Cleveland Amateur Boatbuilding and Boating Society

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Cleveland Amateur Boatbuilding and Boating Society

CABBS brings together Cleveland area people who share a passion for building, sailing, paddling, and motoring in boats.

05/14/2026

HOT DOG DAY
Sunday, May 17
10:00 AM–2:00 PMChippewa Lake Yacht Club
5878 Longacre Lane
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215

Hot Dog Day is the CABBS kick-off to the summer boating season. CABBS member Jim W. is again graciously hosting us at the Chippewa Lake Yacht Club’s excellent outdoor pavilion and clubhouse. There is a launch ramp on the grounds. If you need a deeper ramp or have a powerboat, the public ramp across the lake will serve you well. You can cross the lake and tie up at the club’s pier. No boat? Come as you are. CABBS will provide the burgers and hotdogs. Please bring a side dish or dessert. If your last name begins A–M, bring a side dish; N–Z, bring a dessert.Kindly RSVP by May 14 so we can plan on the size of crowd. Let us know who will be coming with you. Guests are welcome. Just reply to Lou B.at [email protected].

All are welcome — see you there.

04/30/2026

CABBS MAY WORKSHOP
Rigging the Small Sailboat
Instructor: Ron Abate
Saturday, May 9, 9:00–11:30 am

CABBS WORKSPACE
3535 Perkins in Cleveland
Ron and friends will review the setup and options for sailing hardware and lines to ready your sailboat for the new season. If you were wondering what a gennaker sail is, Ron will have the answer!

04/06/2026

Susan Taft, was our featured speaker at last month’s CABBS meeting. A retired engineer and business consultant, she designs and builds light but strong cedar strip canoes and kayaks. Susan has raced in flat water marathons and paddled whitewater, but her passion is canoe tripping. Having canoed in waters from Hudson Bay to the Everglades, she dreamed of a wood “tripping” canoe that could safely carry she and her gear and weigh less than 45 lbs. Rather than work from existing plans she set out to create an entirely custom-designed boat. She opted to use 3/16” strips rather than 1/4” to save weight—which required a custom angled jig that could route the smaller sized bead and cove—and used Kevlar cloth on the inside for stiffness with fiberglass cloth on the outside for durability. A thin strip of ash added to the gunwales looks good and absorbs the bangs of wilderness travel. The finished boat weighs in at 43 lbs. Susan inspired us all.

03/16/2026

MARCH LEARNING WORKSHOP
for CABBS members
BASICS OF SEWING
Instructor: Ernie Michaud
March 21, Saturday, 9:00–11:30 AM

Learn the capabilities of the CABBS sewing machine and basic sewing techniques so you can complete your own projects at the shop. Bring an item for repair and hands on learning.

CABBS Workspace
3535 Perkins Avenue
at E. 36th Street
Cleveland

03/08/2026

CABBS Meeting Presentation, March 8, 1:30 PM, at the CABBS Workspace, 3535 Perkins in Cleveland. Susan Taft, canoe builder, will discuss the considerations involved when using boat design CAD software to design a hand-powered watercraft, specifically a canoe or kayak. She will then show her process for moving from the CAD design to wood-cored composite construction
using wood-strip building techniques to produce a canoe or kayak and introduce how she applied them to also build a cartop cargo carrier. A
canoe and a kayak, both built using her methods, will be on display. All are welcome at CABBS meetings.

03/05/2026

Following up on last year’s field trip to the Buffalo Maritime Center, twenty-two CABBS members and family decided to carpool to the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo. These day trips are popular events. Located on the Maumee River, the museum tells the story of the Great Lakes in fascinating displays — history, geography, settlement, shipping (and shipwrecks), and recreation. The museum also offers dockside tours of a 617’ freighter, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker, and the 1903 era tug, Ohio. CABBs contributed to a recent exhibit of wooden boats titled “Frozen in Time.” John Bailey’s Cape Cod Frosty was displayed as a tribute to the hearty souls who launched these light, 6’ dinghies and raced all winter. Also on display was a CABBS built Wischmeyer pram. A few years ago Ed Neal discovered that Henry Wischmeyer, a Bay Village hobbyist naval architect who died in 1958 produced several full scale design plans that were never built. Frozen in time, Ed decided to bring one to life and the 9’ Little Henry was built and launched on what would have been the 151st birthday of Henry Wischmeyer. The National Museum of the Great Lakes is a terrific place, and worth the trip.

02/19/2026

CABBS members were recently treated to a fascinating presentation by Case Western Reserve University Robotics Club members, Amitan and Kiran. They gave us an inside look at underwater robots and drones built by these national champions of university-level underwater robotics competitions. Great stuff.

02/06/2026

CABBS WINTER CLASSES continue at our Workspace. Next up is Basic Boatbuilding Techniques. Learn both stitch-and-glue and cedar strip construction methods while building a Stand Up Paddleboard. Class begins on Thursday February 19 and continues on consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 9 PM at our shop at 3535 Perkins in Cleveland. Openings are still available. You can register on our website at CABBS.org

01/31/2026

Need to make some repairs to your fiberglass boat? There is still time to get in on CABBS Fiberglass Repair Class which takes place at our workspace at 3535 Perkins in Cleveland. The class meets this coming Monday night, February 2 from 7 to 9 PM. Subsequent classes are from 7 to 9 PM on consecutive Wednesdays. Openings are still available. You can register on our website at CABBS.org

01/22/2026

CABBS WINTER CLASSES

CABBS is offering three classes at our shop at 3535 Perkins in Cleveland.

A Fiberglass Repair Class begins on Wednesday January 28. Classes are from 7 to 9 PM on consecutive Wednesdays. Openings are still available for this class.

Basic Boatbuilding Techniques in Stand Up Paddleboard Construction begins on Thursday February 19 and continues on consecutive Thursdays from 6:30 to 9 PM.

Oar and Paddlemaking Class begins Wednesday February 25 and continues for five Wednesday evenings from 7–9 PM.

You can register for these classes on the website at CABBS.org.

Address

Lakewood, OH
44107

Website

http://www.cabbs.org/

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