| Project Update Shows Great Headway This Past Month!
(Above) The Nevada Yellow Jacket really looks like a Yellow Jacket now, with its Corina Blond deck darts and mahogany decks and hull.
(Below) Alan Oppenheimer applies mahogany filler stain to the dash of the Nevada Yellow Jacket. Next step will be the first of many coats of spar varnish to finish the boat.
(Below) Steve Seale puts his Dyer Tender through its paces following new bottom and hull paint, and some fuel system repairs that he made to the unique craft.
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(Above) Completing the picture of the recent work on the Nevada Yellow Jacket, the transom and fins have taken on their mahogany hue.
(Below) Carl Lapiska uses a pressure washer to remove years of accumulated crud from the bilge of his Chris-Craft utility.
(Below) Bill Mott acquired Steve McCune's 1957 Yellow Jacket Riviera this month, and after a swap-out of the motor controls, splashed her in Lewisville Lake.
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Next WBA Monthly Meeting June 17th, 2021. Join Us in Person or by Phone!
 Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 17th at 7 p.m. at Two Guys from Italy at 11637 Webb Chapel Road, just south of Forest Lane. We'll be continuing our door prize tradition, giving out a classic boating book from collections donated by Pat Baldwin to a lucky winner.
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 be swapping stories of our various boating and project adventures. Plus, we'll have a presentation of general interest to antique and classic boating enthusiasts. And, of course, 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. As announced above, those who are not comfortable meeting in person, or those who live too far away to drive to the restaurant are welcome to join the meeting via conference call. Invitations with instructions for joining the conference call will be sent via email to all members prior to the meeting.
Shop Talk and Musings: History with Heart
 Back in the mid-'50s, a couple Denison high school kids had summer jobs at the Yellow Jacket Boat Company in Denison, TX. One of them was the late Richard Cheatham, long-time WBA member and father of Dennis Cheatham (l). Another was Carl Bilderback (r), who, together with Richard, worked on the assembly line, building the famous molded plywood boats.
Their boss, Finis Terrell, noticed that they had extra time on their hands at their station, which was near the end of the line, so he had them go back and help the guys at other stations to keep production moving. In so doing, Richard and Carl learned every step of the Yellow Jacket manufacturing process, and would eventually be given one-off, special order boats to build from start to finish. One of those boats, a 1954 custom "Dart Delete" racer, belonged to Carl for twenty years after it spent decades in the Jasper County Historical Museum. Dennis now owns that boat, but is deeply appreciative of the story it tells about his dad and his friend, Carl.
The racer earned a Corinthian Award at the May 1 Keels & Weels show. Dennis proudly brought it home, then on May 8 at the Wood, Waves & Wheels Show at Eagle Mountain Lake, presented the trophy to Carl. I'm often asked what my domain name, "history with heart" means. For all who have asked, this story is what it means. Read Dennis' story here.
And finally, please take a look in the shed or garage for leftover parts or other salable items you can spray with Lysol, then donate to the Club. Contact David Kanally at david@historywithheart.com for more info. |
