Boating News
Boat Show Opens in Winter Amid Dreams of Summer
By Steve Levine
The biggest show in town this week is a homecoming of sorts for an Atlantic County native celebrating its 100th birthday.
The Ventnor Boat Works, which built its first vessels locally in 1902, returned for this year's Atlantic City International Power Boat Show with a reproduction of its most popular model: the 20-foot Deluxe Runabout. Popular during the 1940s, the Runabout has a retro look with rounded edges, mahogany deck, dorsal fin and hydraulic engine cover.
The company built boats in New Jersey until 1968 when it went out of business. Entrepreneur Dick Thede bought the Ventnor trademark in 1994 and revived the company in Madisonville, Tenn. Boat enthusiasts at the opening of the five-day show Wednesday couldn't help but marvel at the Ventnor's retro design.
"It reminds me of John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe," said Bob Horn of Atco.
Horn, who attended the show with his wife, Cheryl, and 2- year-old daughter, Nicole, is in the market for a new boat, but wouldn't likely be buying a Ventnor. Retail price: about $75,000.
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