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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, January 18, 2012 · 8 By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Restoration enthusiast has seaworthy passion Oakville's Richard Shorney has been around boats his entire life and has a penchant for restoring them. Now, he's helping others do their own restorations as well. The real estate broker is also a member of the Toronto chapter of the Antique Classic Boat Society, which has 12 boats at this year's Toronto International Boat Show, which runs until Jan. 22. Three of those boats are his own and two others belong to his brother Bill, a Toronto resident. Unlike past shows for the society, this year the group is holding seminars to educate people on boat restoration. "More and more people (are) coming to these shows, who are interested in old wood boats," he said. And they're trying to get involved without spending a fortune. "People generally try to get in with boats under 16-feet. Most of them are 10, 12, 14 feet -- even the old sail boats from the 1940s, 1950s." The society's boat show display features restored boats and two that need restoring. Shorney and his brother will use those boats for their restoration seminars. One of them is in extremely rough condition, Shorney said. "You try to analyze -- is this worth restoring? Is it a homemade boat versus a production boat? A boat from a production company is more valuable," he said, noting the latter carries a greater collectable value, he said. Shorney said boating doesn't have to be expensive. Of the two boats he has, Shorney said the one in better shape could probably be restored for approximately $500. "You can start off with a little one that still needs some work on it for ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER to the show: Oakville resident Richard Shorney belongs to the Antique Classic Boat Society, based in Toronto. It is participating in the Toronto International Boat Show with a display of a dozen restored boats. The group will also be giving seminars on restoration during the show. Above, a boat that needs work. Below, an example of a restoration project. boats right off the back onto the beach and into Lake Ontario." He still continues to boat and has a cottage in Muskoka with several hydroplanes (small race boats). Shorney said most people start boating with what is called a cottage seaflea, generally a small boat of no more than 10 feet in length, with a motor under 10-horsepower. Boat restoration is an art unto itself. It begins with finding a potential project in the first place. "These things you just don't find sitting around in a showroom," he said. "These things are found in barns, sheds, old driving sheds, old boathouses, tucked in behind a building with a tarp over it, some leaning up against a wall in a garage, some hanging from rafters in a garage or boat- just under $1,000. By the time you do your outboard, you can be well equipped for under $2,500 for a little race boat," Shorney said. However, new boat prices can get quite steep, he admits. Shorney grew up on the lake in Port Credit and got his own little boat at the age of five. "We had a house with a small boathouse and that's where we built boats. Of course, we launched the house. They all don't come out looking shiny. Most of them come out looking pretty rough." At the boat show, the group has a number of different seminars. They include analyzing the worthiness of restoration, refinishing, sealing leaks, restoring hardware such as the steering wheel, hand throttle or racing fin underneath the boat, and how to replace patterns for wood that is broken, among others. The society has been taking part in the Toronto event for about five years. "It has been extremely popular with the public. We get a lot of people, especially younger people, looking at our stuff. We, as a group, are trying to encourage more younger people to get involved in the old wood boats, to preserve and protect them," he said. That is what the Antique Classic Boat Society does. It is a non-profit hobby group that aims to educate the public about boat restoration and preservation. It also hosts a number of workshop events throughout the year to teach people about restoration. Shorney said getting into boating is like everything else in life -- you have to start somewhere. "When you're young and can afford your first car, you're not going out and buying a $50,000 whatever. You're buying maybe a $2,500 or $4,000 (car)." However, as people can afford it, they go on to buying a newer car. It is the same thing with boating for many people, he said. The boat show takes place at the Direct Energy Centre at the CNE. The antique boat society exhibit is located outside the building in front of the main entrance. For more information on the show, visit www.torontoboatshow. com. Visit the NEW oakville.ca Trafalgar corridor development opportunity available The Town of Oakville is pleased to offer 2264, 2274, and 2320 Trafalgar Road for sale. This unique property features 17.72 acres of prime, vacant, mixed-use commercial and residential land. Extremely well located on the west side of Trafalgar Road ­ just south of Dundas Street, at the northwest corner of Glenashton Drive ­ this high-traffic area includes easy access to the QEW, 403 and 407. Don't miss your chance to acquire one of the most exciting development sites in the Town of Oakville ­ one of Canada's most affluent and well-established urban communities with an expanding population of 175,000 residents. www.facebook.com/ townofoakville @townofoakville This property is being offered without an asking price. All offers must be received in the Clerk's Office (Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6H 0H3) by no later than noon on February 28, 2012. Legal Property Description: Part of Lots 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and all of Post Road Plan 473 and Part of Lot 13, Concession 1 South of Dundas Street in the Town of Oakville, Regional Municipality of Halton, which lands are designated as Parts 1 through 49, both inclusive, on a reference plan deposited in the Land Registry Office for the Land Titles Division of Halton as 20R-17093, comprising 17.72 acres. map not to scale 407 Dundas St Development Lands Trafalgar R d 403 For more information and a data package, please contact: Maynard Millman Manager of Realty Services 905-845-6601 ext. 3022 or mmillman@oakville.ca QEW Lakeshore Rd