The Alternative Press

SPARTA, NJ – A 1905 Palmer Launch Boat, a bevy of vintage Chris Crafts, a boat that Presidents of the United States rode in, the original mail boat and “Thayer IV” used in the film “On Golden Pond”, and a Corvette boat with the 2007 Indy 500 logo on the seats and matching pace car from the race, were a handful of items on display yesterday at the 2012 Lake Mohawk Antique and Classic Boat Show.

“This is the second [boat show] we’ve held, and there will be many more,” said Ernie Hofer, General Manager of the Lake Mohawk Country Club. “It’s another way that we’re bringing value to the community.”

Locals from around the area flocked in to see the boats, not deterred by the short downpour that occurred midway through the show. Once the sun broke, the boat exhibitors uncovered their crafts, and the spectators came out of hiding to browse once again.

Miss Sparta 2012 Stephanie Leotsakos was scheduled to make an appearance at the show in the latter part of the afternoon, Hofer said.

The boats lined the horseshoe area at the ground floor entrance to the Lake Mohawk Country Club, were placed on the boardwalk itself, and, some were docked alongside the boardwalk.

“These are probably the most famous movie boats of all time,” said Donald Ploetner II, co-chair of the event, during a tour with The Alternative Press, referring to the “On Golden Pond” vessels. Ploetner had three of his own boats on display.

Of the “Thayer IV” (which Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn cruised in) and the mail boat from the film, Ploetner said, “These are preserved as they were from the movie. They have the original wood, and interior, and are painstakingly restored.”

For Ploetner, boating has been a lifelong interest of his, when he would summer up in Lake Mohawk with his family as a child (then living in Short Hills), eventually moving permanently to the lake.

Sam Hoagland, another former Short Hills resident, who now lives in Lake Hopatcong, has his own legacy with boating.

Hoagland has traced the genealogy of his 1913 Matthews Boat Company vessel to famous passengers, including Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding, and Calvin Coolidge.

Originally named the “Skanendowa” after the lodge on the camp estate in Tupper Lake, NY owned by wealthy industrialist Warren Sheppy, the boat was renamed “Golden Years” in honor of Hoagland’s 50^th anniversary to wife, Jerrie.

Hoagland carried a photo album chronicling the boat’s history, from its infancy with first owner Sheppy, to life with its second owner Ray Jenkins.

Hoagland found the boat in Saranac Lake, NY in 2006, where it was also restored after purchase.  

Many of the boats on exhibit won “Best in Show” at other shows they had been on display at.