SML Chapter, Antique & Classic Boat Society
The 11th Annual Antique Boat Show
August 11th at Parkway Marina 10 am – 4 pm

   It took nine years, but Don Smith finally found it.
   After scouring boat shows, pouring over magazines and networking with other antique boat owners since 1992, Smith’s hard work finally paid off.
   “A buddy down in Florida called me up last winter and said, ‘Don, there’s a boat down here you should have on Smith Mountain Lake,” said Smith, who ended up purchasing the craft after seeing only photos of it.
   Smith’s pride and joy - named “Home Again” - is the featured boat in the 11th Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show, which will take place Aug. 11 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Parkway Marina. The boat is a 15-foot runabout made by the Salem (Va.) Boat Company in 1956. The company was only in existence for four years and made fewer than 500 boats.
   “I just thought it would be unique to have a boat built in Salem,” said Smith, whose interest was first piqued when he saw a reprint of a 1956 ad for the company in a classic boating magazine. The boat sold new for $1,095 - without a motor. Today, one will run you in the neighborhood of $7,500.
   Smith’s find needed very little restoration, only a few extra coats of varnish, some detail painting and a new horn button, which he got from one of the original employees of the company now living in Boones Mill.
   More than 50 classic and antique boats are expected to be on display at this year’s boat show. While the event is free, donations will be accepted for this year’s featured charity, the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Company.
   Dan Holdgreve, president of the SML chapter, said the show would include inboards, outboards, runabouts and non-powered vessels. Most are locally owned, but many boating enthusiasts make the trip to SML from surrounding states.
   “The true aficionados will travel some distance to see boats and to show their own boats,” Holdgreve said. “We’ve had boats from Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, but most come from within a 150-mile radius.”
   The show will also include vendors with crafts and nautical items, food and drink, and activities for kids, including free carousel rides.
   The SML club has 43 members who meet the second Wednesday of each month. They are affiliated with the Antique and Classic Boat Society, which has 43 chapters and more than 8,000 members throughout the U.S. The cost is $50 a year for a family membership, which includes ACBS dues.
   For information on joining the society, contact Holdgreve at 890-2027. For more information on the boat show, contact Lars Okeson at 297-8451.