My
perceptions of the beginning of the club...I had bought my Morehouse Utility
in 1977 and being young took on the task of varnishing it. What I didn’t
know would have filled a library, but I varnished it and got it ready for the
water (its first visit in over 7 years). The workmen down at Morehouse’s
Marina teased me about the non slip finish. But I still was very happy
to have my own Morehouse Inboard. My grandfather, Dr. Robert Knight had bought a mahogany 20 footer in 1956 and I have spent my entire in life in Morehouse Boats. During my “restoration” process I began to talk up the idea of starting a boat show for the Morehouse boats that my friends and I enjoyed....Ah those were the days to be young and full of drive, albeit somewhat innocent and inexperienced in the ways of antique boating. All I knew was that we had some cool boats and thought we should pursue having a show to display them.
One Saturday in September of 1977, Big George Zeth, Freddie Curry is still the owner of the only 22 foot double cockpit Morehouse Inboard ever built), “Cool” Rich (Morehouse) (aka in the 21st Century Jennifer Wells), and I loaded up in Freddie’s LTD and drove up to the Shipyard Museum in Clayton, NY. Way back then, John Bradley ran the shop and we spent quite a bit of time looking around and talking to him about our idea for a boat display. In our eyes, John was “The Man”. He spoke our language and his excitement for what antique boating was to become was infectious. his spirit was unwavering. I am sorry he passed away before seeing his dreams come true. (You could write a whole lot on how the true spirit of antique boating has been subverted and supplanted by those interested in only money, but hey this is America, greed is good.) Back to John, at the time I must say that he was not totally positive about our boats being in the Clayton Boat Show. Morehouse Boats, you see were not old enough to be considered antiques according to the Shipyard Museum’s criteria. Oh well, we didn't care. Maybe our boats were classics. Yeah that was the ticket! We just knew that it would be fun to try and do something. Somewhere along the way John told us about the Antique and Classic Boat Society and Mr. Ray Nelson and we decided to contact him.
We came home hot to trot. Big George, Freddie, Cool Rich, “Fair Jer” Feltus, Mike Morehouse, Dale Owens and myself wanted to get something going. We talked it up at the Deer Head Inn on Lower Lake Road on the west shore of Cayuga Lake. The Deer Head was owned then by the boat builder’s cousin, Allyn Morehouse. There were men who worked on Morehouse Boats, who were still employed by Bob Morehouse, who came to the bar at the Deer Head after work and talked about building boats. We all listened intently to the stories of the “glory days”: when the production of Morehouse Boats was in full flower. Jack “Cookie” Cook and Dick “Doty” Doty told all of us young bucks about what it was like making each wood boat by hand; using the forms to bend the oak ribs and completing another work of art. I thought then and still do, that they were works of art, as are all handmade wooden boats. Cookie, Doty and Bob made it sound quite routine, but I drank in every word. Big George, Cool Rich and Mike were after all very familiar with the family business and would try to look blase, but we all thought it was great fun to listen to the stories. They were also very proud of their family’s rich heritage.
I thought it was intrinsically necessary for each of us to share these great boats with others. So to get it started we ran an ad in the Geneva Times, and the Auburn Citizen asking anyone interested in exploring the idea of an Antique Boat Show in the Finger Lakes Area to please come to the Deer Head Inn on a Sunday afternoon in October. (I don’t remember the date.) The turn out was good and it was on that day that we met people that would help us fulfill our dream: Syd Marsden, Shirley Marsden, their son Bruce, and Jim Brennan. Jim had also heard of the ACBS and we decided to start a chapter in the Finger Lakes. Syd Marsden stood up and spoke of his family’s positive experiences at the Antique Boat Show in Clayton, and said we could do the same thing in the Finger Lakes. Syd’s optimism has never wavered on this. It was on that day the club began its journey to what it is today.
We decided to have our first event in Ithaca at the State Marina (whatever its name is) so the next month off we went to a rented room at the Holiday Inn in Ithaca for our second meeting. We had placed more ads in the newspaper and this is where George Morse (that old fox) and his sons Linc and David turned up. The meeting was very positive and plans continued to move forward.
When we contacted ACBS we found out that there were great advantages for us to form a local chapter. Liability insurance for boat shows was first on the list! As we started to see to fulfilling all the criteria for being a chapter, we discovered we needed 15 people to fill out the form, we counted noses and our small but growing group was ready. By this time, Jim Brennan had added his good friend, Bob Myllymaki to the group and we were on our way! I remember a Sunday meeting at the Deer Head and going around getting the 15 names. We were only a few short and managed to find willing participants. Allyn Morehouse, bless his heart, was the last of the 15 needed. He put his name down where there was a space to list his boat, he listed his 1975 MFG outboard. Maybe it could qualify for an antique or at least a classic now.
Before we knew it we had a dinner meeting at the Deer Head where Mr. William Willig, the president of ACBS, presented us with a certificate confirming our status as the Finger Lakes Chapter ACBS. That summer, we held our first Finger lakes Antique and Classic Rendezvous in Ithaca. We did not have a whole lot of what would constitute “amenities” but we had a good time. We learned a lot and knew we still had a lot more to learn, but we had managed to achieve a dream.
I will never forget Mr. Bill Smith showing up with his beautiful Fay and Bowen Launch. There was also an awesome Fay and Bowen Runabout, (don’t remember who that was or where it was from, but it was the first time I had ever seen a boat like it). Jim and Bob were there with Jim’s boat After Taxes, and the entire Marsden tribe were there with their dispro and maybe a canoe(?). What we lacked in this’s and that’s we made up for in a fundamental appreciation for our boats. Little did we know that from such humble beginnings, we would grow into today’s organization. I feel a great sense of personal pride, as the chapter’s first president, I at least got the ball rolling.
I will always be thankful for the opportunities, my involvement in promoting antique boating has personally afforded me. After all I met my wife at the 1983 Clayton Show. (My Morehouse was finally old enough to enter!) That was the year I had completely restored my Morehouse (for the first time). I have since restored it two more times. so much for perfection. Truthfully though, what we started has flourished and I will always be grateful for the friends I have made and the wonderful times I have had. They will be cherished always.
Submitted by Charles “Ford” Knight
Knights of boating web site-click here
Morehouse Boat Museum- click here
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