Water Wonderland Chapter

The Great Amateur Varnish Workshop - Registration Required. Limited to 10-people
2026-02-28 | workshop, 1020 Pannell Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504, United States

Online Educational on the History of the Purdy Boat Company
2026-02-26 | Online

Grand Rapids Boat Show & Cabin Fever Reliever Reception on 2/13/26
2026-02-08 - 2026-02-16 | DeVos Place Convention Center, 303 Monroe Ave NW, grand Rapids
Mark your calendar!

1st Quarter 2026 ACBS WWC Planning Meeting
2026-01-17 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | Reagan Marketing and Design, 912 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States
Watch for emails with detailed information.

Fall Dinner - Quarterly Business Meeting
2025-11-08 16:30 - 20:30 | Top of the Mark – Park Place Hotel, 300 E State St, Traverse City, MI, 49684, United States
This year’s Annual WWC Fall Dinner will be held at the Top of the Park restaurant in Traverse City on Nov 8th from 4:30 – 8:30 PM. It’s been several years since we used that venue, and we felt it was time to have the dinner / meeting in TC again.
As of now we have 29 folks signed up, so let’s get engaged! We have room for up to 80 folks and you don’t even need to bring a boat! The dinner is FREE and the view from Top of the Park is the best in Traverse City.
There will be awards, slide shows of this year’s events, and more. For those interested in staying overnight, I’ve added a signup for a block of rooms at Park Place, but we need at least 10 rooms to reserve.
Sign up today!

Non Powered Boat Rendezvous
2025-10-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Twin Lakes Club, 2506 N. Hamilton Rd, Branch, MI, United States
Enjoy great fall leaf color in a small craft on quiet water – or just hang out with us and enjoy the friends assembled (you don’t have to get in a canoe to be a welcome part of this rendezvous).
Click here for more info.

ACBS Annual Meeting
2025-09-05 08:00 - 2025-09-06 17:00
Check the ACBS website for more details.

Michigan Chapter ACBS Boat the Blue
2025-09-05 | Port Huron, Port Huron, MI, United States

Pentwater Boat Show
2025-08-23 11:00 - 16:00 | Pentwater Yacht Club, 205 South Dover Street, Pentwater, MI, 49341, United States
It’s time to get registered for the Pentwater Yacht Club’s 23rd Wooden and Classic Boats Show next Saturday, August 23rd. Boats in the water and on land are welcome. Your host is the Pentwater Yacht Club, with David Reynolts (our WWC Director and Membership Chair) as the event organizer. Connie and I hope to see you all there!
Registration information is at https://www.pentwateryachtclub.com/sailingboating/classic-boat-show. Lunch is provided for registered owners, along with a Saturday evening reception at David and Holly’s lovely home in the dunes overlooking Lake Michigan. If you have any questions, please contact David Reynolds directly using the contact information below.
For those bound for Clayton NY, this is your opportunity to perform the final tweaks to ensure everything is shipshape before making the trek east, but still giving you a few weeks to make any needed adjustments. Here’s the lowdown for the show:
The day includes:

Boats on display beginning at 11:00 am.
Engine start-up at noon.
Buffet lunch from noon to 2:00 pm.
Awards presented beginning at 3:00 pm (“Best Wooden”, “Best Classic”, “Best of Show”, as well as “Century” & “Chris-Craft” club awards). Visitors will get to vote for the “People’s Choice Award”.
Boats’ owners parade around the lake at approximately 3:30 pm.
Commodore’s review at 4:00 pm.

Port Sanilac Boat Show
2025-08-16 | Port Sanilac, Port Sanilac, MI, United States

Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat Show
2025-08-09 | Cedarville, Michigan, Cedarville, MI, United States

Poker Run and Picnic
2025-08-08 09:00 - 14:00 | Hessel, Hessel, MI, United States
Get ready for a day of fun and camaraderie at the 2025 Water Wonderland Chapter’s 36th Annual Les Cheneaux Poker Run and Picnic! 🎉

3rd Quarter 2025 ACBS WWC Business Meeting
2025-08-07 17:30 - 20:30 | Les Cheneaux Distillers, 172 S Meridian St, cedarville, MI, 49719, United States
Parking is available on the street in Cedarville and there is a lot available across the street. Look for the ACBS / WWC signage!
The meeting will start at 5:30 and dinner will be on your own from the menu. We’ve used the LCI Distillers in the past (2023 LCI Cruise event and 2024 WWC Reception at the Tipper Room), so you know this business and they (Katie and Emma) know us. The main distillery building houses some cool alcohol refining equipment, as well as some historic boat memorabilia and artifacts. They are setting aside an area for us to meet.

