The Antique Boat Museum is a museum on the St. Lawrence River, in Clayton, New York

Clayton, New York

The term Clayton, New York could refer to either of two locations on St. Lawrence River:* Clayton , New York* Clayton , New York...

, USA, which displays the largest collection of antique and classic boats in North America. The museum hosts the United States' oldest Antique Boat Show & Auction each August. It is also the site for the biennial Antique Raceboat Regatta

Regatta

A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...

.

Museum Statement of Purpose:
"To collect, preserve, study and interpret objects related to the fresh water nautical history of small craft (less than 100') of eastern North America, with emphasis on the St. Lawrence River and the surrounding area."

History

The Museum was founded in the 1960s, as the 1000 Islands Museum. Within the Museum, a group of people formed the "Antique Boat Auxiliary" and organized a show of antique boats in 1964. The boat show grew in size steadily. In the early 1970s, a group of supporters established a permanent museum to host the annual boat show. This Museum was eventually named "Antique Boat Museum". In the years since its founding, the Museum has expanded. The waterfront campus encompasses 4.5 acres (18,210.9 m²) of public programming space, 1900 feet (579.1 m) of dockage and 1300 feet (396.2 m) of St. Lawrence River shoreline. The Museum's expanding collection of artifacts have increased to make up a collection which includes 250 watercraft, 65 inboard engines, 138 outboard motor

Outboard motor

An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom and are the most common motorized method of propelling small watercraft...

s and approximately 3000 smaller artifacts, as of 2006.