Antique, classic boats hit the lake for 49th show

PHOTO PROVIDED

The 49th annual Portage Lakes antique and classic boat show will be Aug. 9.

BGNN staff report

PORTAGE LAKES  Celebrate summer and beautiful boats on Saturday, Aug. 9 as Portage Lakes hosts the 49th annual antique and classic boat show. This free event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the docks, lakeside, at the Pick’s and the Harbor Inn restaurants on Portage Lakes Drive in Coventry, Ohio, just 5 miles south of downtown Akron.

There will be over 40 beautiful wood and vintage fiberglass boats, both in the water and on land displaying the elegance and craftsmanship of America’s skilled boat manufacturers, according to a news release.

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 personal watercraft with 55 chapters throughout North America and Europe. The North Coast Ohio Chapter of ACBS, with over 90 members, manages this show and is very active in restoring, showing, and using their unique boats. Many of these members will have their boats on display at this show.

In the last few years, there has been growing interest in original fiberglass boats that became popular in the late 1960s as wood boat production was phased out because of shortages of mahogany, production costs, and desire for easier to maintain boats. Those earlier model fiberglass boats had unique designs influenced by the finned automobiles of the late 1950s and 1960s. Some of those boats will be at the show, some sporting restored outboard motors.

The feature boat this year will be “Chief”, NCO member, Marty Long’s 1947, ‘20 Chris Craft Custom. In May this year, the boat was in the water for the very first time and looked, sounded, and performed perfectly, the news release states. The long journey through periods of construction to completion all started over 15 years ago when NCO member Ray MacFarland started building two of these very complex hulls. Member, Cliff Wolfe, spent several years sourcing all the engine, rare hardware parts, and all the hundreds of details finally were brought together after several years by Gary Kosiba’s skilled assembly, finishing of the project for Long.

Interested in purchasing a classic boat of your own? There will also be a “Field of Dreams Sale Lot” with boats for sale on display, so bring your checkbook.

Come and enjoy a cocktail or meal served dockside from one of the food trucks on hand next to the gleaming chrome and sparkling, varnished, floating works of art. The always popular collectable show posters and T-shirts will be on sale. Over 50 local businesses and organizations have sponsored this unique event as one of the longest running antique boat shows in the country.

For show and registration information contact the show chairman, Gil Maringer, [email protected] or 216-310-7475.