Boats on the Boardwalk Boat Show
2025-08-02 | Boats on the Boardwalk, Traverse City, MI, United States
We are thrilled to invite you to the 38th annual Boats on the Boardwalk ’25! Set along the picturesque, tree-lined boardwalk of the Boardman River in Traverse City, this event promises a delightful showcase of vintage boats and a memorable experience for all attendees.
Click here to register.
Click here for the Captain’s Info Packet.

Lake Leelanau Rendezvous
2025-08-01 | Lake Leelanau, Leland, MI, United States
Come back for more details.

South Haven Boat Cruise
2025-07-17 16:30 - 20:00 | Kalamazoo River, Saugatuck, Saugatuck, MI, United States
****** CANCELLED ********
Mark your Calendars. Meet at city ramps/launch site up river from the drawbridge 625 Dunkley Ave, South Haven, MI 49090. Meet at the Black River Park Boat Launch at 4:30 pm, cruise starts at 5 sharp! Dinner on water location on your own. You are welcome to park at the Maritime Museum Dock AS LONG AS you retrieve your boat before they close the gates at eight. Options include Captain Lou’s (if their new construction is finished), or Admiral Jack’s. We can call ahead to see if there are small groups that want to go to either.
Feel free to come earlier to visit the Michigan Maritime Museum:
https://michiganmaritimemuseum.org/
Please RSVP to cruise coordinator David Irvine at jirvine123@yahoo.com by July 15, 2025.
1. 4:30 – 5 pm – Launch at the South Haven city ramps and then come down to the museum and dock there.
2. 5:00 – 6:09 Cruise led by Captain Kirk Hoffman in the museum’s 1929 Chris-Craft Cadet “Merry Time” which is pictured above . If the wave height on Lake Michigan is 1 foot or less, we can cruise on Lake Michigan going north to Sleepy Hollow, then south to Deerlick Creek Park, then back to the harbor. (Merry Time can’t handle waves over 1 foot). If Lake Michigan is too rough, we’ll take a 3 mile cruise up the Black River.
3. 6:30 – Return to the museum, dock there, and then have dinner. Several restaurants are walkable from the museum. Captain Lou’s is next door. Admiral Jack’s is across the river. Clementine’s, Maria’s, Taste, and the Black River Tavern are a little farther. Service will likely be slow. Please plan accordingly if you decide to leave your boat at the museum from 6 to 8 as you need to retrieve it before the museum gates close you may choose to pull your boat before you go to dinner.
4. After dinner – load boats and head home.

Boating Safety certification course
2025-06-28 09:00 - 15:00 | Kent District Library Meeting Center, 814 West River Center , Comstock Park, MI, United States
The Water Wonderland Chapter is hosting the US Coast Guard Auxiliary to provide training and certification for safe boating. This is ideal for any of our members, and especially important for those traveling to International this fall as this certification meets the requirements for boating on the New York waterways. (Yes, we’ve confirmed with ACBS that this class and certification meets the requirements.) We will meet at 814 West River Center for the day (a comfortable meeting facility operated by the Kent District Library.) At noon, we’ll run out and get some party subs from Subway. This educational training event and lunch is free to our membership, but we need an accurate headcount five days prior to the training on June 23. To hold your spot in this class, contact our impromptu Safety Coordinator, Peter Cross, at seaweedpcc@sbcglobal.net or by phone at 616-690-1290. Don’t delay; we currently have ten people planning to attend but are getting lots of inquiries and are happy to accommodate a lot more, we just need to know if you’re planning to attend. If you are seeking overnight accommodations so as to take in Grand Rapids and West Michigan for the weekend, I’d recommend a quick Google search for (Comfort Inn, Comstock Park) as this hotel is two minutes away from parking lot to parking lot.

Bay Harbor Show
2025-06-21 09:00 - 16:00 | Bay Harbor, Petoskey, MI, United States

Algonac Boat Show
2025-06-21 | Algonac Harbor Club, 1999 Pte. Tremble Rd., Algonac, MI, United States

Presque Isle (Friday Cruise), reception at the Lodge, and (Saturday) Boat Show
2025-06-20 - 2025-06-21 | Presque Isle, Presque Isle, MI, United States

44th Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show at the Michigan Maritime Museum
2025-06-14 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Ave, South Haven, MI, United States

Elk Rapids Marina Antique, Classic & Wooden Boat Show
2025-06-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Elk Rapids Marina, Elk Rapids, MI, United States
Check back for information.

