alive as some of the best known race boats of bygone eras return to Wolfeboro, for our sixth Wolfeboro Vintage Race Boat Regatta. Wolfeboro is now a major stop on the APBA Vintage Race Boat Circuit, and this summer's regatta expands to 4 full days, and includes 70 Vintage race boats running demonstration laps on a 1 mile oval course, on beautiful
Wolfeboro Bay. In addition to seeing and hearing these unique and beautiful boats run, spectators are invited to view them close-up in the pit area, at the Town Docks between 9 and 4, on both Friday and Saturday. This year our Wolfeboro vintage event is scheduled for the weekend after Buffalo, and as many of you know, our Wolfeboro vintage regatta is held every other year, alternating with Clayton, and we are becoming well known for our "flat water" and lots of water time. In fact, we run vintage heats every half hour for two full days. So if you wanna see lots of vintage race boats running at speed, you just gotta come to Wolfeboro in 2009!!! Click here for a complete recap and lots of photos
Click here for drive times & directions - MapQuest
A note to all participants !!!
For insurance and safety reasons, to run your vintage race boat at speed on the course, you must be a current APBA member (American Power Boat Association) and your vintage boat must qualify and pass our APBA Safety Inspection. If you do not pass Safety Inspection, you will stay on the trailer. Safety is the #1 priority of this event.
If you are interested in joining the fun, or just curious, here are some Websites with more information - to get you deeper involved.
Some related vintage race boat links:
