Your Latest Bilge Pump

Recent Cold Snap a Wake-Up Call for Winterization

As the colder weather arrives, don't forget to winterize your boat. Drain all the water from the engine, stabilize your fuel, and take all the precautions necessary to make sure you'll be ready to go for next season.

If you own an outboard motor, be sure to drain the lower unit (it is very common for water to get in there), and replace the lubricant with fresh stuff.

There are a variety of techniques published on line for this procedure if you are new to our hobby. Here's a link to the ACBS article on the subject.

Yellow Jacket Alum Bill Brown Regales Members at November Meeting

At right is photo of the front cover of a sales brochure for 1958 Yellow Jacket Boats. Driving the boat in the top picture is young Bill Brown of Denison, TX, who joined us at the November 17 meeting of the WBA. Bill told stories of his time as a driver, model and technician at the company, working both at the main plant near Lake Texoma, and in the Denison Marine Center downtown. He even had a story about Roy Roger's secret to keeping his cowboy hat on in fist fights, driving a high-speed boat, or riding his faithful horse Trigger. A simple band of weatherstripping around the inside of Roy's hat kept it on in the most adverse conditions! Special thanks to Bill Brown and Dennis Cheatham for the program. After Bill's talk, the club handled the business of the meeting, including the re-election of our current officers: Scott Myers, President; Jeff Dils, Vice-President; Scott Reichardt, Treasurer; and Trey Bull, Secretary. Thanks to these four for their willingness to serve another year!

Project Updates from the Lucas Shop and Beyond!

(Above) Bill Mott sands the bottom of the Hallams' 1958 Yellow Jacket Catalina. The bottom will receive a couple coats of epoxy, then primer, then yellow bottom paint.

(Above) Carl Lapiska has just applied the ninth coat of varnish to the hull of his Chris Craft Super Sport. Cold, damp weather had delayed varnishing earlier in the month.

(Above) Bill Mott puts the finishing touches on Bill Keenan's swim platform which he, Alan Oppenheimer and David Kanally rebuilt using new African mahogany.

(Above) Ray Widmer acquired a small sailing dinghy some time ago and has been lovingly restoring her in his garage at home. Ray has also found info on the boat's origins.

(Above) Robin McGeorge holds the bottom transom plank of Ted Dysart's Century Sabre. The removal of the plank gives access to some cracked bottom planks.

(Above) Jay Emerson reported a day of meditative calm as he made and placed hundreds of bungs in the deck trim of a rare Carver he's restoring at his shop in Oklahoma.

(Above) Phil Wolff drilled and plugged 1150 screw holes in his Coronado, creating a tight fastening surface for new battens and planks.

(Above) The structure of Rays' dinghy hull is very delicate, so Ray has built a supporting cradle to maintian its shape. We'll follow his progress in upcoming issues.

Next Monthly Meeting January 19th at Two Guys, Don't Miss It!

Our next meeting will be Thursday, January 19th, 2023, at 7 p.m. You'll receive an email reminder for the meeting a few days prior. We will not have a regular December Meeting due to our Christmas Party on December 3. We'll be continuing our door prize tradition, giving out an e-book of the lucky winner's choice, or a complimentary design of a boat show placard.

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: Early Boatress Lore

This "Hagar the Horrible" cartoon was laminated by my Mom and stuck to the refrigerator in 1984 and displayed there for years, as my Dad undertook the restoration of our 1957 Cowell King. The cartoon captures the plight of many a boatress, who tolerate us and love us in spite of it all. My Mom passed away on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at age 96. She rejoins my Dad in heaven and leaves my brother and me with a lifetime of memories and lessons. Here's to all the moms who made us who we are and whose legacies we celebrate forever.

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.