Including an Update on Projects!
May, 2013

Keels & Wheels Features Yellow Jackets this Weekend!


Keels & Wheels time is here. A team led by Robin McGeorge and Troy Marshall is heading to Seabrook on Thursday to help out with launch duties. Bob Van Guilder is once again heading up the judging effort. David Kanally has helped organize a display of Yellow Jackets, a focal point in this year's show. David will make a Yellow Jacket presentation on Sunday.

 

 

As you know, we receive a contribution from the SW ACBS chapter in recognition of our work at Keels & Wheels. This contribution is an important part of our treasury, and directly funds social activities at the Ride 'n Show. Head on down to Seabrook and take in one of the finest car and boat shows in the country!

Wood, Waves & Wheels May 11 at Eagle Mountain Lake

 

Our friends and fellow antique and classic boat enthusiasts at Eagle Mountain Lake in Fort Worth have once again invited us to participate in their annual Wood Waves and Wheels show! Let's show strong support with a good showing at this event. Rumor has it that Troy Marshall and Robin McGeorge are making every effort to debut their freshly restored Chris-Craft Super Sport with that monster 427 V-8, which would make the event worth attending all by itself!!

The Fort Worth Boat Club is a lovely venue, and the showing of vintage cars, motorcycles and boats is always a pleasure to see. This is the event's 24th year!

Come on out to this quality event that for many of us is pretty close to home!

Entry forms are available by email request here.

Harvey Party Evites in Your Inbox

Check your email inbox for your invitation to Ray and Carol Harvey's season Kickoff Party on May 31. Location, time and parking details are provided in the invite. Please RSVP to the Evite at your earliest convenience.

As discussed in the March meeting, per person cost for the event is just $20, covering food and moderate libation. Print invites are being mailed to those who receive the printed version of the Bilge Pump.

McGeorge Demonstrates Techniques for Repair of Plank Cracks

WBA Projects leader Robin McGeorge prepared a truly hands-on presentation for the attendees at the April 18th WBA meeting. Robin brought an actual Chris-Craft plank into which he had cut a groove in order to demonstrate his preferred method of plank crack repair. Robin's methods have been proven in many restorations.

Robin had filled the groove with epoxy thickened with "microballoons" or ultralight filler, some plain and some pigmented with mahogany stain. He then sanded and varnished some sections to show the repair process in various stages. Finally, he showed his trick for a clean boot stripe using pinstriping tape. Thanks, Robin!!
Wilson and Hill Projects Progressing, V-8 Coming Along!

Marc Hill's '68 Grand Prix has received its 12th and final coat of varnish in a spray booth in an undisclosed location (above left and right). Marc and his buddy and fellow WBA member Bob Wright have been meticulous every step of the way. If you forget your shaving mirror on the next WBA outing, maybe Marc will let you see yourself in his finish!

  

Below left, Mark Wilson transfers a plank pattern onto a piece of clear mahogany for rough cutting. After careful fitting and adjusting of the pattern, there are still several steps of fitting involved to get a tight plank seam. Below right, Troy Marshall and Robin McGeorge begin installing the hydraulic lifters in a Chris 350 V-8 they're rebuilding.

Next Meeting May 16th. Don't miss it!

Join us on Thursday, May 16th at 7 p.m. at Two Guys from Italy at 11637 Webb Chapel Road, just south of Forest Road. WBA Treasurer and benefactor John Parish will be giving away one of his many boating and woodworking related books as a door prize. At this month's meeting, the winner will be able to choose a book from a selection of woodworking and boat-related volumes. We'll have an exciting presentation lined up that will be sure to delight you!

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: My Levi 5200's

When new member Bo McIlvoy asked our Yellow Jacket experts Bob Adair, Lew White and me to come up to Sherman to take a look at his newly acquired 1956 Yellow Jacket Catalina, he wasn't ready to hear the news we gave him. His transom was pretty well rotted along the bottom, as was a section of the main keel. The work required to make it right was beyond Bo's reach, so we offered to open the shop and help get Bo's boat back to where he thought it was when he bought it.

Thanks to Marc Hill for use of his bay at the shop while his boat is out getting a zillion coats of varnish in a spray booth somewhere.

We had a transom blank left over from the Yellow Jacket Bench project, and were able to salvage the side and bottom transom supports from Bo's boat. So, with help from Seb Borrello and Robin McGeorge, we fabricated a new transom and a dutchman patch for the keel. Photos here. Below right, you can see Bo screwing the new transom in. Of course, everything is bedded in 3M 5200 marine adhesive and sealant. And as my wife Cheryl knows, if I am within 10 feet of an open tube of 5200, I will get some on me. In this case, I got some on one of my few pairs of Levi's that don't already have paint, varnish or grease stains on them. So, folks, I got me a brand new pair of Levi 5200's that day! I wear them with pride, now, knowing that no matter how many times they get washed, that 5200 will be there, good as new, protecting, preserving and waterproofing the fabric fibers and letting the world know, "This man uses one of the best marine adhesive/sealants in the world."

You, too, can have a pair of Levi 5200's. All you have to do is put on any pair of Levi's and come out to the shop when 3M 5200 is in use (which is almost any Saturday, for example). We can almost guarantee that you'll go home in a pair of Levi 5200's!

And, finally:

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.