Your Latest Bilge Pump

Based on registration so far, the Lake Conroe Rendezvous will be a great event! Lisa and Lindy Robinson have been planning the gathering at beautiful Lake Conroe near Houston, at the lovely Margaritaville Resort. There will not be a boat show, per se, although the resort has allowed use of their dock space. Reg. form here.

Several choices of hotel rooms and cabins are available. Call manager Mike Driskill to get a discounted room rate. Be sure to mention that you are part of the ACBS group. Mike works Tuesday – Saturday and is not there on Sunday or Monday.

His phone number is 936-448-3214, and his e-mail is mike.driskill@margaritavilleresortlakeconroe.com.

Keels & Wheels and Wood Waves & Wheels Next!

Beginning with Keels & Wheels on April 30, the WBA will be involved in a very busy show season this year! We'll not only be vying for the treasured trophies as pictured above with some of our 2021 winners, we'll be providing the launch crew. Launch crew is to arrive Thursday evening, April 28 by 6 p.m. at SpringHill Suites. Thanks to our volunteers!

The Launch crew is now complete, and the order has been placed for volunteer shirts. Launch duties begin at 7:30 a.m. Friday, April 29. Then on May 7th, the Fort Worth Boat Club and the Eagle Mountain Classic Boat Club will host Wood, Waves & Wheels. Trey Bull is hosting that one. Contact Trey to register. Or download the reg form.

WBA Members Return from Sunnyland Show in Florida

(Above) Robert Aldrich brought his pretty blue Century Arabian from Fort Worth to Florida to the Sunnyland ACBS Chapter Boat Festival in Tavares, FL last weekend (Wolff photo). Craig Stanfield was on hand, and also posted a number of photos of the beautiful classic boats on display at the show. Trey Bull, Richard Wolff, and Jim Frechette flew in for the event.

(Below) Lisa and Lindy Robinson hosted an event volunteer aboard their twin-engine Chris-Craft at the Sunnyland Festival. They are on the northbound cruise this week.

(Above) Phil Wolff, here waving with son, Richard, also made the trek from Dallas to Tavares, bringing his '68 Century Resorter to the show. The event included southbound and northbound runs on the St. Johns River, group meals, a show at the newly renovated Tavares Marina, and a Saturday night awards banquet.

(Below) Phil Wolff took this shot, which reflects the natural beauty of Florida along the St. Johns River. The four days of pre-show river cruises, which occurred on Monday through Thursday, totaled 170 GPS tracked miles!

Hybrid Live/Zoom March Meeting a Good Experience

With the use of a remote camera and microphone, we were able to provide reasonable coverage of the proceedings at the March WBA live meeting on Zoom to nine participants from places as distant as Florida and Newfoundland! Based on this trial with borrowed equipment, the Club invested in its own camera and microphone for streaming future meetings.

David Kanally provided a presentation on the "5200 bottom" using 3M's well-known adhesive with plywood underlayment and bottom planks to create a long-lasting, flexible, original-looking replacement bottom for antique and classic boats. More than 20 members attended the live session, making for record total attendance!

Project Updates from the Lucas Shop!

(Above) Carl Lapiska applies two-part wood bleach to the hull sides of his '64 Chris-Craft Super Sport. The bleach instructions specify an 8-hour drying period, followed by a light rinse with water.

(Above) With a lot of good work by Bill Mott, Chris Sterlacci, Ann and John Hallam, Alan Oppenheimer, Robin McGeorge, Seb Borrello and David Kanally, the deck of the Hallams' Trigger is on and shaped.

(Above) The wetting of Carl's hull with the bleach solution gives a hint of the look of a finished hull, although the bleach will even out the color of the planks, and the mahogany stain will enrich the color significantly.

(Above) The distinctive fins that characterize the 1961 Trigger were a challenge to shape, requiring a light touch to create a fair curve on the deck. Next step will be a king plank and toe rails. Then staining!

Next WBA Monthly Meeting April 21 at Two Guys!

Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 21, 2022, at 7 p.m. We're very happy to resume in-person meetings, as guidelines for gathering have eased in recent days. You'll receive an email reminder for the meeting a few days prior. We've acquired a camera and microphone for the club to provide a much better Zoom experience for those who cannot join in person. We'll be continuing our door prize tradition, giving out an e-book of the lucky winner's choice, or a complimentary design of a boat show placard.

If you can't join in person, you'll be using the Zoom application for your cell phone or your home computer. To make things easier at meeting time, it would be a good idea for you to go to your normal smart phone app store to download Zoom Cloud Meetings, or go to Zoom.us on your home computer and sign up. Prior to the meeting, you will be sent an email with a link to join the meeting, and further instructions. Those who wait to download Zoom will also receive a link to do that just before the meeting starts. If you are among those who need a few attempts to be successful with technology, you may want to get the downloading taken care of ahead of time.

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. Please join us on Zoom to be a part of our monthly fellowship!

Shop Talk and Musings: Danielsons Moving to Tennessee

Mark and Lyne Danielson have been WBA members for several years, gracing our gatherings with their beautiful runabout, "Havaiki". They're heading to Tennessee to begin a new chapter in their lives, one that brings them closer to their grandchildren.

We wish them well on their move to a new home in a new state. Mark says, "Lyne and I are having a moving experience on Thursday, April 21st, as in heading to TN. The saddest part is not being able to say good bye to the best club members ever."

"Please give everyone our best and don't kick us off the FB page just because we're in TN! Thanks for all of your help and most of all, your friendship."

Well, Mark and Lyne, we've enjoyed having you as members of the WBA, and hope that you'll continue to follow us on Facebook, and look us up whenever you're in town. Good luck to you!

And finally, please take a look in the shed or garage for leftover parts or other salable items you would like to donate to the Club. Contact David Kanally at david@historywithheart.com for more info.