48th Annual Boat Show

JULY 24-26 2026

Join us for the 48th Annual Boat Show on Skaneateles Lake!

We are excited to share and invite everyone to the 48th Annual Finger Lakes Chapter Antique and Classic Boat Show, July 24th - 26th.   This will be our 32nd year in Skaneateles, now well-established as a regional, family tradition and as one of the premier shows of the summer in the Northeast.

Exhibit Registration is underway now, and we suggest going online to fill out your boat and motor information as well as make reservations for the official Chapter events:  the Friday Night Barbecue and the Saturday Evening Awards Banquet.   

Go to the online page linked above where your information and payment information are fully secure.

Remember that registrations and reservations are honored in the order received.   

The online form allows you to opt in to a "purchase-protection" plan, meaning that if something comes up for any reason, you can get a refund until mid-July.  See the site for details.   Paper registration forms (emailed) are available on request, but there is no purchase protection with those.

Attached are all the details for the show.  And as always, this show is open and free to the public.  

Introducing the 2026 “Boat in the Bank”
It’s a 1963 Marchetti Hydro, loaned for July to the lobby of M&T Bank in Skaneateles. This will almost fill the lobby, with a 5’ beam and stretching 11 1/2 feet long.
A boat show tradition is to have a boat in the lobby, showcasing the upcoming Finger Lakes Chapter Antique and Classic Boat Show in Skaneateles. M&T Bank is the lead sponsor of the show and has been almost as long as the show has been in Skaneateles.
The boat was designed and built by Nick Marchetti. At first, the outboard racing community derided the boat, but grew to embrace it.
Marchetti started building his hydros in the early 1960’s. By 1973, he proudly exclaimed he had built 50 or 60 of them, declaring that he’d rather build 30 good boats than 80 bad ones. The boat is built with Sitka Spruce framing and stringers, while African mahogany is used in bottoms and planking. He bragged, “there wasn’t a screw in the boat.” He was just as proud in saying it was held together with Weldwood glue and Anchorfast nails, but the boats came with a strong caution to clean any oil, gas, or fuel so it didn’t weaken the glue.
Dave painted the boat with a Red, White, and Blue theme in honor of the country’s 250th. Photo by Dave Couch