Boat Shows in the Thousand Islands 2025

This year the Thousand Islands Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society(ACBS) and the Antique Boat Museum (ABM) had boat shows that fell on consecutive weekends. The last weekend of July in Alexandria Bay, NY and the first weekend of August in Clayton, NY. Both shows were well attended with a variety of wonderful boats.

Alexandria Bay Boat Show

The Alexandria Bay show focused on “vintage user boats”. Many of these boats are in the water for several months of the year and see frequent use. Just because they are old doesn't mean they are not reliable and seaworthy.

An excellent example is The Ark, a 26' launch built in 1915 by The L. E. Fry Co, near the site of Clayton's ABM. Jim Holden's great grandfather bought it used in 1925 and Grenell Island has been its home ever since. Somewhere along the way she was re-powered with a 60hp Chris Craft model B engine that was popular in the 1930's and 40's. It's a great little engine that keeps on ticking and sounds great.

In an effort to capture boats at their best, many of the following images were taken both going to and coming from Alexandria Bay as well as along the village docks. The early morning light fell on Hay Day as she towed a Saint Lawrence Skiff. Making the photo more interesting, The Ark caught up and completed the scene. Stu Clough's father built Hay Day in 1952 and Stu built this skiff in 1992. A family tradition that Stu continues today.

More arrivals kept approaching Alexandria Bay. Victoria came up the River passing Boldt Castle. She is a spectacular 40' Gar Wood built by Gar Wood Custom Boats. Next came Miss Fire another Gar Wood speeding past Cherry Island. Cub a very solid 1917 Navy launch, which won Best Preserved, motors along on its way to the show. Analyze This, a 1957 Hutchinson, with the Sunken Rock Lighthouse in the background won Best Restored.

Here is the line up of vintage boats along one side of the Alexandria Bay village docks. Once again, Lymans make a strong showing.

This 1961 20' Thompson Cruisette is a cool boat, it might have something to do with a “form follows function” sensibility. The twin vintage engines certainly add to her appeal.

A Glastron, in showroom condition, won Best Non-Wood Boat, was certainly an eye catcher. The afternoon sun made this Glastron come alive!

On the way home, the main shipping channel had some traffic and wave action from the boat wakes. Then there was a break where the only boat in sight was White Knuckles (this year's Peoples Choice) and she was closing in rapidly.

Soon she put on a show for the camera and the guests in the front seat. Those folks looked like they were on a roller coaster ride for the first time. Randy Fletcher would cut the throttle, spin the wheel and then goose the power back up completing the turn in short order...

Antique Boat Museum Boat Show

A week later the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY, held their Boat Show. This year they were celebrating 150 years of Lyman Boats. The show had an extensive variety of Lymans that showed how the design evolved. While there were many Lymans with their painted lap strake hulls there was no shortage of gleaming mahogany, primarily represented by Gar Wood, Chris Craft and Hacker.

This series of photos shows the evolution of the Lyman hull design. Upfront is PYWACKET is a 22 ½' 1948 Lyman built with solid mahogany planks and incorporating a bit more freeboard (height above the waterline) then usual, Behind PYWACKET is an 18' Lyman Islander from the early 50's. The next image shows Orion a 1958 23' Lyman. Behind Orion is Serenity a “new style” 26 footer from the 60's.

The “newstyle” Lymans had a larger windshield and much more flare in the bow. This provided a dryer ride particularly for those in the back seat. In the background is one of the few 29' Lyman Express Cruisers built in the late 60's.

Lymans are still popular in the Thousand Islands, it's unusual not to see a few poking around the River on any given day.

Free Bird–The 2025 Peoples Choice is a beautiful 1967 29' Express Cruisers. The Bettinger's, who own Free Bird, gave out great stickers with slogans like, “You Don't Get Old–You Just Get Refinished”.

Lyman outboards were very popular in the 50's and made Lyman a major player in the recreational boating world. Even Ernest Hemingway towed a Lyman behind his boat Pilar to Cuba for his wife. (Referenced in “Hemingway's Boat” By Paul Hendrickson).

