The Smith Mountain Lake Antique and Classic Boat Society will hold its 33rd annual Antique and Classic Boat Show on Saturday.
The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Goodhue Boat Company, Blackwater in Moneta.
There will be more than 40 antique wood, aluminum and classic fiberglass boats, both in the water and on land, displaying the elegance and craftsmanship of America’s skilled boat manufacturers.
In the last several years, interest has grown in the original fiberglass boats, which became popular in the late 1960s as wood boat production was phased out due to shortages of mahogany, production costs, and consumer desire for easier maintenance. These early fiberglass boats often had unique designs, influenced by cars of the ’50s and ’60s. You will see some of these boats at the show, powered by either inboard or outboard engines.
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John Coffman of Huddleston docks his boat “Doggone Fun,†a 1950 18-foot Chris-Craft Riviera, during a media day event held last week at Bridgewater Plaza. Coffman’s boat will be one of over 40 boats featured at the 33rd annual Antique and Classic Boat Show Saturday at Goodhue Boat Company, Blackwater in Moneta.
Club member and publicity chairman John Seal said he believes that one of the reasons the shows are so popular is because they evoke nostalgia and take us back to a simpler time.
“One of the things you hear over and over when you have an antique boat gathering is my grandfather had a boat like that … my dad …or my uncle,†Seal said.
Seal’s 1948 Chris-Craft Sportsman Utility, “Kemosabe,†which was restored by its former owner in 2003, will be one of the boats on display Saturday.
Seal said there will be a little something for everyone at this year’s show.
“We will even have, or hopefully will have, him again this year, an Amphicar which is a really popular thing with all the attendees, as he tends to like to drive down the loading ramp and make a run in the water, and everybody loves it when he comes back out again,†he said.
Smith Mountain Lake Antique and Classic Boat Society member John Seal takes out a reporter on his 1948 Chris-Craft Sportsman Utility, “Kemosabe,†during a media day event held last week at Bridgewater Plaza.
The show is sanctioned by the Antique and Classic Boat Society Inc., an international organization devoted to the preservation and recognition of all types of historic, antique and classic boats with 53 chapters across North America and Europe. The Smith Mountain Lake Chapter of ACBS manages this show.
The more than 70 local ACBS members are active in restoring, showing and using their antique boats. Many will have their boats on display at this show, as well as ACBS members visiting from around the country.
Donations are encouraged with all proceeds going to local charities.
“The charities benefiting from this year’s show are SML Good Neighbors and Henry Fork Services,†Seal said. “Both charities are focused on efforts to ensure that every child has the opportunity to dream, to learn and to grow.â€
