A Mid Term Report – What The Hell Have We Done?
One of my favorite Woody Boater images from this year.. so far..
It’s that time of year again, the mid point, six months into a new year here in Woodyboaterville. I know, this is not a story about a wood boat.. It’s about us, us as a community. And what you all have helped do over the past 3 years or so. We here have always tried our hardest to be honest fun, and positive. Oh , trust me, behind the scenes we hear it all. Like living in a beautiful home, but every now and then having to clean the backed up toilets.. Texx and i spend a great deal of time.. to much time roaming around the country and surfing the net trying to find cool stuff to report on daily. We call it Attention Deficit Reporting, ADR. Oh look a Red and White! It’s what ever is in front of us at the time…Yea there are some fun stories that we take our time on.. OK Texx does, I just see it and report it. Its a nice blend. And fun as hell. But Texx and I agree, that the best part is you, the readers, the Blue shirts, yellow shirts, Anonymous, Pat, Paul, John, John….. Woody Gal, Chad, Kim and John, John and john from va…. Crazy legs Al Benton, Bill, Don, Brian, Jim, Al Shcinnnnnnnier, Ken, Dennis, Lou, Joel, Chris Carla, Jim Nelson, Seth, Oh god, here I go, Romper room style, I see, little Scott…. And Peter, Dale Kocian, Mike Mayer, Mike Green, Jim Scott… Don D. Pfswiley, Chris Smith… Rick who is always there in the AM to start off the comments. Thanks for that. The two Don P’s. The Smith Mountain Lake Gang… That Lyman guy… All of Michigan, Florida, California, NY, Illinoise, New England, Washington State….. OK Wait.this is getting silly.. I am forgetting someone I am sure. It’s kinda getting a tad outa my control. I want to know all the readers. We like that. It’s a big boat house party thing..
Here is whats happened.. And the start of a dilema. We started the year with a bold projection. 500,000 pageveiws by end of year. Seemed like a honest and sincere forecast.. We are not a multipage web site. Ya get here and snack. No deep diving like the Chris Craft Antique Boat club site.. Dear god! Our sponsors signed up in one day. And we went to work.. OK it’s not work, but we kept tweaking and adjusting with your help and input. THIS IS YOUR SITE. And your input has changed some things.. We have tried to design the site around your needs, your suggestions and hopefully bring you cool fun stuff you may not be thinking about. And, thats mostly brought to us by you. Don will send a stoy idea and bam, its meatballed together and out there. No ink to waste here.. We get a lead on some boats that are in a barn, and its a 5 alarm fire drill…. Wooohooo, were gonna get bitten by some spiders today!
Any way, we started by saying our goal was a bold 500,000 pageveiws this year… we hit 500,000 page views several months ago.. And are on track for darn close to 3 million pageveiws by end of year. Yes.. We mention a hotel, it books up in a day, Woody Boater is now in many cases the number one organic click source for many of the companies that embrace our lifestyle. We have readers all over the world and are in operation 24/7 reporting and embracing this comunity that we love and what to see grow. And thanks to you. We are growing beyond our wildest dreams. Heck, we even now have our own official language. Woodyboaterease. So, a big thanks go out to you.. From the bottom of our bilges.. Matt & Texx
thank you guys!
we’re so grateful that you came up with the idea in the first place.
there’s something for everybody; whether you’re a newbie or have been around awhile.
we have shared woodyboater with family, friends, compete strangers, businesses and the military. it is, by far and away, the very best way to introduce our “lifestyle” to others. it is informative, sometimes irreverent, often times touching; it is our “hometown paper”.
we expecially enjoy seeing the boats and people in your stories. we would probably never see these boats or meet these folks otherwise due to geographic and time contraints if it wasn’t for woodyboater.
our thanks to everyone for making this one of the very best web sites on the internet.
You guys and gals do some top notch work, I spend more time here then any other “news” source, and by that I mean CNN, MSNBC, and it goes without saying FOX. But seriously, this site is the first one I look at in the morning and the last at night. Keep up the great work!
