2011 M&C Report

WOW !! Oklahoma, you provided us with the perfect weather for a fantastic Festival. Moderate temperatures, light winds, and lots of sun provided the perfect setting for a wonderful weekend on Grand Lake.

Cruising on Friday was wonderful. Phil Henage and his team did an excellent job getting us all headed out in the right direction. Here is a shot of Phil in action doing an outstanding job.

This group does like to eat! Thursday evening at Carlos Montez, Friday lunch on the lake at Ozzie’s, Friday night Fish Fry at Brent Howard’s uniquely beautiful new home, Saturday breakfast and lunch at Arrowhead Yacht Club, Awards banquet at Cherokee Yacht Club, and Sunday buffet at Pensacola Pizza with special serenades from the chef.

SHOW TIME !!

Show day included displays on land, a Ship’s Store

with new sweatshirts, special greeters with the “People’s Choice Ballets”

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2011 Beaver Lake Report

Beaver Lake is beautiful and was a pleasant place to be on August 13, 2011.

Seven boats with 20 Heartland members had a great time cruising in their classic boats under party cloudy skies and warm, not too hot, temperatures in this northwest Arkansas lake.

We explored mostly the eastern end of the lake, although some adventuresome folks went all the way to the west end, too, and saw much of the 487 miles of natural shoreline.

Beaver Lake is near the headwaters of the White River and the highest of the Chain of Lakes. Shoreline rock formations, often covered with trees, provide the landmarks along the way.

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2011 Table Rock Report – Main Event

This “the most fun of all” events started early for six boats, eight couples, on Table Rock’s downstream sister lake, Bull Shoals. Then the size of the group and number of boats increased upon their return to Table Rock on Thursday afternoon. Twenty-three boats and over sixty people enjoyed the whole weekend of food, fun and friendship all centered around using our classic boats on the water on beautiful Table Rock Lake.

John and Carolynn Thompson led us in their 1961 Higgins for the pre-event and in their 1984 Skiff Craft, which served as a taxi for many, for the Friday and Sunday cruises and the great Saturday evening sharing of a meal and their lake house.

Dick and Cara Moist served as co-hosts throughout the event and starred in their roles Friday evening at the Ozarks Yacht Club and then on the Saturday cruise to Coyotes Dockside Restaurant owned by a Heartland Classics member, David Bauer.

Friday’s 65 mile round trip cruise went up the beautiful James River Arm of Table Rock Lake to Cape Fair, Missouri for a great lunch at Koppies and service at the new marina.

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2011 Garvan Garden Report

10^th Annual Garvan Gardens Classic Boat Show

It was beautiful! The weather. The people. The boats. The settings.

Starting Thursday afternoon, two boats from Table Rock Lake arrived early to cruise on Lake Ouachita, Arkansas’ largest lake, which is held in the valleys of the Ouachita Mountains just north of Hot Springs. David and Melody Lott in Midnight Cry, with passengers Joe and Anne Huffman, explored the lake with John Thompson and Mike Langhorne in WAVES.

It was fun to be part of friends gathering Thursday evening from six states to be ready to cruise on Friday morning. Morning coffee break was at Clay and Patty Thompson’s new Lake Hamilton boat house and under-construction home. The lakeshore was lined with the awesome beauty of blooming dogwoods and azaleas.

A variety of classic boats, from a 12’ canoe to a 30’ triple, 1947 to 2010, greeted the public at the Garvan Gardens’ docks. Young and old came to visit with cameras and memories. The phrase “Remember when. . .?” was often heard as the spectators wanted to share their memories and learn about the hobby.

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2011 Workshop Report

Workshop 2011 was the best of all school days. “Students” came from 7 states. BIG CAMPUS! Or was it a class reunion? There were close to 60 participants, many that we only get to see every few years.

“Chemistry” was the first class. Larry Hinton’s topic was Corrosion. Larry is the kind of teacher that makes you want to understand why things happen and how to manage what’s happening. A ragged prop shaft showed how a stray electrical current in the water could quickly destroy even stainless steel. As always, awareness and vigilance are the keys to management.

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2010 ACBS Meeting & Show

***Click here to see the
2010 ACBS Winners!***

Oh, what a beautiful mooring! 128 pristine antique and classic boats in one place were amazing to see in one setting, that being Bay Harbor, Michigan, for the Annual ACBS Show.

The members of the Water Wonderland Chapter of northern Michigan were wonderful hosts and provided exciting adventures in their blue water lakes. Six Heartland Classics members attended the whole week and brought home even more ideas for our chapter and for the 2012 Annual Meeting and Show which we will be hosting at Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake.

The Rover Award also came home to the Heartland Chapter as it was awarded to John Thompson for planning and implementing the two-day cruise on Table Rock Lake with an overnight stay in Eureka Springs, AR. Congratulations, John!

Pre-event boating opportunities took place on three near-by lakes. In spite of some wind and rain, we loved seeing the scenery and having the opportunity to have fun using our boats.

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2010 Table Rock Lake Report

Table Rock Lake, with nearly 800 miles of shoreline, meanders through the hollows of the Ozark Mountains going upstream 79 miles from the Corps of Engineers dam near Branson, Missouri, toward the southwest, past Holiday Island, Arkansas, and also follows other tributaries which reach south into Arkansas and north toward Springfield, Mo. Join us pictorially as the Heartland Classics went Cruisin’ in June, 2010.
We crossed the state border on three days, which included a two-day 108 mile round trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas pre-event.

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2010 Workshop Report

Event Chairman Dan Diehl put together a whole day of valuable information sharing about restoring and maintaining classic boats. The workshop was held in Brent Howard’s shop in Langley, OK. Forty-three old boat enthusiasts learned from the experts and shared their own knowledge in discussions.

Larry Hinton, Moore, OK, reviewed boat trailer safety and illustrated his presentation with the good, the bad, and the ugly of trailering boats. Larry made us think through the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) of our trailers which needs to accommodate the boat. Tongue weight should equal 10 to 15% of total weight. New LED lights are available which are brighter and sealed as all connections should be sealed. Tires need to be run at full inflation and then elevated off the floor when stored between seasons. Check lug nuts and make sure the wrench and trailer jack both fit. Wheel bearings need to be thoroughly checked each year and especially on a brand new trailer. Make sure your vehicle’s transmission is adequate for the tow job. It’s a good idea to inspect and make any repairs to the trailer at the end of a trip before putting it away.
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2009 Grand Lake Report

Classic Boats came from the Heartland and to the Heartland for a Grand Boat Show on Grand Lake of the Cherokees in northeastern Oklahoma, Sept. 10-13, 2009.