The antique boat show in Skaneateles, NY came to an end on Sunday afternoon. The little village was packed with folks walking along the city pier looking at all of the boats entered into the judging contest and also with folks just walking around and enjoying a summer day along Skaneateles Lake.
When we arrived Sunday afternoon, there was a jazz band playing in the gazebo along the lake. There were all kinds of new and vintage wood boats parked along the pier. I was surprised as the newest one, the Mighty Mouse, was home built in Auburn, NY in 2010. It sported a 300 hp Chevy engine in a 16 ft. boat!
The oldest one that I saw was the Elizabeth Ellen, build in 1925 with a 25 hp engine. That boat came from Webster, NY. I liked the design complete with the wicker chairs for seats and it seemed to me to be more representative of what I imagined boating was like in the twenties.
And then there was the Emerald Cut, a 1942 Chris Craft with a 130 hp engine from Hammondsport, NY. Of all the boats, this one remained me most of the Chris Craft speed boat that was at the Chippewa Lake Amusement Park in Ohio when I was a teenager. And it also served as a reminder of how quickly time passes as that boat and I are about the same age!
