Enthusiasts keep vintage boats on the water
Chuck Miklos is an antiques collector, but you won't find his collectibles on a shelf or in a display case. They're more likely to be floating in the waters of Conneaut Lake or any of Pittsburgh's three rivers.
Miklos, of Bellevue, is a member of the Allegheny Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, a group dedicated to preserving the mostly wooden pleasure boats built from the 1930s to 1960s.
Miklos and his four sons -- Paul, of Grove City, Frank, of Rochester, Erik, of Washington, and Robert, of Bellevue, -- work together in a boat restoration business, Chuck Miklos & Sons Restorations, and they all will be displaying antiques with other society members this weekend and next at the 46th annual Pittsburgh Boat Show at the David Lawrence Convention Center. The group will build a 10-foot rowboat during the show to demonstrate the basic structure of a wood vessel.
Chuck Miklos says he has been restoring boats since 1949.
"When I started, it was out of necessity, not nostalgia," he says. "I love to take in boats in really bad shape. I can't see old boats being destroyed. I don't know how many I've saved from the burn pile."
He owns 10 to 12 antique boats, he says, that are "in various stages of disrepair." His vintage fleet, which he docks at Conneaut Lake, includes a 1934 14-foot Century Thunderbolt speed boat powered by a 62-horsepower inboard motor, and a 1968 Century Coronado with a 335-horsepower Chrysler engine that can do 65 miles per hour.
Another boat preservation enthusiast is Scott Becker, of North Strabane, who owns a 13-foot 1958 Penn Yan canvas-over-cedar fishing boat, and an original Tee Nee trailer with tear-drop fenders from the same year that was made in Youngstown, Ohio.
Becker says he'll have his boat at the Pittsburgh boat show, along with a display of old Johnson and Mercury motors from the 1950s. He says he got into the hobby after his father passed away and his mother gave him his dad's wooden boat.
"I have others I'm working on," he says. "They stand apart from the fiberglass boats you see today."
The local chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society sponsors two river trips a year and other activities. Members will be on hand at the boat show to answer questions about vintage boats and to recruit new members.
Several area boat dealers will have displays at the show, including Fox Chapel Marine. Salesman Ron Cook says he will bring 45 to 50 new models, ranging from a 17-foot Searay runabout to a 43-foot Sportbridge cabin cruiser with a price tag of $477,000.
Cook attended the Cleveland Boat Show last weekend, and says attendance was good. He thinks people are spending more time on the waterways. "Boat sales actually are up since 9/11, which changed the thinking of recreational sports enthusiasts," he says. "People who for years before took two- or three-week vacations mostly are staying around their homes, taking more family weekends."
He also says that first-time boat buyers who in the past purchased 17- to 19-foot speedboats are opting for bigger vessels ranging from 26 to 28 feet. Demand for larger yachts and houseboats is related to the increasing interest in boating, Cook says. "Families with young children want a boat that they are able to stay in overnight."
Retail sales of boats and related products and services used by the nation's 17 million recreational boat owners amount to an estimated $23 billion annually in the U.S., according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
Andrew Talento, general manager of Tri-River Marine Trade Association, sponsor of the Pittsburgh Boat Show, says the Bassmaster Series fishing championship held in Pittsburgh last summer brought attention to the area's waterways, and new marinas and businesses on the city's shores are a good sign for the future of boating in western Pennsylvania.
"I really think we're seeing a new beginning," he says. "Our waterways are growing, and it's only going to get better."
The show will feature a variety of displays of ski boats, pontoon boats, deck boats, bass boats, runabouts and high-performance offshore vessels. A Discover Boating display will offer information about the boating lifestyle and costs associated with it. Local marinas, boat clubs and vendors also will have exhibits.
Additional Information:
Details
46th annual Pittsburgh Boat Show
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Feb. 3-5.
Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays
Related events: The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission will offer a free boating safety class from 6 to 10 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 2. Those attending both sessions will receive a free ticket to the boat show. Participants should be at the convention center at 5:45 p.m. January 31 with a photo ID.
Admission: $8, free for age 11 and younger accompanied by an adult.
Where: David Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown
Details: 412-798-8858 or www.pittsburghboatshow.com
