Including Projects Keeping WBA Guys out of Trouble!

January, 2016

Join all your favorite WBA members and friends for the Annual WBA Officer Installation Banquet, being held on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at the Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson! E-vites have been sent out by incoming President Steve Griffitts. If you haven't received your invitation, please let Steve know. Register Now!

Dennis Gibbs,“The Boat Guy,” of “The Big Boat & Outdoor Show” on 660 AM K-SKY Radio will be our guest speaker. Fine food and fellowship will flow. We'll honor our outgoing officers, Jim and John (above left) and install our new President, Steve Griffitts; VP David Sheets; Treasurer Scott Reichardt and Secretary Gay Perry.

Christmas Party A Great Success!

What a great party Rhonda and Jim Wolfe threw at their lovely home in Carrollton on Dec. 5! WBA members, spouses and friends proved that we all clean up pretty well!

A sit-down dinner followed a lively cocktail hour, and all in attendance enjoyed the delicious food, moderate libation, and fond fellowship. Thanks, Jim & Rhonda! See Slideshow!

Projects in Lucas and Plano Taking Shape!

(Above) Robin McGeorge and Troy Marshall's 1956 Yellow Jacket Catalina is looking more and more original as the deck darts have been stained the correct blonde color and the remainder of the deck is stained mahogany.

(Below) Lew White and Bob Adair try the planks on for size on the frame of their 12' sailing dinghy, which they're building from plans.

(Above) The rear seat of Robin and Troy's Yellow Jacket has received the first couple coats of varnish. They're planning on upholstering the seats once they're done.

(Below) The single center frame of Lew and Bob's sailing dinghy has been hand laminated, then trimmed to accommodate the wide plywood planks. A similar process for the stem has also been completed.

Next WBA Monthly Meeting February 18, 2016. Don't Miss It!

Our next meeting will be Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 7 p.m. at Two Guys from Italy at 11637 Webb Chapel Road, just south of Forest Road. WBA member and benefactor John Parish will be giving away one of his many boating and woodworking related books as a door prize.

Our meetings are a great opportunity to socialize with fellow WBA members and to talk shop on questions on everything from paint and varnish to carburetor kits. The February meeting is our annual planning meeting, so bring your best ideas for activities and projects for the club!

As always, we'll have generous helpings of fellowship and Italian food.

Join us for a light meal and moderate libation at 5:30 p.m. at Two Guys from Italy prior to the meeting. We encourage you to join us for dinner, so we'll always have the required minimum number of diners to avoid a room charge.

Shop Talk and Musings

Any time Bob Adair finds himself with interesting scraps of wood, we're usually in for a treat. In the early days of the holiday season, Bob got the idea of making a tabletop Christmas tree from 11 layers of 1" marine mahogany plywood. Each layer is a conically cut piece of 11-ply plywood scrap from the Yellow Jacket transom pieces used in the Yellow Jacket Bench project and the transom of Bob and Lew's sailing dinghy (see story above). Bob inserted tiny colored Christmas lights between the layers and wired them to a battery pack in the back of the tree. The base is a gift box that Bob and Pat received already decorated with an inlaid Christmas tree and the "Merry Christmas" greeting.

Before we officially say goodbye to the 2015 Christmas season, you may want to take a closer look at Bob's beautiful tree by clicking on the image at left. Remember, the layers within each tier of the plywood were glued sixty years ago for use in the building of Yellow Jacket Boats in Denison, TX. Originally selected as much for its strength and water-resistant properties as for its beauty, the fine mahogany, free from any blemish or gap, glows warmly now in a new configuration. Thank you, Bob, for your craftsmanship and imagination!

And finally, please take a look in the shed or garage for leftover parts or other salable items you can donate to the club. Bring them to any WBA meeting, or contact David Kanally at david@historywithheart.com for pickup.