-anybody gonna be at the St. Michaels, MD boat show in June?
See, two of the top contributors and missed you all. Thanks so much. St Michaels, alwways seems to be on a bad weekend for me. Its right next door and I for one reason or another cant make it. This year its my sons graduation. And in Reedville were i could walk out my porch and do the show I will miss as well. his first day in school.. Oh the cobblers shoes.
It’s okay, I’ll make it my goal to be more memorable for the second halfof the year! I might have to summon the powers of the one and only Pat Curtin though…
Great site; Just to let you know. You are reaching me on Miller Island, lake Muskoka, Ontario. Even though I have just sold my last of three antique boats. My interest will live on as long as I do. You are my first site after the weather and financials in the morning. Keep up the great work, Noel
The Romper Room analogy was good, but Miss Jean was a lot better looking; I think Ding Dong School would be closer to the mark. Seriously, thanks for all you guys do.
And speaking of shows, now that the ice is (mostly) off the lakes in west Michigan, the first show of the summer is this weekend. The Spring Lake Wooden Boat Show is Saturday June 4 at Keenan Marine from 9:00 to 3:00. It is a small show, with about 40 boats expected, perfect for starting the season. If you happen to be in the area, it is worth a look.
Thanks guys for the great job that you do putting this web site together. I just finished a 5 year complete restoratiion on my Century Resorter and have often turned to your site to get refreshed and charged to keep going!!
Thanks again for being there and doing a great job for all of us Woody Boaters
Doug, post some pictures of your Resorter.
Phil
All right. Thanks for the nod under my many aliases. Keep the boats coming and don’t forget the Lymans.
You guys are jumping the gun a bit here. The midpoint of the year is something like July 3rd. Thanks for what you have delivered for the first 5 months of the year, and I promise to help keep the pageviews up for the next 7 months as well.
If you are looking for feedback, and for that matter financial support, from the adoring fans, may I suggest a woodyboater online ship store or perhaps an eBay store linked from the homepage. You could sell shirts and hats, signed glossy 8×10’s of Matt and Texx, official boat babe bathing wear, kapok stuffed bathing wear, embroidered woodyboater socks, and of course, the highly collectible Thayer IV varnish flakes with a hand signed certificate of near authenticity.
We are in the works for a store. Its a man power issue. We sell out of everything in short time. But it then becomes a business.
I forgot the hot dogs! Gotta sell the hot dogs too!
Who could forget a weiner!
Since you are on a red and white kick, may I suggest Zweigles natural casing red and white hots, aka Texas and porkers? They come in 6 to a pound packages for the women and children and 4 to a pound for the skippers. Let me know if you need help procuring them in your neck of the woods. I am always willing to ship a few weiners.
Just sell a party package of adhesive labels for the dogs and frosty beverage of your choice. Just stick them right over the current labels and you have an instant WoodyParty. Keep some in your glove compartment for those impromptu spontaneous events. Won’t everyone else be jealous!
Hmmmm. Romper Room. Yes, that brings back memories.
But in case it hasn’t yet for you, this will:
(And here’s betting you will curse me plenty for the favor…)
http://www.televisiontunes.com/Romper_Room.html
And then there’s this from the show, if it’s visuals you crave:
Wait a minute…
The nonsense verse theme song?
A character named Do-Bee?
And spinning in circles while singing about “flying around the room?”
Oh no. My childhood has just taken another hit. As it did when someone explained Puff the Magic Dragon to me.
OK…so I’m done for the day and after inhaling Epiphanes for the past 3+ hours I bit on your youtube link. Not only did I bite, but I stayed there for a few minutes…and found this…
I think THIS is the link you were looking for. It even names our fearless leaders, each, by name! Watch it and laugh my friends!
Woo Hoo an Honorable Mention. My life is complete, well almost. You’re going to get a call from some banks now asking to be a character reference for a large loan so I can restore the Triple I’ve always wanted. LOL. Anyway thanks for starting my day off fun every morning and letting someone like me with limited (VERY LIMITED) technical expertise participate in a forum such as this. This gives me a feeling of connection to the rest of the community (Lifestyle Congregation?)
