Pocono Boathouse History – A Lake Naomi Institution

The First Pocono Boathouse

The story of the Pocono Boathouse retail establishment begins when, in 1965, Frank and Carolyn Betz built a chalet on the north side of Lake Naomi and opened a small but ambitious boating business two years later, as there was no other place to purchase boating equipment. Nestled just off Old Route 940 near the Pococo Crest entrance, the Pocono Boathouse quickly became a hub for outdoor enthusiasts, offering boat rentals, bike rentals, and gear for exploring the tranquil waters of Lake Naomi. Betz, a lifelong sailor and marine enthusiast, viewed the boathouse not just as a business but as a place where families could connect with the community and challenge one another on the water.

Just before the stone gates of the entrance to the Pocono Crest off old Route 940 on State Street, the Pocono Crest Stables welcomed riders to a forested retreat where pine trails and gentle horses offered the perfect escape. Once part of Camp Beaverbrook and Lutherland, the stables became a key feature of early life in the Pocono Crest community and a fun activity for those staying at The Crest. Then in 1967, after the horses were gone, Betz made to decision to start a new business, calling it the Pocono Boathouse.

Sailing on Lake Naomi – The Duster Class Sailboat was First

A few pieces of research suggest that a sailing camp or lessons for girls likely existed at Camp Owaissa by the early 1900s, possibly around 1902. However, exact documentation of “a sailing camp for girls” is still being looked into. However, we do know that sailing and sailboat racing began to gain popularity when the Duster sailboat was introduced in northern Philadelphia and later sailed up to Lake Naomi.

The Duster, a 13-3/4 foot long craft designed by Jim Merrill in 1933 and built by his father, Rivington Yacht Club Commodore Edward Merrill, the following winter in their workshop. He and some friends lowered the craft from the window, took it down to the Delaware River, and christened it a “Duster.” Established as a class in 1946, it became a world-class sailboat. The Duster emerged as a lightweight, 13-foot cat-rigged dinghy built for speed, simplicity, and inland lake sailing where the waters were flat. With its single sail configuration and ease of handling, the Duster quickly gained popularity among sailing clubs in the northeastern United States, particularly in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, and indeed on Lake Naomi.

Sailing Dusters first appeared at Lake Naomi thanks to boats that migrated from the original Riverton Yacht Club fleet (near Philadelphia). One key example: Duster #321, built in a Riverton basement, was later sold by the builder’s family and ended up at Lake Naomi as part of the growing Poconos fleet. Clubs that maintained Duster fleets encouraged members to build their boats according to the official specifications. I visited several people who built their own Dusters on Lake Naomi and even restored one myself when I was a kid. Yes, there was a fiberglass version of the duster as well, but it was nowhere as cool as building or restoring one yourself.

History would have it that Frank Betz found his first employees from that same Duster Fleet #7.

The Garage That Became the Betzes Pocono Boathouse

I had to go all the way back to around 1908, the Pocono Pines Assembly Garage to find the origins of what became the boathouse. The structure was constructed, serving not only as a vehicle storage facility but also, in part, as a stable. In its early years, the site became home to a branch of the Briggs Riding Academy of Philadelphia, under the direction of Mr. Walter Briggs. Briggs frequently led morning riding excursions, and a 1910 promotional booklet proudly assured visitors that “people desirous of riding or taking instructions will find well-trained gentle horses at their disposal.” The stable was an integral part of community recreation for a time, but its operations ceased several years later, leaving the once-busy building to stand quietly idle.

In the mid-20th century, the area around the old garage underwent a transformation, then Lutherland, and finally the Pocono Crest. The Pocono Pines Post Office, overseen by Postmaster Waldo Dyson, became a local hub. Nearby stood a row of twelve aging carriage bay garages, some of which found new life in service to the Pocono Boat House.

By the mid-to-late 1960s, the horses were gone, and the empty stables remained. What better place to open the Poconos’ first boathouse? Next to the Pocono Pines Post Office sat a series of concrete bays with wide, concrete cutout entrances and a flat roof. While the roof was leaking, and the damp smell of the Poconos wafted, my dad decided that this was the place for his entrepreneurial vision.

Here, canoes and sailboats were repaired and sold, and bicycles were both rented and offered for purchase, continuing the area’s tradition of providing recreation to residents and visitors alike. See Pocono Boathouse story.

