Having spent 45 years in the ad biz has taught me how to keep plates spinning. It is BTW the perfect job for folks with A.D.D. You have to be able to move from one job to another without hesitation. This can be brutal mentally if you are on a big focused job, because part
The other day on Facebook marketplace I came upon an old family member. Ham-A-Lama, the other 12 ft Whirlwind we owned for the boys. Yip Yap was Hanks, and Ham-A-Lama was Hams. With Ham-A-Lama, Ham never really took to it, while Hank loved Yip Yap. We sold both while the kids had gone on to
Oh how far we have shifted stories today, Last week Riva perfection, and today….Only 300 made according to the listing, And gotta say, in a Space Odyssey meets the Orb kinda way, it is, Ya know, I can’t find the word. Iconic of the time period. And I will throw this in. You would win
This is a late story, so the timing is off, and well, The Riva Florida series and bad air bumped it. But they had a very cool 250 year celebration on Lake Hopatcong, and our own Bob “Have I got a calendar for you” Kays, was the lead guy. Here is Bobs Note. In January
Screw worms, lettuce parasites, heat, and now air. No boating cause the air aint moving. BUT, despite all that I have been able to slip over to HQ and do an hr or so in the AM and get SWEET PEA kinda ready. Yes, its July. WTH? On a good note, the air is only
After five years, The Florida was ready for her coming out party at The Whitefish Chain Boat Show at the end of June. (It’s one of THREE shows the Land-o-Lakes chapter of ACBS puts on every Summer, including helping with three more.) During those five years Fitzke also designed and built his gentleman’s racer “Miss
You knew it was inevitable: The Florida needed a new bottom. While in Italy she had a foot of water in her bilge at some point, and a water line to prove it. After a flip of the Florida (a little alliteration there) Kevin pulled the bottom. Again, to be expected, there were structural pieces
A year later (maybe after some negotiation with his wonderful wife Sandy?) Mark returned to Massachusetts to bring the boat back to Minnesota. Mark had already procured a correct new Riva cover for the ride and the boat, on its cradle, was loaded onto a proper trailer. But this time Mark didn’t come alone. Friend
The boat from across the Atlantic heads across the country. The first time Mark saw his Florida was in Bjorn’s (meticulous) garage in Suburban Boston. As you can see, it was rough. Very rough. And it took Mark a year to finally purchase the boat from Bjorn and begin its long drive back to Lake
OK, we all followed the Woody Floater restoration last winter with B. And that was a good story, even if Matt parceled it out, chapter by chapter as he so loves to do. (I mean, wouldn’t we all if we had to make a post every-damn-day?) And what the heck, this is such a great
To be clear, I am not to sure I had heatstroke, but it sure felt like it. Here is the story of how it all unfolded, and how a boat ride saved me from myself. I was up on the new old scaffolding, I had spent most of the day, cleaning the rub rails, sanding,
I am not sure how I came across this, but here it is. I must have known it was cool, just as a design piece, but the more digging I did, it kinda is a thing. Like super collectable. I guess it looks like a car, so thats the deal, as a display item. But
Well, again Facebook Marketplace delivers. Or more accurately, Wayne Bomb and I went to pick them up. About a 2 hr drive. And of course we HAD to stop for some BBQ and maybe a cone on the way back. A 5 hr moment of sanity. Anyway, so what did I get. Some A Frame
I know we showed this post card a while back, and I decided to go all CSI on the thing. And I think, like 80% sure, which is not really sure, that this is WECATCHEM. Not that it matters, and maybe I am just wanting to believe it. But there is some compelling reasoning behind
Mearl and Earl Johnson found a tiny outboard motor sitting all alone on the dock. “He needs a home,” said Mearl. So they took him home. They named him Lil Earl. Lil Earl didn’t sleep in a garage. He slept on a little stand Every morning Earl polished his shiny cowl. Mearl checked his spark.
Its sausage day, sorry for the late start, work got in the way, today I have some tid bits that could have been stories
Gotta be honest, its hotter than H.E. Double Hockey Sticks. The humidity is so thick I go through about 4 t-shirts a day. I would go topless, but if there are any Japanese whaling ships close they would harpoon me. I did manage to spend a couple days car less though. Boat to here and
There is a tradition here in Woodyboaterville that goes back over a decade, Lily Day! If you are a regular reader, you have watched Lily grow up, and it is one of my favorite story lines here. Chad restored this 18 Sportsman for Lily, and in an amazingly loving way shared his family with us.
Today we celebrate 250 years of the United States Of America. Our Birthday. And because this is a place here that is about boats, well, I would like to point out, that without boats and ships, we would have been up a creek. So in a way, it’s your obligation to celebrate with your boat.
