![]() ![]() Upon seeing the less than water ready boat, Mr. The owner before the Hinton’s, Ed Stidham, found Mischief in a warehouse in Little Rock, Arkansas in late 1992. We purchased Mischief in August of 2012 from Jan and Larry Hinton after their 14 years of stewardship, becoming at least her fourth caretakers. She was delivered to Milam Brothers Marine Service, a Chris Craft dealer on Lake Hamilton at Hot Springs, Arkansas, on March 14, 1950. Mischief is a 1950 22 foot Chris Craft Sportsman (Hull number U-22-1530). Owned by John & Carolynn Thompson of Marshfield, MO In the past few years, she has won many awards including the prestigious Best of Cruiser Class-Preserved at the 2012 ACBS International Boat Show held at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri.ġ950 Chris Craft 22’ Sportsman Powered by a Chris Craft MBL 158 hp She is powered by the original 115 HP Chrysler Crown engine and runs eloquently through the water with the same hull configuration as the swift PT Boats of WWII, built by Higgins Industries. Andrew’s daughter, Dawn Higgins Murphy, still resides with her husband Bob near New Orleans and has sanctioned the name. She is appropriately named after the founder of Higgins Industries, Andrew Jackson Higgins. The Andrew J is the only 1948 26’ Deluxe Sedan Cruiser known to exist. The boat was restored and brought back to life by Dan Nelson of Nelson Boatworks in Minnetrista, MN. The Andrew J was found in a barn in Oklahoma and towed home in an ice storm early in 2012. There’s also growing interest in 1970s speedboats like the Chris-Craft XK19, Century runabouts, the Glastron GT 150 (the “Live and Let Die” jump boat) and any Glastron Carlson, metal-flake HydraStream speedsters and the early Donzi 16 and 18 runabouts.Owned by Jeff Oppenheimer or Monrovia, IN Many of the early fiberglass boats from the late 1950s had bright wood on the gunwales and transom and will still draw a crowd at the gas station. The ACBS only started judging fiberglass boats a few years ago, but the organization realizes that the next generation of members may be too far removed from the era of vintage wooden boats to find much attraction there. He’s having as much fun as the owner of a mahogany antique Charles Plueddeman ![]() He cleaned it up, replaced the interior and hung a 35-hp Evinrude on the transom. He spotted it in a storage building in 1999 when he went to look at an old car. Owner John Janssen says his 15-foot 1957 Delta was purchased when new at a Chicago boat show but never used, or even rigged. Local ACBS members will be the foundation of your vintage-boat network. It’s as easy as asking, “Tell me about your boat.” Then be ready to chat for 30 minutes. There is a story behind every boat and I found that the owners love to share that information. ![]() Wander the docks and do not hesitate to engage an owner with questions about their boat. Each of the 57 regions tries to have an annual event. They need another project.”ĪCBS members I spoke to at the show offered this additional advice for those curious about owning a vintage boat:Īttend a regional ACBS show to meet collectors from your area and to gauge the scope of the hobby. They don’t care so much about the finished boat. And when it’s done so is the fun for them. Some clients want to get involved in the project, hunting down parts, for example. “We send updates with digital photos every two weeks. “Some of our clients just enjoy the restoration process,” said Bortner. The rarity of this 23-foot Chris-Craft Deluxe Runabout Barrelback makes it a desirable restoration candidate Charles Plueddemanģ You are a person who simply loves a project. Dave explained the vintage-boat hobby – for example, if it was built in 1942 or earlier it’s an antique post-war is a classic – and dispelled a few myths about owning a vintage boat. Freedom Boat Service specializes in the restoration, maintenance and sale of Chris-Craft, Century, Gar Wood, Riva, Hacker and Lyman wood boats – how’s that for a chorus line of varnished beauty. My guide for the weekend was Dave Bortner, founder of Freedom Boat Service in Mound, Minn., a far-western suburb of Minneapolis on Lake Minnetonka, one of the classic-boat epicenters of the Midwest. The ACBS has about 7,000 members in 54 chapters, most scattered across the USA and Canada, “dedicated to the preservation and restoration of historic, antique and classic boats.” Running them is a superb–some would say, sublime–boating experience Charles PlueddemanĪntique & Classic Boat Society (ACBS), held at Reefpoint Marina in Racine, Wis., where there were about 120 boats in the water. A Chris-Craft and a Riva looking good at the dock. ![]()
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