Beach Bum's Guide to the Boardwalk

Seventy-five combined years of experience perusing the boardwalks of New Jersey and the rich history of those infamous planks of wood strolled into Matawan Wednesday night.

Co-authors Dick Handschuch, of Seaside Park, and Sal Marino, of Point Pleasant, talked about their insight for their book, “The Beach Bum's Guide to the Boardwalks of New Jersey,” at a program at the Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library.

The two first met while teaching in Brick Township, where they worked as partner-teachers for five years until moving on to other opportunities in the school district. After retirement, they would meet up again but now at various boardwalks for a walk. It was then they began to study the structure of boardwalks and their surroundings and the idea for a book was born.

They stayed with researching boardwalks in New Jersey and found a total of 41 boardwalks with 28 directly on the East Coast.

“The object of our book is to let you know that the boardwalks are there all year-round,” said Handschuch.

The first edition of the book was published by the Beach Bum in 2000 and several years later a different and larger publisher, Down the Shore Publishing obtained the right to publish a second, longer edition. This was due to people spreading the word about the book according to Marino.

The first boardwalk constructed was in NJ was in Atlantic City as a way to boost tourism from visitors that came by boat and train in the late 1800’s. The increased popularity turned this small town into a tourist destination with dance halls, games and food shops opening up.

Aside from the rich history of shore being reflected in the boardwalk, the pair also discussed how the planks come in different sizes, measured in width and length and the different materials that they’re made of.

Some of the boardwalks are gone today because of a combination of wear-and-tear from Mother Nature and a lack of funding.

“The towns that use the boardwalk for their income maintain them,” said Handschuch.

Inside the book, color guides help make the book easier to search and find what one is looking for in a simple manner. There are also local stories from different towns and photos, allowing the reader to experience the creation of the boardwalk first hand.

The book can be purchased from large bookstore chains, smaller bookstores located by the shore and from their website.