A Visit to the Tahoe Concours d’Elegance

We visited the 42nd annual Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance at Obexer’s Boat Company in Homewood today. We’ve been going to the “woodie” boat show for more than 20 years, so it’s cool that our magazine now has a partnership with the organizers. We enjoy sailing on the Lake, but the “woodies” are famous.

This year the Concours d’Elegance returned to the West Shore. “We’ve come full circle,” says Dave Olson, president of the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation. “From our first show in 1972 at Chambers Landing to Tahoe City’s Tahoe Boat Company in 1976. Then on to Carnelian Bay in 1993, and now back to the West Shore, the birthplace of wooden pleasure boating on Lake Tahoe.”

Obexer’s was the first wooden boat dealership on Tahoe, selling Gar Woods.

We saw more than 60 “woodies” on display. Each one is a work of art. One of the boats, a 1942, 17-foot Chris-Craft Roundabout called “Lahontan” is owned by Trent and Karen Pridemore of Grass Valley.

Others included “Big Sky,” a 1946, 21-foot Stan-Craft Torpedo Runabout. It has won the “People’s Choice” award 10 times at Tahoe.

It was a gorgeous day, with sweeping views of the Lake from Obexer’s. A band played jazz music while people meandered along the docks, admiring the “woodies.”

Dave Olson is president of the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation. His Olson Steel, of San Leandro, built a custom steel bridge to accommodate visitors at Obexer’s. It was a cool addition to the show — and practical.

Chicago Park Artist Roy Dryer, who has created the official poster for the show since 1984, was out showing his poster — and autographing them if you wanted.

Mike Lathbury, owner of Smokey’s Kitchen in Truckee, was the caterer, offering gourmet burgers, pulled-pork sandwiches and fresh salads.

People parked in Homewood Mountain Resort’s lots for skiers and a Porsche Cayenne towed them back and forth on a wagon. (It was a clever idea: Niello Porsche was a sponsor).

We would be happy if the show returned to Obexer’s next year: it is intimate and a spectacular lakeside setting. It’s also adjacent to the Tahoe Maritime Museum, a real gem that offered free admission to wooden boat show attendees.