Spring Lake MI Boat Show - with mid-day cruise
2025-06-07 | Spring Lake, Michigan, Spring Lake, MI, United States
The Spring Lake Wooden and Classic Boat Show which started in 2004, takes place June 7 at Spring Lake’s Mill Point Park. There are wooden boat-related vendors and up to 40 vessels on display both on land and in the water: runabouts, utilities, outboards, skiffs, canoes, an occasional sailboat, and “classic glass” (fiberglass) as well. The show attracts everything from project-boats needing restoration, to nationally-known award-winning restorations.
Additionally, The Antique Outboard Motor Club is part of the show. The Coast Guard Auxiliary demonstrates knot tying. Wooden Boat models by Roger Burley are often on display.
Past shows can be viewed on the “Spring Lake Wooden and Classic Boat Show” Facebook page.

2nd Quarter 2025 ACBS WWC Business Meeting and Luncheon @ Vintage Boat and Travel Trailer Rally
2025-05-10 13:00 - 14:30 | Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners, MI, 49060, United States

Open House for Loon
2025-05-10 10:00 - 14:00 | Eldean Shipyard, 2223 S Shore Dr, Macatawa, MI, 49434, United States
On behalf of my entire family, I invite you to join us for an Open House for Loon, our 1949 Hinckley SW 34 sailboat, on Saturday, May 10, from 10:00 to 2:00. Loon is located at the Eldean Shipyard, 2223 South Shore Drive, Macatawa, MI 49424. More specifically, we will be in the extreme SW corner of the largest building. There is a single, large wooden tugboat immediately south of our overhead door to Shed 7. At this point, we have completed the entire exterior of the boat, installed the new electric propulsion system, and have started re-installing the interior of the boat. So there is a lot of progress to be seen at the Open House. During the Open House, we will be serving BBQ for lunch at the marina. So please put this date on your calendar, email or call me with an RSVP, and come join us on May 10. All you need to bring is an appreciation for antique wooden boats and a healthy appetite. Gary Cunningham

Grand Rapids Boat Show & Cabin Fever Reliever Reception on 2/14/25
2025-02-09 - 2025-02-17 | DeVos Place Convention Center, 303 Monroe Ave NW, grand Rapids

1st Quarter 2025 ACBS WWC Planning Meeting
2025-01-18 12:00 - 14:00 | Reagan Marketing and Design, 912 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States

WWC ACBS Fall Luncheon at USS Silversides Museum
2024-11-02 11:00 - 15:00 | USS Sliversides Museum, 346 Bluff St, Muskegon, MI, 49441, United States
As summer winds down, it’s the perfect time to come together and enjoy a fun, social day before the holiday season begins! We’ve planned an exciting event at the USS Silversides Museum on Saturday, November 2nd, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
The WWC of ACBS is offering FREE Museum Admission and self-guided submarine tours for all members. After exploring the museum, we’ll gather for a luncheon, a presentation on the recent Keweenaw Cruise, and our 4th Quarter Business Meeting. We’ll also hold a silent auction to support our Youth Boat Building initiative.
Please use this link to sign up. You have the option to pay online or at the event, but you must sign up through the link to receive a Free Museum Admission ticket : Reserve Your Ticket Here
We’ve scheduled this as a midday event to accommodate members traveling from longer distances, making it easier for those who prefer not to book a hotel room. We truly hope you’ll join us for this special occasion!
During the 4th Quarter Business Meeting, we’ll also be voting on incoming directors. We have a fantastic slate of active, engaged members who have expressed interest in filling vacancies. However, if you or someone you know would like to be considered, please notify us by Friday, October 18th, so we can include your name in the election process. You can contact Brian Mortimore at bmortimore@kdl.org.

Cruise the Keweenaw Waterway in Northern Michigan
2024-09-16 - 2024-09-17 | Houghton, Roscommon County, MI, United States

Pre-Event - Outing on Lake Michigan Chartered Party Barge with the Century Boat Club
2024-09-13 | Manistee, Michigan, Manistee, MI, United States
