| Including Restoration Updates! | May, 2014 |
If you've been waiting for a good reason to get your boat restoration project started, here's a very good one for you: the Lucas shop, where so many WBA members have done their restorations, has a large shop bay available, starting immediately! The bay will accommodate boats up to 22' in length, and contains most of the tools you'll need to do a restoration, including two gantries with chain falls, band saw, table saw, planer, joiner, drum sander, drills, random orbital sanders and a large collection of hand tools. You'll also benefit from the expertise of fellow members who frequent the shop to work on their own boats and motors. So get that project started right away! Contact David Kanally at 940-395-2742 for more information. |
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Keels & Wheels This Weekend!
Final preparations are underway for several WBA members to attend Keels & Wheels in Seabrook this weekend. Robin McGeorge is heading up the launch crew, who will be headed down on Thursday afternoon. WBA President Jim and First Lady Rhonda Wolfe will be taking their gorgeous Century Coronado for its debut with its recently completed top. |
Bo McIlvoy will be taking the club project 1951 Yellow Jacket down for display and for pickup by its former and new owner, Pic Cyr. Other WBA members and boat owners from around the country will be converging at the breathtaking Lakewood Yacht Club for this important annual event. The show will be spectacular. Learn more at http://keels-wheels.com . |
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Wood Bleaching, Staining Highlighted in April Meeting
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Attendees at the WBA's monthly meeting on April 17 were treated to another informative video from Townsend Boat Works of Alganac, MI. WBA VP Steve Griffitts acquired a series of the hands-on videos and has generously shared the most interesting and relevant units with the club. In this presentation, the blonde deck sections of a Chris-Craft Capri are masked, bleached and stained with blond stain. Each step of the process is closely documented from the point of view of the restorer, who uses a GoCam head camera to allow the viewer to follow his every move. At left, the blond deck sections are exposed, while the sections of dark mahogany are carefully masked to protect them from stain and varnish. Thanks, Steve, for sharing this valuable restoration information from your collection of videos!! |
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Above, (l-r) Ken Mattice, Seb Borrello and David Kanally congratulate each other on the completion of the 1951 Yellow Jacket donated by Pic Cyr. To put a very happy ending on the whole story, Pic has decided to buy his boat back, paying the Club's full asking price. We're very pleased that this very original boat is finding its way back home! See full story here. Right, this Chesapeake Light Craft canoe was donated to the club by WBA member Dave Parker of Seabrook in memory of his friend and former WBA President Dick Peterson. Now, fully restored, the boat will find its way to North Carolina at the end of May to its new owner, WBA member Mike Gomes.
Above, with Ken Mattice's help, Robin McGeorge installs freshly ground valves in the Chris-Craft Marine engine for Troy and Robin's 1936 Chris project. As of press time, this engine was completely re-assembled and undergoing bench testing. |
Below, Steve Griffitts' Thompson outboard has been under a flurry of restoration activity trying to get ready for Keels & Wheels. Even if Steve's last-minute push to get the boat finished doesn't meet the deadline, the project has come a long way indeed!
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Next Regular Meeting May 15, 2014
As always, we have an interesting program planned, as well as generous helpings of fellowship and Italian food. The meeting will be better if you are there, of course. 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
And, finally: Please take a look in the shed or garage for the 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.  |
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Everybody who attends the WBA monthly meetings has become accustomed to Secretary Gay Perry's firm sign-in discipline. Until just this last month, truant members would wander right by the sign-in clipboard and poor Gay would be required to coach them back to the entrance to sign in. Well, Gay has finally found a way to automate this repetitive task. She picked up a couple flashing LED bicycle lights and affixed them to a sign-in placard. The bright lights successfully drew the attention of everyone coming into the room, and Gay was happy with the result. Ladies and Gentlemen, Gay's Flashing Sign-In Sheet is a perfect example of WBA resourcefulness at its finest. Gay, thanks for reminding us that when it comes to making the WBA successful, we should do whatever it takes. 
In other news, since Jim Wolfe's Coronado made her topless debut at the Ride 'n Show, we don't really think of her as a project anymore, but no Coronado is complete without her top, which she now has. Congratulations, Jim and Rhonda, and good luck at Keels & Wheels!