February 18, 2017: Tumblehome Boatshop Workshop

On a picture perfect winter Saturday fifteen members skirted the shores of Lakes Champlain and Georgeto visit Rueben Smith's Tumblehome Boat Shop in the upper Hudson valley between Warrensburg and The Glen. This visit was by special arrangement withthe LCACBS and perpetuates a long and happy association. Visiting Tumblehome was a particular treat because of the shop's reputation for meticulously accurate restoration work. Museums from accross the Northeast have had some of their finest treasures restored by Reuben: e.g. the Antique Boat Museum's Gadfly and the Adirondack Museum's El Lagarto - a Lake George race boat that had been indomitable in the mid thirtieswinning the Gold Cup three years in a row.

Our "workshop" benefited from Reuben's clear explanations of the work in progress on several historic boats - particularly some big launches from the twenties - but also a total reconstruction of an Sound Inter Club racing sloopthat is becomingpopular vintage racing class on Lake George. It seemed we were just getting started when lunch arrived. All in all it was a lovely workshop with not only useful nuggets of boat lore, but lots of chapter team building.