Inland Empire Antique & Classic Boat Society
IEACBS Partners in Education
Since founded in 2001, we have partnered with schools in an effort to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), CTE (Career and Technical Education), and local business in schools. Starting with Sandpoint High Schools build a boat project, elementary schoolers little boat builders, Central Valley High School Chris Craft project. Contact IEACBS if your school is interested in a partnership.
Project Volunteers:
Steve Liss Paul Rodkey
Alan Wardsworth. Ron Yandt
Steve Zwarg. Bert Wood
Project Donations:
Ross & Kelli Schneidmiller
Charlie & Kirstin Freese
Alan & Lynn Thompson
A New Project for IEACBS, Paul Rodkey, and Central Valley High School
Exciting news — Paul Rodkey, IEACBS, and Central Valley High School are teaming up on a brand-new project! Paul has agreed to serve as the “caretaker” of a 1951 17’ Ventnor Runabout, which will become the club’s official project boat.
This boat will be a hands-on learning tool for members who want to gain experience in varnish, paint, production, engines, and much more. But the vision doesn’t stop there — we’re also inviting high school students to join in, giving them the opportunity to learn about the art and craft of classic boat restoration.
Now, you might be wondering: does this mean Paul gets a free restoration? Not exactly. Anyone who has worked with kids (or adults, for that matter) knows that projects like this involve a lot of trial and error. Things will need to be done, redone, and redone again before they’re right. So while Paul might get the boat back on the water, “free” is not the word — we’re just hoping he breaks even!
Alongside this project, we’re also jumping into the Woody Boater Contest. The challenge is simple but bold:
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Take an unrestored boat (“that pile of scrap”)
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Get it floating and boating by the Lake Dora Show in Florida
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Do it all for under $3,000
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And you’ve got four months to make it happen — starting December 1, 2025
That gives everyone time to plan, gather materials (beg, borrow, or otherwise!), and dive in. Of course, if you start a little early, nobody’s going to mind.
So, how can you get involved?
Stay tuned — we’ll be sharing ways you can contribute, whether through donations, lending a hand, or just cheering on the students and members as they bring this Ventnor back to life. How can you get involved? First join us when we get together to work on the boat, do you have a half can of varnish sitting on the shelf or something else in the materials listed, or would you like to contribute financially? Simply go to this page. DONATE HERE
Materials needed: Marine Plywood, Stain, Chrome, Interior, Engine points and distributor, Spark plugs, Oil, Engine paint, Mahogany planking, and much more.
What's happened so far blog!
1. Alan rescued the boat from the barn where it sat since 1985! Paul agreed to take on the Ventnor 1951 Project with the plan to have students and IEACBS members help with it as winter projects.
2. Alan, Paul, and Dennis, lifted the boat with Steve Liss huge hoist from the old trailer that we gave to Steve's friend.
3. Paul and Steve Zwarg got the engine to fire up after 40 years. Check out the video.
4. Paul started removing all interior parts and everything loose. Then cleaned interior with bilge clearer. Alan sent donation letters to business that might be able to help with project.
5. Yahoo our first donation, Rayco Tanks is helping us with replacement of the salvaged automotive gas tank that was kinda installed. It appeared to be a gravity feed from the back of the boat??? The fuel pump was laying on the floor but no place to connect it to the engine. In fact, What kinda engine is this? It turns the wrong way, down draft carbs, cast housing around the front, and Delco distributor. All those that know about engines are scratching their heads.
6. Possible student projects: Fiberglass hull, Below water paint, above water paint, CPES varnish stain decking, bilge paint, electrical, etc.
7. Time to pull the engine! Paul, Alan, Ron, and Dennis all got together and pulled the engine is an hour with no issues! Crazy!!! We also decided the engine is a Chrysler marine engine model 6-105 serial 1109 with dual down draft Holly 847 carbs.
8. Exciting News! Mas Epoxy is a new sponsors and is providing Penetrating Epoxy, Epoxy for the decking and adhesive to adhere everything down. More information and pictures when we start working with their products. Thank You MAS Epoxy!
9. And there is more!!! Totalboat is our new sponsor. They will supply Grey Bilge Paint, Fairing Compound below the waterline, White paint above the waterline, and Sea Foam below the waterline paint. Checkout Totalboat for all your classic boat supplies.
10. It appears the fiberglass is not orginal so we do a more classic build with matching art deco theme colors simular to other Ventnors of the period.
11. Thank you Hagadone Marine for storing our CVHS Chris Craft while we work on the Ventnor.
12. More to come ......
Once school was back in session after Christmas break, the Ventnor project kicked back into gear, and Paul Rodkey—project manager and owner—had plenty of decisions ahead of him. First on the list was flipping the Ventnor on its trailer. We wanted to keep the option open to move the boat in and out of the shop, or even back to Paul’s house if needed.
This isn’t a student project from start to finish, so the first big task was flipping the boat, which we estimated to weigh around 1,100 pounds. With enough hands on deck, flipping a 17-foot boat really isn’t a big deal. Under the watchful eye of Central Valley High Schools teacher Ron Beard, the students slid a few 2x6s under the trailer and rolled the boat right over onto it. Job #1—done.
Next came the bottom evaluation, and this is where things got interesting. To our surprise, the old Ventnor has a double-layer bottom and dual semi-tunnels that flow into a V at the transom. No wonder this boat had a reputation for speed. According to period publications, it could hit 45 mph with just 105 horsepower, powered by a 1942 Ford six-cylinder—likely military surplus after WWII.
The students jumped right into removing the bottom planking, which consisted of ⅜-inch mahogany over cloth, followed by ⅛-inch plywood. Everything was fastened with 1½-inch brass slotted screws and heavily soaked in oil. One advantage of having a large crew of high schoolers—especially ones who don’t mind tearing things apart—is that a bottom can come off in just a couple of class periods. And that’s exactly what happened. Job #2—done.
With the bottom off, we moved on to evaluating the frames. Overall, they looked good. There were a few loose and cracked frames near the bow, likely from an impact—confirmed by some fiberglass repairs we uncovered—but otherwise there was no rot. The real mystery showed up where the engine sits. Those frames were pushed up about a half inch from where they attach to the sides, almost floating inside the boat.
Job #3 involved sanding, cleaning, scraping, and “toothpicking” the bottom—perfect tasks for high school students. The plan is to repair or replace the cracked forward frames and reattach the frames around the engine, shimming them so everything sits fair with the bottom. One particularly suspicious frame, located directly under the engine, was only about an inch tall. To address that, we plan to reinforce it with an aluminum cross member, similar to the brass structural supports already in place on either side.
The big question, of course, was what to do about the new bottom. After following the WoodyBoater project, we decided to start by coating the existing frames with CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) to ensure a solid mechanical bond with the new ⅜-inch subfloor. While replacing all the frames with fresh wood would be ideal, this approach strikes a good balance. From there, the plan is to plank the bottom with ⅜-inch marine plywood, similar to the original solid mahogany planks, and then fiberglass it—again taking inspiration from the WoodyBoater build. - More updates to come as the project moves forward.
