By Tom Oncken
As a co-founder of the Wooden Boat Owners Association of Texas, Inc. (WeBOAT) in 1986, I helped forge a relationship with the Boating Trades Association of Metropolitan Houston that created an annual invitation for our organization to display antique and classic boats and outboard motors at the Houston International Boat, Sport & Travel Show beginning in 1987. In the latter part of 1992, we decided that we should merge the interests of WeBOAT into the newly formed Southwest Chapter of the nationwide Antique & Classic Boat Society, Inc. Near the end of the last century, as my personal interests were more strongly devoted to AOMCI, I decided that I would discontinue my membership with ACBS and, as a result, I turned over the boat show to the members of the Southwest Chapter of ACBS.
Since the Texas Chapter had always been a part of the annual boat shows, the Southwest Chapter has made a habit of inviting us to participate annually and we have provided old outboards and boats for display in the exhibits each year. John Platou who is a member of ACBS (as well as AOMCI and our Texas Chapter) assumed responsibility for setting up the annual exhibit a few years ago and is still serving in that capacity today. Late last year prior to the boat show, John spent some extended time in the hospital making it difficult for him to organize the annual exhibit. Accordingly, John’s wonderful granddaughter, Emma Bayless, assisted him in setting up the display for the 2020 show in spite of his difficulty moving around, and the resulting display was remarkable. By the time the show began, it is my understanding that John was moving a little bit slowly, but he was determined to get the job done and Emma’s contribution was outstanding!
Several of our members helped with the exhibit this year. John Graf volunteered once again to bring his trailer displaying the most impressive Mercury collection that most people will ever see in their lifetimes. John Graf appeared in the exhibit daily as he would allow visitors to take a tour through his trailer to see the motors up close and personal.
Several other Texas Chapter members stepped up to help John Platou with the 2020 exhibit by displaying outboard boats and motors. They included Darren Baird, Robert Black, Adam Finn, Greg Ganz, Darryl Hurst, Bob Macaluso, Bruce Miller, and Jack Toole. Mark Betner brought a 1957 Johnson 7.5HP and a 1958 Johnson 7.5HP for display. Morten Lovstad served as a helper with Kids Build-A-Boat and Kids Paint-A-Boat.
John Platou was able to convince a few ACBS members to bring inboard boats. Bob Germany brought his 1948 Higgins Runabout 19’ and Lindy and Lisa Robinson brought their Chris-Craft Sportsman 17’. Shaun Boardman brought his sailboat for a second year in a row.
Two of the usual stars of our annual exhibit were the Kids Build-A-Boat and Kids Paint-A-Boat which serve as a great draw on the weekends. Some key returning helpers included Alan Bischof, Robert Taylor, and Emma Bayless. Ben and Lisa Meaux were new assistants this year and they brought their daughter, Emily, to assist them. At the close of the boat show, a drawing is done and the winner of the drawing receives the boat which was built during the show.
Once again, John invited the Lake Houston Lake Patrol to share in the exhibit space for 2020. It gives us a great sense of security since police officers remain on site throughout the show. In addition, officers who inhabit the exhibit space are available to the public to provide information related to boating safety and security on the lake as well as other nearby bodies of water.
While preparing for the show, John Platou also searched for volunteers to provide a few vintage restored vehicles for the exhibit. I noticed that he found a vintage restored Ford pickup truck and a 1960 red convertible Jaguar. Both were placed in front of boats to give the impression that they were towing the boats. This is the second year that John has included vintage cars and I believe that they give the exhibit additional visual appeal.
As is becoming customary, the boat show was shortened by one day because of the NFL playoff game held on the first Saturday. The Houston Texans played the Buffalo Bills and actually won the wild card game that was played in Reliant Stadium. As a result of the game, the boat show is closed on that day. Unfortunately, the Texans lost the next game, but we have gotten used to that result each year.
I cannot commend John Platou enough for the effort that he had to put into this year’s exhibit. Although we currently do not know how the coronavirus situation is going to turn out, I would like to encourage anyone in our chapter to call John Platou at (346) 616-8010 if they would be interested in displaying boats or motors in the 2021 boat show if there is one. I know that John would be pleased for any and all volunteers that he can find. We need to support him in his effort.
Follow this link to see all the pictures submitted covering the Houston Boat Show: https://www.texaschapteraomci.com/gallery/houston-international-boat-sport-travel-show-for-2020/