Pick Up Your Boat at the Pocono Boathouse

Customers would typically visit our retail storefront, located in the first bay, after having discussed their needs on the phone first with a simple call to 646-2728. Back then, you could order your boat on the phone and then pick it up in the Poconos, typically on the weekend. There we were, in a damp garage next to the Post Office, along with bugs, critters, and a damp, musty smell. We started with two bay doors and put down some beautiful red crushed stone for our new floor. The rest of the bays were designated to store inventory, ready for assembly and delivery around Lake Naomi. Eventually, Stillwater, Hemlock, Arrowhead, Memorytown USA, Mount Airy Lodge, and others would become customers of Pocono Boathouse. I still remember building our first plywood billboard signs and putting them up on Route 940, as we were tucked just off Route 940 and 423, near Old Route 940.

As the Pocono Boathouse grew in reputation and reach, the Betzes expanded their vision beyond the Poconos. In 1972, the family acquired the Cranford Canoe Club in Cranford, New Jersey, a historic structure perched on the Rahway River with a legacy dating back to the 1880s. Recognizing the potential for a sister operation, Betz brought the same energy and expertise he had honed in the Poconos to the Canoe Club. What followed was a unique and synergistic connection between the two businesses.

From the best of my memory, the first employee at the Pocono Boathouse was Robin Wenzel. The Betzes became friends with another lake couple, Betty and Bob Wenzel, and their son was interested in a job. When Robin decided after a year that he’d rather be a lifeguard, Frank had met another family from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, the Hackenbergs. Robert and Betty Hackenberg lived just behind the Betzes on Sweet Briar Road and met at the beach. After becoming friends, their eldest son Bob took an interest in working at the Boathouse. Little did he know that it would eventually evolve into a career for Bob.

Another manager of the Pocono Boathouse was Skip Harrison, a California native who had become an accomplished windsurfing sailor. When he came east representing the sailboarding industry, Frank offered him the position to relocate to Lake Naomi and run the operation. In 1975, Skip and his wife, Karen, moved to the Poconos.

After Skip’s term as Manager, the reins shifted to Steve Henry and Tommy Hull, both accomplished Duster racers on the lake. Tommy also brought in a fresh 12-year-old, Bob Hackenberg, who was anxious to work for the summer. His parents had brought the Scotch Plains, New Jersey, family to the Poconos for the summer, having transplanted from the Jersey Shore. Bob would first cut his teeth running the livery boats up at Tobyhanna State Park, and it was Tommy Hull who picked him up and brought him home every day.

The Hackenberg Era at the Pocono Boathouse

Robert “Bob” Hackenberg’s roots at Lake Naomi ran deep, shaped by family, neighbors, and a love of the water. His parents, Robert Sr. and his wife, and the rest of their family were close friends of the Betz family and neighbors between Sweet Briar and Canoe Brook Road. Coincidentally, the two families had also once lived less than a mile apart in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, a reminder of how many “Flatlanders” (New Jersey people) found their way to the Poconos.

Bob’s connection to the Pocono Boathouse began early. His parents were tired of the Jersey Shore, and in 1969, they purchased a place on the north side of the lake. At just twelve years old, he was already hanging around the boathouse, helping with deliveries, repairs, and whatever odd jobs needed doing. Under the guidance of experienced sailors like Tommy Hull and Steve Henry, he learned the ropes of both sailing and summer business. When those mentors moved on to college, Bob stepped in to help run things, often alongside friends such as Sky Rust, Dave Henry, John Lamberton, and Steve Hutton (I think that was his name).

The boathouse wasn’t the only place that shaped Bob’s future. It was here that he met Sonya Fischer, a third-generation local, whom he would marry in 1984. Around the same time, Frank Betz was questioning whether the Pocono Boathouse had reached its limits. Bob thought otherwise. He had bigger plans.

In 1986, Bob and Sonya purchased the Pocono Boathouse from Frank Betz, marking the start of the Pocono Boathouse’s second generation, which they began in 1987. This wasn’t just a continuation; it was a transformation. With Bob’s entrepreneurial drive and Sonya’s deep family ties to the area, they turned the Boathouse into a national small-boat powerhouse.

