The Antique Boat Museum (ABM) will host the 2nd Annual Bob Speltz Day on Saturday, August 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., celebrating the legacy of one of the wooden boating world’s most influential historians while inviting visitors to explore the Museum’s library and archival collections up close.

Bob Speltz was a passionate historian, writer, and lifelong boating enthusiast whose multi-volume series, The Real Runabouts, remains one of the most respected resources on classic wooden boats. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Speltz documented the histories of countless boatbuilders and helped preserve stories that might otherwise have been lost, inspiring generations of collectors, restorers, researchers, and boating enthusiasts.

 

Bob Speltz Day highlights the important work of the Antique Boat Museum’s Lou Smith Library & Marion Clayton Link Archives, where photographs, documents, publications, research materials, and other resources help preserve and share the history of recreational boating.

 

 

Throughout the day, visitors will have opportunities to learn more about how these materials are cared for, researched, and made accessible. Activities include a Digitization Station, where guests may bring photographs to be scanned on-site and receive digital copies on their own ABM flash drive; digitization demonstrations offering a firsthand look at the process of preserving historic photographs and documents; a museum-wide scavenger hunt; and a Research Help Desk, where Museum staff will assist visitors with questions about boats, builders, and wooden boating history.

The event is designed to give both longtime boating enthusiasts and curious visitors a closer look at the resources behind the stories told throughout the Museum and the ongoing work required to preserve boating history for future generations.

 

The 2nd Annual Bob Speltz Day takes place Saturday, August 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Antique Boat Museum, 750 Mary Street, Clayton, New York. Museum admission is $15.

Bob Speltz Day is proudly sponsored by the Land-O-Lakes Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS). Based in the Upper Midwest, the chapter is dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of antique and classic boats.

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