It may be hot in hell, but I bet it’s not humid. That thick air is enough to make you want to sit inside and write endless Woody Boater stories. UGH. I did look up to see at what temperature varnish melts. 127 seems to be a number on the interneter. So we are good
Here on the east coast, things are about to get a bit sticky. The old cliche, its not the heat it’s the humidity is a real thing. I got up early this morning and it was like walking out into a sauna. I have been sneaking out very early to fix a leak in SWEET
A huge thanks to longtime fellow Woodyboater Rabbit for sending in this great story. One word. Dang! Okay, Rabbit wrote more words… I met the super talented (and young!) boatbuilder Kevin Fitzke through our ACBS chapter, the Land-o-Lakes Classic Boat club. Besides his sterling reputation as a go-to Riva restorer, Kevin has also designed and
Dang! Sometimes the universe just hits you right in the Schnoz. I was looking at a story, which featured WECATCHEM’s hull card, and Double dog dang! Today is the anniversary of her delivery day to Irwin Marine. 79 years ago. It amazes me sometimes to think how old our boats are, and how they were
One of the joys of owning the railway is that folks drop off stuff. Like a lot of stuff. Cool stuff, but honestly I dont know what to do with a lot of it, so some of it sits while I wait for inspiration. NOTHING goes to waste. Lots of time its repurposed, or if
One of the cliche’s I am accused of by the Boatress, is when I find something cool that I want, I say, I always wanted one. The thing that confuses her, is how come I have so many things I have always wanted? I understand her, but that doesnt stop me from dreaming. Actually, my
Okay, more like 4, but that doesn’t make a good headline. The other day on Facebook, I purchased two cans of New Old Stock Chris Craft Engine blue. Sorry Rob, I out bid him. And yes I paid a lot, but I have bigger plans. The biggest being color. I know there is a pre
A HUGE thanks to Holly Weber for sending us all in some of her amazing photos of this years St Michael’s Show in..well St Michael’s Maryland. The show is located at the Chesapeake Bay Museum, which in its self is a show. So it’s kinda a show within a show. And Holly took pics to
I finally got B in the water and running. Like a champ. That lil B sure pushes it around.. And according to Wayne, he likes the simplicity of it. No leaks drips or errors. Once I fixed some issues. Stuffing area etc. There is definitely a process you have to follow to start her, or
A huge thanks to the king of clicks Steve Lapkin for sending us in this teaser of sorts. We will be getting a great series of reports from Montana, so stay tuned. Oh and in case you didn’t guess, I get to write the captions. Whether you are “right” coast or “left” coast, (or somewhere
ALL DAY! All 24 hours of it. All 1,440 Minutes or 86,400 seconds. Now, with all this pressure, the real issue is what do you give as a gift to someone you love on her Birthday? A Boat! Okay, I already did that for Christmas a while back, and I did try to make this
Seems appropriate to have a show on Moonlite Bay on the longest day of the year. A huge thanks to Dane Anderson for sharing some very diverse boats for us to gander at. The evolution of whats at boat shows now is getting very very cool. I LOVE IT! Thanks Dane for the inspiration on
Today is Fathers Day, in case you forgot. Which as a dad is very possible. We kinda forget, as do the Mothers out there. I do though remember my dad, and especially my dad in law. The two could not have come from two completely different universes. One taught me how to think, and the
This weekend is the big St Micheals show, and I want to be there, I should be there, but I can’t even get a boat in the water, I preach and yet don’t seem to follow my own advice. Somehow, other stuff always seems to be more important. And no, not procrastinate important. Or, as
Many of you may recall my hunt for the hull number on B, or maybe not. Basically I couldn’t find the hull number anyplace, and that was driving me nuts. Okay, more nuts than I normally am. Anyway, there were some records at Katzs Marina for a model 99. And no real boat to match.
I am not sure whats happening. But the cold hard truth is that I have yet to put any of the Woody boats in the water. Oh, I tried to get B in there, but she wouldn’t start, the 6 volt battery just didn’t have the umph to get her over the fuel hump. So
A huge thanks to the hottest country music star in Woodyboaterville, Bot Horsley. Bot’s roots go way way way back to his time living on a dirt farm in Alabama. Sadly the farm was near the water so it was mostly mud. But Bot kept dream’n on being a star. He hopped a ride to
The Baby Whaler is a hit. Thank the old boat gods. The engine has very very low hours, runs quiet like a good 4 stroke should. And the Dauntless hull design actually rides very very nice. So mission accomplished.
Well, that was fun… and fast, and rewarding. The biggest thing the auction did was raise awareness of the little sliver of the universe we love. Lots of new folks that brought there money where their mouth is. The marketing behind it all was strong, and the product, amazing. And at mostly decent prices. Like
Other than the $4,800 Chris Craft water skis, the deals folks are getting seem good to reasonable. Yesterday was engines, and stuff, and things kinda went as planned. No real surprises, and the deals were great. The Scripts 302’s went for 12K ish and these can be $50,000-$70,000K engines. My KBL’s which are not mine
Yesterdays auction action was as random as it comes. Cheap Rockets, $67K Continental, and some other whoppers, but noting too crazy. Low or high. Just kinda where one would have expected it to be. Except for the Chris Craft Water Skis. There HAS to be a back story on these. I did not see that
If you are watching, or ready to bid on the big New Jersey Auction, today is the first day of the end of the auction. Bidding closes today on the boats and some of the parts. Some of the bidding is all over the place, and to be honest crazy. The 21 Continental is at
Back in the right time zone for my over inflated body. We stayed in Augusta GA, I swear everyone looks like a golf pro there. And now because we all live in the future I can work on my laptop in the car with a hotspot. And yes I know this isnt new technology, but
Today we are on the road home, thankyou for putting up with the late morning stories and randomness of it all. Yesterday I finished my painting, but there is more to do. These old houses are like old boats. Exactly like old boats. and depending on the storm, may be an old boat. The food
Well, this is embarrassing, I forgot that I did this video after Dora, and well, I suppose thats the way life is now. But to make a theme of it all, I am bringing the video back to life, and some of the still photos from back in the day. I have some AI software
My week in NOLA is coming to an end, I feel like a tick that found an artery, and been painting the house here while the kids are away in Ireland. WAIT? I suppose this should be in me in Ireland, and them painting the house. BUT, it my sick age, I have come to
I made it, after years of wanting to go, I went to the WW2 Museum in New Orleans. First off, this could be a two days, not two hours. But, it’s how I process things. When I go to boat shows I do a once over and then go deep. Like really deep on things.
New Orleans has inspired me to try a little something new. Sausage Day, but with no real plan. Not that anything is planned here. But I have this collection of images over the past week, and thought they would make some sausage out of them. BUT this time, I am going to just post them