Gone was the idea of a dirty old horse barn; instead, from their own property next to their home off Old Route 940, they ran a full-service dealership from what was formerly a kitchen adjacent to what used to be a boarding house. The Hackenbergs became one of the largest dealers in Old Town canoes and Sunfish sailboats in the country, receiving tractor-trailer load at times, selling to the public, and also distributing inventory to regional retailers. Rentals remaiined a bigh part of the business with network of livery operations that expanded to more than a dozen locations, and the retail story, all while holding down full-time jobs and raising a family.

Though Frank Betz and his family stepped away from the Pocono Boathouse, we remained in touch with Bob. In 1992, Betz sold the Cranford Canoe Club to the township, preserving it as a historic site, and I ran it until the late 1990s. The Hackenbergs pushed the Boathouse to new heights. Together, our stories stayed intertwined, both dedicated to the simple vision of getting people on the water, whether on a shaded New Jersey river or the sparkling expanse of Lake Naomi and the Pocono Mountains.

The Hackenbergs’ leadership gave the Boathouse its reputation as the heart of Lake Naomi’s boating community. Their mix of quality service, ambitious expansion, and personal warmth created an era still remembered fondly today. Yet by the turn of the millennium, other priorities demanded their attention. In 2000, they sold the business to friendly competitors Tom and Ashley Rambo, who had the time and energy to take it forward.

The Hackenberg years remain a defining chapter in the Pocono Boathouse story, an era of vision, growth, and community spirit that carried the Betz family legacy into a new generation.

Pocono Boathouse Today

Today, located at 602 Route 940, while in a new location, the Pocono Boathouse still stands, its legacy woven into the very fabric of Pocono Pines. Its history is not just about boats or buildings, but about the generations of families who’ve launched summer adventures from its docks and the timeless lake culture it has quietly upheld for over a century. The Pocono Boat House remains a family-run business, co-owned and managed by Thomas and Ashley Rando. They still sell the Sunfish and Old Town canoes.

Remembering All Those Brands

Through the 1970s and 1980s, Betz and his family operated both the Pocono Boathouse and the Cranford Canoe Club in tandem, creating what some called a “East-West boating partnership.” Equipment, canoes, and sailboats would often travel between the mountain lake and the suburban riverbank. Families who rented paddleboats at Lake Naomi in the summer might find the same Betz hospitality waiting for them at the Cranford dock on a crisp autumn weekend.

At its peak, the Pocono Boathouse and the Cranford Canoe Club under Betz became one of the largest small boat dealerships in the country, with three locations selling Sunfish, Lasers, Windsurfers, and Hobie Cats, among others, which were integrated into the Pocono Boathouse. This remained a beloved cornerstone of lake life in the northeastern Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains.

Side Story: Pocono Boathouse Team Wins Invitational

The famous naval command “You may fire when ready, Gridley” was given by Commodore George Dewey on May 1, 1898, during the Battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War.

My father loved history, and we knew it when he named our boats: “Reddy Gridley – Commodore George Dewey directed it to Captain Charles Vernon Gridley, commanding officer of the USS Olympia, Dewey’s flagship. With this order, the U.S. Asiatic Squadron opened fire on the Spanish fleet anchored in Manila Bay, marking one of the first major American naval victories and signaling the emergence of the U.S. as a global naval power.

My Brother Brian’s boat was “Enola Gay”: Enola Gay was the B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, during World War II. Piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets, the plane’s mission marked a turning point in warfare and led to Japan’s eventual surrender.

dom for anyone who dared to take the tiller. And while other boats came and went, the Sunfish remained, its simple silhouette carving lazy S-curves across summer afternoons.

About the Author

Brooks founded Mr. Local History and the Mr. Local History project with his wife Jill. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and raised in Westfield, Brooks graduated from Westfield High School in 1980 and later from Bryant University. For over two decades, Brooks, along with his brother Brian and younger sister Cee Cee, spent their summers on Lake Naomi with their parents, Frank and Caryolyn Betz, who had lived on Canoe Brook Road since the mid-1960s.

He and his family owned the Pocono Boathouse (Pocono Pines, PA) and the Cranford Canoe Club in the 1960s through the 1990s.

There are likely many gaps in the history that I hope to fill, along with a return visit to Lake Naomi to reminisce and reflect on these stories. This story is part of a series dedicated to the history of Lake Naomi, Pocono Pines, and the memories of my family spending time together. Thanks for reading.

My Lake Naomi / Pocono Pines History Series

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