Including a updateful project update!
March, 2010

Keels & Wheels Sweetens Pot for Boaters, May 1-2

Due in part to the efforts of WBA and ACBS member Guy McCollum, Keels & Wheels, being held at Lakewood Yacht Club on Clear Lake, TX, May 1-2, 2010, has added events and activities of particular interest to the boaters in attendance.

A Friday Night Poolside Hamburger Cookout for boaters will be held poolside at Lakewood Yacht Club, and a Saturday night Awards Celebration and Dinner at www.somersetestate.net, a unique bayside residence in close proximity to the Show. Both events are being supported financially by the Concours and the costs for Friday nights event is expected to be $8/person including beer and soft drinks, and the Saturday night BBQ is $20/person including beer and wine.

  

Guy is also working to get special rates at a hotel catering to the boating participants. As is our custom, we'll be helping out with the launch activities for the event. Judging will again be coordinated by the WBA's own Bob Van Guilder. Let Bob know if you can help out with either of these duties

Keels & Wheels is featuring outboards and race boats this year, so we're pulling together as many Yellow Jackets as possible to attend in addition to our normal participants. This is a great opportunity to build on the momentum we started witht the Dallas Boat Show. Let David Kanally know if you can bring your Yellow Jacket to the show.

Register now for Keels & Wheels!

Dallas Boat Show Boosts Awareness, Membership of WBA

The Dallas International Boat Show, held February 5-14, turned out to be a real bonanza for the WBA. We garnered three new members, and built significant awareness of our club and its activities.

A number of WBA members staffed the Yellow Jacket display we had on the mezzanine level of the show. Hundreds of visitors filed by, looking at the boats and remembering perhaps their first time water-skiing, or fishing with their dads, or even napping under the foredeck while grandpa fished!

  

Above left: The Dallas Boat Show was busy, up significantly in attendance from last year. Above right: Bob Adair, David Kanally and Lew White stand by the display of Chuck Pool's 1956 Yellow Jacket Catalina, which they restored with the help of other WBA members.

The display included Chuck Pool's '56 Catalina, Robert Macaluso's '55 Catalina, Tom Weber's '57 Riviera and Josh Needleman's '57 Catalina. Click here for videos of the event.

Lucas: Ready to Launch

Above: The Hacker on its way to Road Runner Trailers to replace this loaner trailer with a custom-built one.

Below: Sitting now on her beautiful custom-made Road Runner trailer, the Hacker is ready to launch and mark the waterline. Complimentary viewings are possible at the Lucas Shop for WBA members and their families!

Troy Marshall's 1948 Hacker

Above: The Hacker seems to be saying, "Why park me in the street when you could be tooling around Lake Lavon this very minute?"

Below: But, dear Bilge Pump readers, don't dismay, Troy and Robin already have another project underway: a beautiful Gar Wood utility, which already has a newly fastened bottom. Stay tuned.

Mark Wilson's '62 CC Super Sport:

Positioned for a restoration

Left: Mark Wilson and Robin McGeorge fabricate horses that will support Mark's inverted Chris-Craft for its bottom and hull work. The horses are custom fit to support the boat's stringers, for maximum stability during restoration.

Above: The Lucas Shop's two gantries made quick work of raising the boat from its trailer, and allowing installation of the horses. The boat is now poised for a major restoration.

It's great to see Mark back in the club, and actively involved in work at the shop. Stay tuned!

Next Meeting March 18th--Don't Miss It!

Join us at the Midway Point on Thursday, March 18 for the next monthly meeting of the WBA. WBA VP David Kanally will be presenting Dallas' own Willis Boat Works, makers of racing outboards and family runabouts from the 1930s to the 1950s. Come out and see some people who look surprisingly good for their ages. We've been seeing some faces from the past as well as new members! The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 18th at the Midway Point at LBJ and Midway Road.

Join us for a light meal and moderate libation at 5:30 p.m. at the Midway Point prior to the meeting.

Shop Talk and Musings:

Thanks to everybody who came out for the February WBA meeting to help us get our 2010 Calendar of Events put together. Looks like it'll be a great year. We have been able to confirm September 11, 2010 as the date for the White Rock Lake event, to be hosted again this year by the Corinthian Sailing Club. Should be a hoot. They're going to run their annual Laser sailing regatta on the same day, so we'll be sure and have a great crowd. We saw a bunch of guys out at the shop on Saturday. Given Mark Wilson's new project and Troy and Robin's Gar Wood restoration, there'll be plenty of sawdust for you to snort on any given weekend. Come on out sometime and learn how we get our "hands-on" nickname. Our thoughts go out to Guy McCollum this week as he and his family grieve the loss of his dad. We are a caring club, and want Guy to know we're here for him. If you know of anyone who is going through a rough time for health or other reasons, let Signalperson Lisa Daniels know so she can extend sympathies on behalf of the club. Just before press time, the Bilge Pump editorial staff received pictures from Phil Wolff (below left) and Jim Wolfe (below right) showing the framing progress on their Centurys. It seems that Phil is going to school on Jim's restoration, applying lessons learned and doing it right. Both these Century jobs are happening in the owners' garages, so the only way to keep current is to read your Bilge Pump.

 

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