YIPPEE, YIP YAP Is On Her Way Back!

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T Parsons left, and Mike Lapinski, the seller feller! Holland Michigan 4PM

If you have been following this week with the entire spontaneous Daisy Chain story, today we reveal the boat and “trip 1, done by long time fellow Woody Boater T Parsons. We kept the boat a secret because we wanted to surprise our son Hank, Berlin Bureau, SURPRISE!

The day my son Hank found YIP YAP in Buffalo, never touched. Time capsule. I still have the old Johnsons. Thats Dan Dan the Mechanic Man. The trailer broke apart mid transit one day.

The boat is YIP YAP, a long time love of the Smith Family and my son Hank’s first boat. He went on the trip to Buffalo to get her with us, and learned to drive and blow up an old outboard on it. She was the poster child of the Whirlwind stories here, and even had Osama Bin Ladan at the helm.

oh boy!

The day after she was named. Our old pal Captain Crunch did the lettering – RIP Crunch!

Oh Yip Yap has a history here. There is deep love here. And after all this time, headed back home.

My two sons out having fun! I think this was the day we got the new engine.

One of my favorit images from summers gone by. It was lunch time at the river. The kids just all found there spots to eat.. It was only a year later that i read the back of one of my sons t shirts. This says it all for me. And that is Yip Yap in the boat house.

We put a new Nissan Engine on her back in 2004? and she is still making people happy for sure. This is one MUCHO LOVED BOAT for sure. And now on her way to Ohio. And then Maryland. This is insane, but somehow the universe is by our side.

Tucked away for the night in Toms Garage

Dang! thats some classy stuff Yip Yap is hanging with. Sorry Yip, your being picked up this morning by Steve and heading south.

 

24 replies
  1. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Wow, this makes the story even greater. Congrats on finding a part of the family and bringing her home. Woohoo!

  2. Troy in ANE
    Troy in ANE says:

    Congratulations Hank and all! Awesome to being a family member back home.

    Dang even your boats have Dog names. YipYap

    Just for fun, meet Daisey!

  3. Frank@Falmouth
    Frank@Falmouth says:

    Congrats Matt on finding and bringing back a key player in your boating family history!. Being a Whirlwind Guy, (as well as plenty of CC) I had printed and framed that YipYap photo.
    Theres nothing like bringing home a boat that brings great (and maybe not so great) memories. I am lucky to have retained or reacquired a few of my familys historical “artifacts” including the first sailboat my dad pushed me away from the dock in, a 1942 Ventnor Moth, which hangs in my “Boat Barn” awaiting refurbishment. I had to have a neighbor secretly purchase the family 1957 CC 17′ Sportsman Utility for me because my dad thought I already had “too many boats” (BWAH Hah hah…is there such a thing?)
    The problem with these boats are they got “smaller” and slower over time… 🙂

    Fix those Whirlwind emblems and we”ll see what creative boat numbers you get when you register it back in Virginia!

    Now you just have to find that wooden Sunfish!

    Welcome Home Yip Yap!

      • Frank@Falmouth
        Frank@Falmouth says:

        Gary (not to hyjack Matts coming home story..)
        George Albaugh checks in with me periodically from the Classic Moth Boat Assn. Its a RedSpot Ventnor maybe one of the earliest still around according to George ….
        For others… the Boatsmiths at Ventnor Boatworks built one-design Moth Class sailboats after hours from scrap and excess from building PT and other boats. (or so I was told) Russell Post’s design for the open Moth class was called the Red Spot. A far design cry from current winged and foiled and spacey designs…. Was an easy to sail, but fast boat, plywood bottom, canvas covered cedar deck, fist boat I ever sailed…over 50 years ago! Memories!

  4. Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P)
    Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P) says:

    Great find! Great story! I said not to under estimate the power and helpfulness woodyboaters. Fortunately boats never get out of our family. They are either kept or sold (sometimes given) to another family member. Nothing really high dollar, just cool old boats. Safe travels on the rest of the journey. I’m sure Hank is excited.

    • Berlin Büro
      Berlin Büro says:

      Seeing it this morning brought a tear to my eyes! Or maybe thats my allergies… Of all the boats we’ve had, I have the most vivid memories of Yip Yap. Hopefully now it says in VA!

  5. Berlin Büro
    Berlin Büro says:

    Now there’s something I NEVER thought I’d ever see again! I’m more shocked it’s still got the name on it. Glad you all managed to get it safely, and thank you to everyone in the community that helped out. Last thing I needed to worry about was my dad zipping halfway across the country with Bruiser.

    This boat means the world to me and I’m thrilled that you have it back at home. Now if only this pandemic would chill out and I could see it in person once again.

  6. tparsons56
    tparsons56 says:

    It was our pleasure to help. My wife and I enjoyed the adventure and the excuse to have a road trip. We all wore masks and social distanced to be safe and there were no issues at all.

    While not in anyway discounting the seriousness of the pandemic we still have to proceed on with our lives – just practice good common sense safety precautions. I am still remaining very hopeful to be able to attend a classic boat show this summer!

  7. tparsons56
    tparsons56 says:

    Oh – while I got the boat across Michigan I’m not driving it to Berlin. Someone else is going to have to make that trip. That should be good for months of stories.

    • Berlin Büro
      Berlin Büro says:

      Wouldn’t that be something! It’d be a REAL change of scenery having anything besides tour boats here. Thanks for all your help! Gonna be a trip seeing it again after 15-17 years!

  8. Rabbit
    Rabbit says:

    Great story! Seeing Yip Yap always made me want to find a Whirlwind for my son Will. But then I realized that he loved boating with me as well as my pledge to my wife to only have one woody.

    Love the graphics and also love that you stripped the graphics off the new outboard. I’m a fan of of clean, reliable modern outboards (contriversial, I know) but wonder why more don’t do this when repowering vintage boats. It’s so easy. I follow the amazing work done by the guys at FasseCo restoring vintage Whalers and always think how much better they’d look without the modern Yamaha graphics on the outboards.

    • Berlin Büro
      Berlin Büro says:

      The engine it came with was very cool in general, it fit perfectly with the retro-futurism vibe. Maybe my dad has a picture of it somewhere.

      However, despite work on it, one day it cut off and as I went to pull start it back up, the chord came off… with burnt ends. The rest of it started smoking and that was the end of that!

  9. John Rothert
    John Rothert says:

    Great saga for sure! As a whirlwind guy I am going to enjoy seeing that boat in Va. waters again.

    Agree with comments about using modern power…strip off the crappy graphics and run em. I tell my knuckle buster friends that are into “period power” that I am into “power PERIOD”…they all want to ride with me…wonder why?
    John in Va.

    • Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P)
      Mark in Ohio (sometimes da U P) says:

      Old outboards are like women. Spend some time, and money on them, treat them right. They will look good and take care of you.

  10. Verne
    Verne says:

    In my opinion, when you look at a “period” boat, the whole thing should be Period, including the motor. It takes you back in time and it represents a 100% view of history.
    Adding modern power is just like putting an LS motor in a ’62 Chevy. Now you have a restomod rather than a piece of history.
    That’s just my view……

    • Berlin Büro
      Berlin Büro says:

      Normally I would agree, however the original motor caught on fire with 14 year old me at the helm. Not worth going down with the ship yet. Bummer the original gas container isn’t there anymore either, it seems.

  11. Jeffrey Martinson
    Jeffrey Martinson says:

    Boy, this really is like Santa bringing a present for Xmas! Schiess Dir nicht das Auge aus!

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