Classic Wood Boat Show will display history and craftsmanship in McCall
On the first weekend of August, the Antique and Classic Boat Society will be in McCall to display some exquisite wooden boats.
About 25 boats will be on the water, some on trailers, and there will be a number of seaplanes during the exhibition, which will take place on Friday, August 1, and Saturday, August 2.
“Saturday is the big day when everything is happening,” Bill Coale stated. “We do a little boat parade down in front of the Shore Lodge, downtown and the marina.”
To view more of these stunning wooden boats, watch the video:
Rocket Song is the name of Coale’s 1947 Chris-Craft rocket. This glittering vessel, one of just a thousand ever built, features a cedar hull and two varieties of African mahogany for the deck.
“When I first brought it home, my wife said ‘What did you do?'” Coale recalled. “Then I took her for a ride and now I can t keep her out of it, it is just a lot of fun to run around in and they all sound really good.”
Coale and Jeffrey Hendrix, who both reside in the Treasure Valley, met us at Kleiner Park in Meridian. Hendrix has a unique 16-foot Chris-Craft raceboat from 1940. There were only ever 167 of these built, and restoring this boat with 90% new wood required a lot of work.
Hendrix told me, “It took a long time, that is one of the reasons for the name, the name is Bout Time,” as he demonstrated the 121 horsepower, six-cylinder carburetor engine. “It has some giddy up and go.”
Although Hendrix has always attended vintage wooden boat exhibitions, he is most excited for the ACBS’s Payette Lakes Chapter, which will begin on August 1. He will be able to display his own boat at a show for the first time.
“Whenever people see my boat, they want to talk about it or they ask if they can bring their kids to see it,” Hendrix said. “Even when I’m driving down the road, people give me the thumbs up.”
The club informed me that it doesn’t have to be this way, even if these two vintage boats have cost a lot of money, time, and effort. Participants can use more affordable boats or wooden canoes.
In retirement, this has become Hendrix and Coale’s passion, and they both eagerly anticipate the performance next week.
Coale remarked, “I have loved boats since I was a kid.” “We call us boat people because we just love hanging out together, showing off our boats, enjoying each other, and having a good time.”
