Complete with a Project Update from Robin's Nest!
July, 2024

High Lake Levels, High Temps Hamper (Some) Boaters

These comparative photos of Lake View Marina on Lewisville Lake show the normal pool level (l) and recent extremely high water levels (r). With the exception of one or two high water ramps, access to the lake for recreational boating had been restricted until just days ago. Thanks to Bill Mott for the photos above.

Temperatures have been rising, too, so many boaters have to sit and wait. Or, if you're like Dan Stober, with access to Eagle Mountain Lake, you wait just until the sun goes over the yardarm, and enjoy your favorite hobby with your buddies anyway! (Stober photo right)

 

 

WBA Member Zettler Saves 1960 Continental!

(Above) Lou Zettler, at left, peers over the gunwale as Donnie Allen and son of Scroggins, TX get the 1960 Continental ready for towing a few weeks back. The lead to finding the boat was provided by WBA member Tom Austin, who lives on Lake Cypress Springs.

 

 

(Above) Lou got the Continental back to the Robin McGeorge Boat Shop with help from David Kanally. Work began almost immediately, including removal of the windshield, deck hardware and that horn! More progress is documented in the shop update below.
Jay Emerson Explains Innovative Boat Building Technique at June Meeting

 

 

The June 20th meeting of the WBA welcomed a full house at Two Guys from Italy, and several attendees via Zoom. WBA member and professional restorer Jay Emerson presented the innovative boat construction techniques of Cutts & Case Shipyard which uses a synthetic cord imbedded with epoxy in channels routered into grooves between plank layers to provide the required hull strength without heavy framework.

In addition, Jim Donovan provided a few laughs with some funny photos taken of David Kanally by Pat Vinson, and David Sheets presented video of his recent sojourn to the Classics Cruisin' Table Rock Lake event, sponsored by the Heartland Classics Chapter of ACBS. President Phil Brosseau also announced the date of the WBA Christmas Party, which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7. Venue is TBD.

Project Updates from the Robin McGeorge Boat Shop and Beyond!

(Above) Chris McKeehan beams as she completes coat #8 of spar varnish on their 1959 Continental.

(Above) Carl Lapiska used poles and clamps to apply pressure to his dash trim piece, coaxing it in to match the curve of the dash. Here, Carl is fine-tuning the fitting.

(Above) Barney Gulley created a poster board template for the side graphics on his 1957 Yellow Jacket Riviera, which have already begun receiving their coats of red paint.

(Above) Lou Zettler is earning his keep, scraping bilge gunk out of his Continental. Some significant bottom repair will be required.

(Above) Greg and Stephanie McIlvoy's Century Coronado, the biggest boat in the shop, has received lots of scraping and sanding attention to the bare wood portions of the hull and deck. Here's Greg using the long board to hand sand.

(Above) Ray Widmer's little sailboat, "Snow Bird" has received some primer on the interior. Ray has built an octagonal cradle which allows him to turn the boat single-handedly.

(Above) Carl Lapiska, Chris McKeehan and Bill Mott take a break during a recent day at the shop.

(Above) Carl's hand-crafted dash and return trim pieces are now fully dry-fitted and are ready for final fairing, once the gunwale trim is done.

(Above) Barney also fashioned his own jig for fabricating Yellow Jacket "Flote-n-Ride" laminated birch seat springs, based on the original that came with his boat.

(Above) Lou has been digging for rot in the bilge, and he found it! A major bottom job is in the future for this boat, once the engine is pulled. Stay tuned for the flip party.

(Above) The transom of the McIlvoys' Coronado had a hand-painted name, which needed to be sanded off to reach the bare wood for refinishing purposes. The white paint has been well feathered here, too.

(Above) Phil Wolff has reassembled the engine of his glass Resorter with all new gaskets. He adjusted the valve lash, and is ready to test the power plant soon. We're confident that his water-in-the-oil problem has been solved.

Next Monthly Meeting July 18, Featuring Yellow Jacket Restorations!

boatOur next meeting will be Thursday, July, 18th 2024, at 7 p.m. at Two Guys From Italy in Dallas. Come at 5:30 and join us for the pre-meeting dinner. You'll receive an email reminder for the meeting a few days prior. We'll be continuing our door prize tradition, giving out an e-book, or print book of the lucky winner's choice, or a complimentary design of a boat show placard. Our presentation this month will be by David Kanally, who will discuss the ins and outs of restoring Yellow Jackets with molded plywood hulls.

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: Growing the WBA in DFW and From Afar

WBA members who follow the Club's activities on Facebook know that more than 1200 people follow us on that social media platform. Several of those people live far away from the WBA's DFW base, but still pay dues and avail themselves of the resources and expertise of the club. We've asked some of our paying members, both near and far, to share their WBA stories on Facebook in order to encourage other non-paying observers to support the club through a paid membership. If you'd like to share your story on Facebook, feel free! If you'd like some ideas on the kinds of posts we think might be effective, give David Kanally a shout.

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.