The 1970s were a decade that saw a lot of changes on the water. Starting in the 1950s, more and more boats were being made from fibreglass and when the 1970s hit, the mass production of fibreglass boats was in full force. Suddenly owning a boat was more affordable and as a result, thousands became involved in boating. Lakes across the country became hubs of activity.
The fibreglass movement wasn’t good for wooden boats, though. There was a time when all boats were made from wood but with new technology these classic wooden marvels were becoming obsolete. With the advent of fiberglass, people saw the older wooden creations as a nuisance to look after — and they didn’t last as long as their modern-looking cousins. Difficult to sell, many wood boats were scuttled and dragged into woods and fields to rot. A few likely ended up as kindling for bonfires.
Some remained though as boat enthusiasts, or romantics, recognized the craftsmanship involved in these wooden boats was definitely worth saving. More than a few of the enthusiasts would tell you they weren’t keen on the new-fangled fibreglass hulls, either.
In 1975 a group of American wooden boat enthusiasts recognized the demise of the wooden boat industry and formed the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS) to honour the creations. Today there are 55 ACBS chapters across North America.
A Toronto chapter of the ACBS grew out of a group visit to a wooden boat show held in Ottawa, put on by the Manotick ACBS chapter. On Oct. 30, 1980, the Toronto chapter held its first meeting.
A contrasting group met at Harbourfront on that first evening; a mix of people that would prove typical of Toronto club gatherings. In attendance were marine mechanics who spent their days repairing fibreglass boats and their evenings restoring the wooden boats that nobody else seemed to love anymore. Amateur woodworkers who liked to tinker with their own boats mingled with wealthy businessmen who had several boats at their Muskoka cottages. History buffs who enjoyed the era the woodies represented, waxed nostalgia with adults who loved to fondly recall the wooden boats of their youth.
United by a love of wooden boats and a desire to see them continue to ply the waters, the Toronto club continued to grow.
Over the next few years the Toronto chapter held boat shows, workshops and helmed a booth at the Toronto International Boat Show. Membership in the organization grew and today ACBS Toronto is the largest of the 55 chapters.
Although the group was having great success in Toronto, Muskoka proved to be the club’s spiritual home. Muskoka has a tremendous boatbuilding history with names such as Duke, Greavette, Minett-Shields and Ditchburn rising to prominence.
Most Muskoka cottagers had boathouses which made the perfect storage place, meaning classic craft didn’t have to be scuttled. Nestled in such ideal conditions many of these cottagers’ boats were in exquisite shape, and the owners didn’t want to transport them back and forth to be displayed in Toronto.
In 1986 the Molson Indy race was launched. It took over downtown Toronto on the same weekend as the annual ACBS boat show. Sponsors for the ACBS event were hard to find, crowds were thin and boat entries were down to a mere couple of dozen.
That marked the end of the club’s Harbourfront home. From then on, ACBS Toronto would hold its boat shows in Peterborough, Orillia and Muskoka.
It turned out to be a great move. People who attended boat shows outside the city seemed, to many exhibitors, to be more knowledgeable. These weren’t tourists looking for a way to pass some time; most seemed genuinely interested in the boats.
“One of the misconceptions,” said John Storey, chair for the 2009 ACBS Toronto summer boat show: “is that the club is all about owning very expensive and glamourous wooden boats. Most of our members have Peterborough runabouts and craft including anything from canoes to sailboats. In fact, you don’t even have to own a wooden boat to be a member. It’s all about having a love of old boats and a desire to see them preserved.”
At most boat shows exhibitors spend much of the day sitting aboard their boats, chatting with passers by or visiting with old friends.
As well as bringing together people with a love for classic boats, the society also brings together boat owners and boat restorers.
“To maintain a wooden boat, there are proper techniques and professionals are willing to share this information at our workshops,” said Mary Storey, who owns a dippy and a Greveatte utility with John. “Members are caretakers of the boats for the next generation and every year we get new and younger members. The return of the wooden boat has also maintained modern day boat builders in Muskoka. There are numerous workshops on repairing and restoring classic boats and many (of these boat-builders) are even making new ones. I guess we are running out of old boats to rescue from fields and the bottom of lakes.”
ACBS Toronto has also been involved in a number of renovation and building projects. The club donated money toward the renovation of the Segwun, Wanda III, Bigwin Steamship and to the building of the Wenonah II. They also donated funds to the construction of the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre located in Gravenhurst, and the ACBS Toronto archives are housed there.
Thanks to the club, the future of wooden boats seems more secure now than ever.
Of course, time marches on. Nowadays those early fibreglass boats — the ones that almost started the beginning of the end for wooden boat building — are being welcomed to the annual ACBS summer show.
“A lot of those early fibreglass boats are now considered antiques,” said John. “Our aim is to protect, preserve and promote our Canadian heritage of vintage watercraft and we are welcoming all boats. At this year’s show we are honouring the utility boat and are also planning on having classic cars of the same era so people can really go back in time.”
In seems time was the enemy being battled all along. The passage of time takes away the old boat builders, those who remember how to shape a garboard with a bow saw and a hand plane. When allied with moisture and neglect, time can turn once beautiful boats into unrecognizable piles of junk.
Thirty years ago, a few people realized time was taking away something that couldn’t be replaced. They decided to do what they could to preserve the classic boats they loved and to keep alive the memories of them.
It turned out they weren’t alone. In fact, these people were part of a movement, a growing realization that old wooden boats had something to offer, something which couldn’t be duplicated by mass-produced fibreglass or aluminum.
The old wooden boats were built by workmen who spent time with the boats rather than popping them out of a mold in a single day. An old boat has had time to accumulate stories and soak up something of the lives of its owners, and was built of something which was itself once alive.
ACBS Toronto didn’t create the desire to preserve classic boats but it has channeled and shaped that desire. More than that, the club has given its members the tools and the encouragement they need to keep the old boats alive.
There is life in an old boat, and personality and vitality. Head to the ACBS summer boat show in Gravenhurst on July 11, 2009 and you’ll feel it.