Don’t worry Rick I don’t know $h*t either compared to most of the people on this or any other boating site. (I got that dollar sign thing from Pat Curtin) but what an education I’ve received thus far.
Keep up the great work. I have Woody Boater as my homepage on my computer. I love reading all the posts.
I have been away from the LIFESTYLE for awhile but after seeing “this” guy parading around Tavares this March in his Woody Boater cap and wondering what was up with this guy I was introduced to this blog. Great source of information and keep the pictures and stories coming.
You have rekindled my love for wooden boats again. THANK YOU!!!
You guys are doing a fantastic job! Since early this year with the addition of Bob & Linda Miracle and the livish reports from boat shows I make at least 1 daily view of the site. The boobie burgies are great and I LOVE your humor. I’m getting a visual on the kapok-stuffed bathing suits and it ain’t perty.
I can only echo the kudos for y’all! All the good superlitives have been taken! Super people always seem to do super things – this website is a primo example of both! Thanks, Matt and Texx . . . and thanks to Woody Boatress for putting up with your antics without inflicting severe bodily harm! Love the Masthead!
The Boatress is the secret weapon. She enjoys boating and keeps me even keeled. Otherwise i would be alone in my shop with tons of junk, old cars, boats and smell like an old borito. wait.. dinner tonight.. mmmmm salsa and chips. The masthead is out on the skiffany in Reedville. Thats the stack in the background that greets folks as they enter the town. A very cool iconic deal. She is from around there and loves the water and family. best 25 years of my life. Since i am 50 ish, I can honestly now say she is the better half of my pathetic life.
And you thought this would just be a hobby? Great job. The wooden boat bug got to you. As it did me some 37 years ago
Thanks
Well said in a Woody Boater sort if way!
Boatress in the banner eh?
Beware Suzy!
This can only mean he has an eye on another boat and is sucking up to you. (That’s what I’d do.)
How long you remain at the “helm” will be your clue to the new one’s cost. There’s probably a formula, you know, like $10,000 / day.
He is after DIANA M, the first pleasure boat made by Tiffany Cockrell. See the 5/31 marina treasure story, and in particular the mention of the screen saver change. The banner shows how much his wife enjoys the last Tiffany boat in hopes she will want to pair it with the first one as well.
big thankyou for all the effort. I think a daily conversation about the hobby is what woody boaters enjoy. Keep it up! steve and Laurie
John in Va says:
I don’t see how you do it? Never have. Unreal amount of dedication and your wife understands? It that the tops or what?
Thanks for being such a big part of every day.
Even I can navigate the new format and enjoy all the features.
Many more years of success and profound thanks.
OH! Now I get it, the WIFE is PICTURED on the MASTHEAD of the site …..hey…include ’em…never leave ’em woodydeprived.
Genius, pure and simple…mostly simple…
Matt, I’m a bit late with this (it’s almost tomorrow) but mean it as sincerely as I would have had I commented early this morning.
When you started this “blog” I don’t think anyone would have thought that you could maintain the energy it took to keep it going. I was thrilled to be invited to contribute to it with Weekly Destinations early on and enjoyed it emencly for a while. Unlike you, I ran short of ideas and eventually let you down. For that I appologize.
However, your energy and passion for this has grown steadily and this has become what it is today, a daily ritual for Woody Boaters world wide to not only anticipate waking up to but to contribute to through comments. The Comments are as much a part of this as the subjects that you and Texx post daily. All in all, you guys (Woody Boater, Matt and Texx, Reg) have indeed created a “Lifestyle” within this passion (hobby) for which WE aplaud you.
Al (Crazy Legs??? My wife brags about them!!!)
Matt:
Good job of bringing us fun stories on a daily basis…Can’t imagine how you do it and keep a daytime job and family too..
Oh and tell me what is a page view?