We showed up Friday afternoon to get things ready for the show - I surely do love our candy-colored boats

This summer, we hosted the Aquatic Activities of the Toledo Summer Youth Program. One thing we did was make 14 paddles and have the kids decorate them with Sharpies and stickers. We hung them from the strongback we store in the rafters. It made a very nice display.

The guys from the Teak Lady Society have been really busting their humps, getting Che Hon ready for her debut with her sister, Ma Zu. Those boats look fantastic, guys.

Bob, fresh from our adventures on the 2013 Columbia 150-ish, gets some help guiding his Bolger Birdwatcher II, Wave Watcher into her slip by Shaline, who, with her husband, Chuck, both of whom were also on that trip.

Zach M, grandson of famed Coot, Bob M, and son of Coot, Craig M, has his very own tugboat. Man, is that kid proud of his little tug.

The Beaver was the boat used on this year's show poster. The The show this year was honoring long time marina operator, Ralph Criteser.

Boathouse founding father, shipwright, and all around great guy, Rick Johnson, was passing on his knowledge and skills at the Family Boat Build.

Saturday morning came cold and damp - no rain, but lots of fog. Fog makes for pretty pictures, but it ain't that great for boat shows.

Very early on, I was approached by an elderly man and his granddaughter. She said he'd graduated from Toledo High School in the late forties and hadn't been on the slough for over 50 years. He said he was too old and creaky to get into one of the Boathouse canoes, so I asked John K. if he'd like to take them out on his Redwing.

Two Teak Ladies being prepped for sail - way to go, guys.

Bob L was one of our first participants. He lives in Corvallis, so, of course, chose our Orange Lazy Weekend II canoe, Bea.

This wonderful woman, 87 years old and still a kid, was just on her way to go hiking when she saw all the boats. She came down and I talked her into trying out Pepper, one of the Mollyhawks. She said she'd rowed canal boats in Denmark when she was a girl and she took to the water like a duck.

The little 12' Skin-on-Frame canoe got quite a workout over the weekend. Normally, I'm not a fan of solo boats, but whatever gets people on the water.

Phil R, another veteran of the 2013 Columbia 150-ish, came to the show with his John Welsford designed Penguin. Man, that is a nice boat.

One thing Coots like to do is give rides. Joe was out there, running left and right in his electric-powered Jodi III, a Selway-Fisher designed Fantail Launch, while Bob and Dennis took a guy out in Daisy, one of our Lazy Weekend II canoes.

Dave (l) and Ricky (r) brought in a 55" remote control fishing trawler that is powered by a weed eater motor. They'd fire it up and that thing would shoot across the water at 40 miles an hour.

One of the BIG boats to come in was the Pokalong - that's a fine looking live aboard.

Two kids in Bea paddling out, while our new friend rows back in Pepper. There's a lot of art in this picture.

Some kids from the local Oregon Youth Conservation Corps work group were down on the docks, so I put them in boats.

More OYCC kids

Fellow Coot, Case, was at the show with his two water-dog kids: Brax (in Daisy) and his slightly older brother, Blake, paddling solo, in a Nuf canoe.

These kayaks are finished versions of the ones they are making for the Family Boat Build this year. They are quite handy boats.

There's a group shot - nothing better than boats on the water.

Brothers Cody and Sam came to try their hands at paddling

And Shamus took to the water in the 12' Skin-on-Frame.

I love those Mollyhawks with their two rowing stations - they can be rowed fine solo, but things get interesting when you have 2 rowers.

Coot, Brandon, was doing his imitation of Kate Winslet in Titanic "Paint me like one of your French Girls" You can see the life of his Atkin & Co designed Valgerda faering here: Building Ravn

The other great thing about the Mollyhawks (Salt, this time) is they can hold a LOT of people.

Those guys in Pepper? The had this little guy, and it was his first day ever in a boat. That's some good parenting, right there. And yes, we do have infant life jackets for people to borrow.

Coot Howard helped out when this woman and her daughter were too nervous to go out paddling on their own. The Lazy Weekend II is designed for carrying capacity and stability - a great boat for events like these.

Everyone laughed when I showed up with a PINK canoe. Aurora is our most popular canoe, by far. Little girls love her because she is pretty and men love her because she shows how manly they are.

There really is no "doing it wrong" when it comes to having fun on the water.

I put this young man in the solo canoe and he paddled off. His mother came to me and said "I never thought I'd see that - he usually never does anything like this."

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love our candy-colored boats.

This has been the biggest Toledo Wooden Boat Show yet - the docks were PACKED.

Pepper was getting quite a workout. All the boats were.

On to Page 2, where we see the exciting Cardboard Boat Race - and more!