Mad Men On Ice: The Motor City & Iceboat Advertising

by | Sep 19, 2018 | 2018-2019, Home Page


Geoff Sobering emailed a link to this old favorite, a Chevrolet advertising newsreel from 1935 featuring a car racing a stern-steerer. A few days ago, Bob Rast posted the Oldsmobile magazine ad below in the 4LIYC Facebook group. (DN class records don’t indicate who owned 289)
Both got me thinking about how much Detroit’s auto industry and iceboating have been intertwined, not only in advertising, but in boat development and iceboat skippers who have ties to GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc.  Detroit has given us the DN and Elmer Millinbach, iceboat innovator.  Renegader Lorne Sherry (Ron’s father)  designed and tested trailer hitches for GM, DNers Paul Goodwin, Jim Grogan, Ted Flack, Rob Holman, and Leon Lebeau work in the industry. Photographer Gretchen Dorian’s family owned a GM dealership in Detroit.
Iceboat ads have been featured on this website previously but they are always fun to revisit to help get us fired up for the upcoming season. I’ll post a few more in the coming weeks. If you have a favorite and want to share it, let me know.

Oldsmobile DN Iceboat Ad

Art Siebke, NJ Skeeter Sailor

by | Jan 1, 2017 | ISA

Art Siebke Camel Ad

We received an inquiry from the nephew of Greenwood Lake, New Jersey Skeeter sailor Art Siebke wanting to learn more about his uncle’s involvement in ice boating.

Above is part of a beautifully illustrated advertisement for Camel cigarettes featuring Siebke. Be sure to click on the image to see the entire panel.

Sailing as a member of the Skeeter Ice Boat Club, Siebke won the International Skeeter Association championship in 1948.

The ISA continues to award the Siebke Memorial Trophy to the skipper who travels the farthest to race his yacht in the annual regatta.

If you have any stories to share about Art Siebke, email to me and I’ll pass them on to his nephew.