Including Project Updates from the usual suspects!
May, 2016

Ride 'n Show Just a Month Away, June 3-5!

The time is now to register for the annual Ride 'n Show which will return to Lake Ray Hubbard this year, after a couple years of low water. Ray Hubbard is plenty full now, though! We'll use the Hilton Dallas Rockwall as our headquarters hotel (reservations on your own, using the Hilton site or your favorite hotel web site.)

 

We'll have our Friday welcome party in a local restaurant near the Hilton, beginning at 6 p.m. The show this year will have both in-the-water and land displays, so please feel welcome to participate with a land-displayed boat as well! Don't miss this one. We'll also have our trademark fun run on Sunday morning! Read more! Register Now!

WBA Members Bring Home K&W Silver!

(Above) l-r, Keels & Wheels co-Chairman Paul Merriman presents the Silver trophy for Classic Glass to WBA member Bo McIlvoy, who turns over the acceptance honors to his son. Bo's boat is a Chrysler jet-drive boat, designed by WBA's own Bob Adair back in the day!

(Below) WBA member Charles Still and his son accept the Silver award for Antique Runabout for his 1936 Chris-Craft 19-footer, the boat restored by Robin McGeorge and Troy Marshall.

  

(Above) Bob Germany beams after receiving one of two Silver trophies. With Betty Arnett at his side, Bob was rewarded for both of his Higgins red-and-whites, "Freedom" and "Fiddlesticks". We've seen both these boats at the Ride 'n Show over the years.

(Below)The WBA Launch Crew is shown here at Opus restaurant after a long day of arduous work launching boats on Friday, April 22. There may also be a few folks in the picture who were Launch Crew wannabes.

Wood, Waves & Wheels, Eagle Mountain, May 7

The Eagle Mountain Classic Boat Club and the Fort Worth Boat Club will host the Annual Wood, Waves & Wheels Show on Saturday, May 7, from noon until 5 p.m. It's a great show, with a good variety of antique and classic boats, classic cars and even motorcycles!

This show is another good opportunity for the WBA to mix and mingle with our like-minded friends from the other side of the Metroplex.

Come on out for the day! Let us know if you can attend!

 

 

Steve Griffitts Presents Tavares, FL Show at April Meeting

 

 

Steve Griffitts provided a photo presentation of the 2016 Sunnyland Antique Boat Festival in Tavares, Florida, which Steve and Patrice attended. They commented that despite frequent rain, the show went on. The boats at Tavares showed impressive variety and quality, although there may have been fewer boats than in years past. Steve provided some great '60s music as background for the wonderful boat pictures. The presentation was enjoyed by all. Thanks, Steve!
Project Update: Lucas, Carrollton, North Richland Hills and Oklahoma!!

(Above) The Baldwin boat has been completed and is now listed on eBay. Please help us keep this unique and sentimentally important boat in the club. Make an offer!

(Below) WBA VP David and Loretta Sheets have been getting ready for the season by refinishing their beautiful blue and white Skiff Craft. Word has it she'll be at Wood Waves & Wheels this coming weekend!

(Below) Steve Griffitts and Patrice Mozelewski spent hours getting their little Thompson cedar strip boat ready for Keels and Wheels. The boat gleamed like a jewel in the land display there. This photo was taken in Steve's garage just prior to departure for K&W. Nice job!

(Below) There are still some real treasures available to WBA members from the Baldwin storage unit. This Delta band saw is just one. Contact us to go out and shop.

 

 

(Above) The Chris-Craft Kit Boat sold on eBay. Here, the hauler secures the boat in a box truck for its long trip to its new home in Maine.

(Below) Jay Emerson lovingly applies a coat of spar varnish to the foredeck of Scott Myers' Gar Wood. The boat has enjoyed a complete refresh in Jay's shop in Oklahoma. Can't wait to see her on the water!

(Below) David Kanally clowns around as he, along with Seb Borrello and David and Loretta Sheets, loaded up a bunch of stuff from the Baldwin storage units at the cleanup party on Saturday, April 30. One load went to the metal recylers, while another went to the dump. Read on!

(Below) A drawing table and T-square are also available, along with a boom-box style radio and other tools and accessories. All proceeds from sales benefit the WBA.

Next WBA Monthly Meeting May 19, 2016. Don't Miss It!

boatOur next meeting will be Thursday, May 19, 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. We'll review the last minute details for the Ride 'n Show in Rockwall and hear a presentation on the goings on in Lake Tahoe, including the wonderful Maritime Museum there, from WBA member and goodwill ambassador Bill Kimball.

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

Keels & Wheels always holds surprises and treasures for those who make the trip. The WBA launch crew had a ball down there, not only helping with the launching, but also seeing the show, socializing, and making some discoveries of their own. My personal favorite was this '50s vintage Willis Comet racing outboard. The Comet was made right here in Dallas by Pop Willis of Willis Boat Works. We've learned a lot about that operation over the past several years, including their runabout production (Lew White's boat) and their family boat building (Charlie Varner's boat). But this is the first chance we've had to see a Comet first hand. There may be just three of these boats surviving. Watch video here.

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.