Miss Nancy was the last small inboard Lyman built on the eve of WW II. Gene Porter (a former ACBS President) reports that he retrieved this old Lyman as a gray boat from a storage shed in New Hampshire, more than a decade ago. He was taken with her smart lines and latent potential. Although the original gauge cluster was found in the bilge, a proper vintage rebuildable Grey Marine 4-75 engine was found in a distant boneyard. He then took the boat over to Androscoggin Boat Works in Wayne, Maine, where a newly hired woodworker spent a year on the extensive restoration/rebuild, including much of the planking, with detailed attention to authenticity.

The boat was used extensively in 2024 for boat shows including the annual ACBS show in Gull Lake, Minnesota. At age 89, Gene decided that the boat deserved better care than he could provide so he donated Miss Nancy to the Antique Boat Museum's permanent collection during the 2025 ABM Boat Show. A great gift that helped to commemorate 150 years of Lyman boats.

There is a new Lyman in town. Handcrafted by Chippewa Boatworks located in Seville, Ohio, these new Lymans incorporate some design adjustment and use some modern materials to create an impressive boat. With support from “Doc” Lyman (Tom Koroknay) they have plans to expand their lineup of boats and will soon have a new 23' Lyman that promises to be a winner.

The ABM's Zipper, is a wonderful boat designed as a commuter. Commuters were built for those with summer homes on Long Island to ride in style to NYC and back. The Stroh family (of Stroh's Brewing Co.) had her designed in the late 1920's but because of the depression she was not built. Then the current generation discovered the plans and had her built in the 1970s. They used her for a time then donated Zipper to The Antique Boat Museum. She runs nearly every day giving visitors to the Museum the option of a elegant River experience.

Vagabond, a 1909 Consolidated Launch that was re-powered about 15 years ago with an Elco electric motor. A few years back, Bob Schumacher, a Vermonter with extensive restoration experience, purchased Vagabond and forged ahead with the restoration. The project included a new keel from stem-to-stern, several ribs, some cedar planks, ½ inch mahogany planks fastened to the entire hull and much more... Vagabond is now owned by Sam Wilson and has found her new home in the Thousand Islands. Sam recently took Vagabond on a cruise up The Trent–Severn Waterway, a long canal system in Ontario, Canada, that connects Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. He reported that the solar panels and charging opportunities along the way worked out very well.

Then there was the annual auction, with several boats in nice condition, and some that were major projects. All of which sold at bargain prices. Considering that it is easy to spend 100K on a new 20 foot boat, purchasing an old boat for five or ten thousand dollars seems doable even after factoring in some $$$ for restoration work. So if you are looking for a hobby consider next year's auction.

As an added bonus your “new” old boat will come with a pedigree! And as one auction participant discovered–these boats float better when the drain plug is in place . . .

Boat shows like this, are something most people will enjoy. If not an active boater, the beauty and craftsmanship on display will be captivating. For the obsessed - it is great fun to talk with those who share that same love for old boats.

Next up, is Vintage Boat week, the week will include several cruises around the Thousand Islands and the International Boat Show. This will all happen September 15-21, 2025 at Clayton's Antique Boat Museum. The event will also be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.

There are many more photos to take and stories to be told - so plan to attend!

See more boat show photos on the News Page of: www.1000IslandsACBS.com
For ACBS info go to: www.ACBS.org
More about the ABM visit: www.ABM.org

By Larry Asam(all photos © Larry Asam)

Larry Asam has lived in and around Stowe, VT since 1974, and then spent several winters at Snowbird, UT, in his first career as a ski instructor. In the 1990s he started photographing Vermont weddings. Soon couples from around New England discovered his ability to catch the excitement and beauty of their wedding in photographs. By 1997, wedding photography became his full-time occupation, and this continued for almost 15 years. Now his photography is mainly focused on nature, old boats and the people he encounters.

Visit www.RiverGloss.com to see a selection of recent work. Since 2014, Larry and his wife Kym have been part of the Grenell Island community; he is also the current VP for the Thousand Islands chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.

Be sure to see Larry's other TI Life articles here . His ability to capture Thousand Islands in photographs is much appreciated.