Vision and History

1000 Islands Chapter Vision

The vision of The Antique and Classic Boat Society, Inc. is to provide an organization wherein people with a common interest in and love of historic, antique and classic boats can come together with friends and colleagues in a spirit of fellowship and fun to share dreams, adventures, knowledge, history and experiences.

The 1000 Islands Chapter of ACBS supports and endorses the Vision and Mission statement of ACBS, and is particularly oriented to carrying out its efforts in the St. Lawrence River area.

Our Chapter's geographic area includes both the Antique Boat Museum and the Headquarters of ACBS, which provides our chapter with not only the responsibility, but also the privilege of supporting both with volunteers, staff, tours etc.

We at 1000 Islands Chapter believe that we are the exemplification of the ACBS Vision and Mission!

The 1000 Islands Chapter of ACBS is unique in several ways; it is an international chapter of ACBS, having a large number of Canadian as well as US members; it is the home chapter for both the Antique Boat Museum and ACBS Headquarters; and its members are from all over the map, drawn by the incomparable St. Lawrence River.

The Chapters' original officers organized to support other Chamber of Commerce activities in Alexandria Bay, NY in 1976. It was chartered under ACBS in 1982 as "St. Lawrence Chapter," and later was changed to our present name: 1000 Islands Chapter. Since that time our summer vintage boat show has grown to approximately 85 boats annually.

One of the unique characteristics of boating in the Thousand Islands is the presence of a large number of vintage wood boats that are still being used in every day activities on the St. Lawrence River.

Many of these older, wood boats have been in their respective families for decades. Some boats have served three or four generations in a wide range of boating activities that include fishing, water sports, cruising and just commuting to town for supplies. These vintage wood boats are well maintained, usually very reliable and kept in such good condition that they are close to “boat show” appearance most of the time.

The committee that established the Alexandria Bay Vintage Boat Show over twenty five years ago was motivated to encourage the owners of these “user” vintage boats to participate in a boat show that acknowledges the value of active boat use. They planned a boat show that would recognize the special quality that vintage boats bring to the River community when they are used and enjoyed by their owners all through the boating season.

The 1000 Islands Chapter believes neither a working boat or an exclusive show boat should have an advantage over the other in scoring during the Boat Show. The key to accomplishing this goal successfully rests in the sensible application of the scoring system by judges, by allowing the common characteristics associated with frequent use (not abuse) to be granted more tolerance from point deductions.

Current details

In 2008 a small group of Chapter volunteers concerned about the out of date and inaccurate information on the old web site, decided to build and populate a new site. Originally, the new address was www.1000IslandsACBS.Club.OfficeLive.com . In late 2009, it was determined that address was too clunky and was modified to our new address: www.1000IslandsACBS.org . Using the old address will still seamlessly connect with the new address, but our "official" new address is the latter.
In February 2010, the 1000 Islands Chapter donated a total of $5000 to various local charitable organizations.
To facilitate interest with the younger generation, in 2010, a Chapter volunteer is organizing an Intern Program, in concert with the Antique Boat Museum, to teach the unique aspects of these classics and familiarize them with the Judging process at our Alex Bay Boat Show. Interested parties, (Chapter membership is not required) should contact the Boat Show Chairman: Robert Lloyd at: TIShow@OfficeLiveUsers.com . He will forward your information to the correct member(s).

1000 Islands ACBS