A Report From The Great White North – Some Say This Winter Was A Rascal

TODAY WE ARE MAKING A QUICK TRIP up to the Great White North (Ontario, Canada) with fellow Woody Boater Sean Conroy. On Saturday Sean attended a Trent Severn Antique & Classic Boat Association (TSACBA) club workshop in Havelock, Ontario and also stopped in to a few local boat shops, and a classic eatery along the way. A classic road-trip through Southern Ontario can reveal some interesting projects. – Texx
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A Report From The Great White North
by Sean Conroy

This weekend we lost an hour of winter and my fingers are thawing out just enough, to let the Woody Boater community know that things in the Great White North have been warmer than absolute zero.

Even for hardy Canadians in the heart of a true four-season climate, this winter has been a long and difficult one. Further compounded by a disastrous season from the Toronto Maple Leafs, many of us can’t wait to get Woody Boatin’ no matter what the weather! Sure, in early January there were signs of life at the Toronto International Boat Show (covered here on Woody Boater). However, when that was over the calendar was pretty thin as far as “official” events.

Well, thank goodness for Woody Boater friends, as I got an invite from (fellow Woody Boater & contributor) Chris Bullen to tag along on Super Bowl Sunday to the shop of more fellow Woody Boaters – Rich and Linda Hughes.

In the shop, Rich has been giving some attention to the Bullen’s boathouse sibling to RIOT (their beautiful CLARION Gold CUP 25). The boat in question is a homebuilt RASCAL. Chris tells me the RASCAL was his first build and what started him down this oh, so familiar path of wooden boat addiction.

The Rascal design has beautiful lines and has been a true user’s boat. Clearly, there have been miles of smiles created by this boat over the years. But, now (14 years later) she’s in for a facelift and if you have ever seen Rich’s work well, let me tell you… it’s impressive. Rich is also the Past President of the TSACBA and remains active within the organization.

With a new deck and a strengthened transom this little boat will turn heads. It was great puttering around Rich’s personal workshop checking out the improvements they made and discussing some of the work yet to be done. But, all too soon our visit was over; homeward bound to watch an exciting New England Super Bowl Victory.
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Chris Bullen started building SAM’S SMILE in February 2000. This model is a 14’8 x 5’6″ Ken Bassett Rascal design. Launched in May 2001, he named it SAM’S SMILE as he could not “keep the grin off his face” whenever he went into the garage to work on it. The boat has a 4-stroke 60 hp Mercury engine, and it was used extensively on Lake Muskoka, Ontario.

Rich Hughes noted:

The original decking was varnished plywood but the top veneer was damaged (slightly delaminated) during a winter storage. Since it was only cosmetic, the plywood was kept as a sub decking.

There were a few high and low spots to correct, so after that the entire deck was covered in a fibreglass cloth and epoxy to strengthen and bond the entire structure.

The new solid mahogany deck you see is milled to ¼” thick and epoxied onto the sub-deck. Screws and fender washers hold the mahogany in place until the epoxy cures. After curing overnight the screws and washers are removed and the holes plugged.

The end result looks like a traditional build deck, but everything is epoxied into place to make a stronger structure that isn’t prone to shrinking and swelling.

Once the woodwork is completed, then the interior and upholstery will be upgraded by my wife at Linrich Upholstery. We are planning to have the Rascal completed in time for her re-launch at the 2015 Toronto Chapter ACBS show in Gravenhurst in early July. – Rich and Linda Hughes

With a constant arctic blast for the rest of February, we were getting quite excited about the first Trent Severn Antique & Classic Boat Association (TSACBA) club workshop of the year, happening on March 7th. This event was held at Ronny’s Marine in Havelock, Ontario.

Ronny is a new member to the TSACBA and is a FIBERGLASS man. (We embrace all classic boats). Inspired to join up with Woody Boaters through contact with fellow Woody Boaters Murray Parnell and John Gullick – Ronny has his roots in wooden boats through those made by his father. And, he is no stranger to the boating world. Ronny’s day job is fixing new boats for insurance and warranty contracts. I’ll not go into the specifics he relayed during the workshop but, the lesson is that Ronny knows his stuff.

We started with general questions from our woody familiar members about fiberglass construction issues (like osmosis), causes, cures and a little background history on the progression of fiberglass construction methods. We looked at the different types of damage that can be seen in the surface of a fiberglassic and some analysis as to their causes (mechanical stress, seamanship inflicted, exposure to the elements…etc).

The topics progressed through restoration of fiberglass boats to polishing, and upkeep. A couple of demonstrations showed us how a surface could be brought back to a beautiful shine with the skillful use of the right products and how to clear up a less than clear windscreen. Before lunch there was a draw for some fiberglass care products donated by Ronnie.

It was quite fitting to have lunch at a local Havelock, Ontario restaurant WOODY BURGER! (Bacon was available {m.fine} but, I did not see anything served on a stick… chicken or otherwise).

Attending the workshop and of special interest to me was fellow Woody Boater Randy Milligan. Randy is a wood boat enthusiast but, more so a vintage hydroplane aficionado who has recently purchased MISS TIMEX (U-75) from THE LEGENDARY Bill Muncey. (We contacted the folks at the Unlimiteds Detroit website and received permission to publish a few rare photos of MISS TIMEX U-75 for our story today. They have a very impressive photo database – Texx)

U-75 is a 30’ Unlimited Class Hydroplane built by Les Staduacher in 1971, powered by an Allison V-12 WWII era aircraft engine. This racer competed between 1971 and 1984 under several numbers including U-75, U-56, U-70, U-66, U-100 and U-11.

The boat has just completed its long journey from Washington State to Ontario and has begun an extensive restoration. “Bringing back MISS TIMEX” is a project that should keep us interested and busy for quite some time.

Randy is partially funding this 100K + restoration project through sponsorship, donations and the sale of apparel (cool Miss Timex U-75 hats). During the restoration, MISS TIMEX will still be making show appearances as a display to further promote the wooden boat restoration and excitement in vintage hydroplanes.

Starting this week the thermometer is supposed to be on the “plus” side of the freezing point in this neck of the woods so, spirits are high (with some heading to Lake Dora) and many of us Canadians stepping up our boating activities wherever we are.

Sean Conroy – Great White North Reporter

Special thanks to Sean for this report today, and to Rich Hughes & Ronnie’s Marine for inviting us into their workshops.

Also thanks to the Trent Severn Antique & Classic Boat Association for their ongoing dedication to the hobby. The TSACBA is a very active group – their 2015 Event Schedule is full of interesting events. You can check out their great website HERE.

Texx
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