Messing about in boats...

I've never been much for patience and waiting, but I did wait nearly 3 weeks after purchasing Sea Change before heading south to Naples, Florida.  The 20 plus hour ride was torture, but Jimmie and I traded driving responsibilities, listened to radio margartiaville, surfed the net on the iphone, and generally kept moving southward until arriving in Naples two days ago.

Naples is a great town with exclusive shopping and lots of people from New York.   It seems that everyone who is anyone in New York has arrived in Naples to enjoy the warmer weather.   I'm not bothered as I understand the accent.  However,  Jimmie had some difficulty understanding Vinny at the plumbing warehouse yesterday.   Vinny was from Brooklyn.

We have a monumental list of boat projects to complete before Robin and Sue arrive this weekend.   I've been cleaning and unpacking the boat in sections.  Most of the galley is complete and ready for a meal to be cooked aboard. But with all the great food just blocks away from Sea Change that might not happen for a while.

As I write this, the tide is out and Sea Change is rather unhappily listing to port as we are aground in the slip.   We will continue to work diligently and get a few more projects out of the way before another rum front passes over the boat.

Same Blog... New Name!

Happy New Year Everyone

In December, we closed on our new sailboat a Catalina 380 named Sea Change. A sea change is a poetic word for a profound transformation into something rich and wonderful usually brought about by the ocean. For us, the past year has brought about tremendous changes in almost every aspect of our lives.

In May, we graduated Dominic from Fayetteville High School. There were some rough patches, steep waves, and strong winds; he stayed the course and successfully passed all his classes. Finishing school, he found the perfect summer job, working as a lifeguard at Devil’s Den State park about 30 minutes south of Fayetteville. He had a great summer working and playing outside in one of the most scenic areas of the state. At the end of the summer, the job was over, and Dominic found employment at Walgreens Drug Store as a clerk. Dominic continues to work hard and tinker with his 1964 Karman Ghia in the garage.

Robin’s sea change came unexpectedly with an abrupt end of her 15 year career at Siloam Springs Memorial Hospital. With new administrators, an ever increasing work load of patients, and increasing acuity, she didn’t realize how difficult her job had become. With other opportunities on the horizon, she took a much needed break in the early part of the summer while she worked out the details of a new job at Willow Creek Women’s Hospital. This job is a short 10 minute drive from home. Most of her patients are young pregnant ladies who are by and large (pun intended) healthy with minimal medical problems. While she still works hard, almost all of these cases have happy endings.

In January of this year, Robin and I were fed up with our weight problem and ready to make a change towards a much healthier lifestyle. We entered a rigorous weight loss program with an emphasis on eating healthier foods. I’m pleased to say that 11 months later we have lost over 175 pounds together. And while we are still not at our ideal weights, we are so much closer to being healthy and fit.

In October, we sold our beloved Bella Luna, a Hunter 34 sailboat, with a new and much larger boat on the horizon. Two weeks ago, I traveled to Naples Florida and did sea trials, a survey, and inspection of our new addition to the family: Sea Change. After Christmas, we plan to sail her from Naples in Southwest Florida to the Mobile area. This 400 mile trip should take a few weeks. From Mobile, we’ll transport her by truck to Beaver Lake.

Sea Change will be berthed at Beaver Lake for a while as we make plans for the next change in our lives and cruise the Caribbean for a few months at time.

As for me, I am finishing my 3^rd consecutive year as Commodore of the Beaver Lake Sailing Club. We have made tremendous progress during my tenure and will continue to make positive changes as I serve again in 2011.

From my family to yours, we wish you a joyous holiday season and all the best for the coming year. Michael, Robin and Dominic

Rebuild Complete

Dominic and I have spent many hours on the front end rebuild. The dissassembly took about 4 hours. I'd estimate we have about 60 hours in the rebuild.

We began with a complete rust removal with sand paper and a wire wheel on a drill. After much clean up, the parts were labled, identified, and spayed with a rust conversion paint. The rust conversion paint takes any rust and converts it to a paintable surface. After this prep, the surface was painted with several coats of rustoleum.

After the rust removal, it was time to replace the king pins and link pins. These critical suspension items required a trip to Ken Friends shop for use of his expertise and a heavy duty hydraulic press. With the king pins installed, it was time to focus on the brakes and braking components. Dominic cleaned and painted the backing plates and I enlisted the help of good friend and all around expert Jimmie W. who stopped by and helped with the brake install.

Today, Dominic and I spent some time measuring for the net tie rod ends. Like the king pins/link pins these measurments were critical for the suspension install. We used a measuring tape, string, and a make shift plumb bob to be certain that our tie rods and ends were exactly correct. We'll do a final measurment to make sure that everything is still correct before we bolt on the wheels and tires.

While the front end assembly was out, we were also able to replace the master cylinder and front brake lines. This should make the car safe to drive. Hopefully this week, we'll turn the car around and begin a similar refit to the rear end of the car. Then it will be safe for Dominic to drive around town.

Front End Work

And so it begins... Yesterday Dominic and I placed the Ghia on jack stands and removed the entire front end assembly. This includes the suspension components and brake drums. It was a bit difficult to get out from under the car. Working on our backs with 44 years of rust, dirt and grime raining down upon our heads was not pleasant.

We worked for about 4 hours and our results were successful. Dominic is pictured using the pressure washer to remove the years of accumulated grime. Hopefully, this will make the next part of the job a bit cleaner.

Our plan over the next few weeks is to replace all the moving components on the front end. We'll begin with new king and link pin assemblies. The left king pin is badly worn, the right one seems okay, but we will replace both. Additionally, we'll add new shocks and a steering dampener. The the braking system including new wheel cylinders, brake lines, a new master cylinder, and new shoes. This will make the car much safer to drive. So, stay tuned to our blog and we'll show you photos of the next few steps. Fortunately, we have good documentation in about 3 service manuals, so this project was fairly easy so far.

Mike and Dominic

1964 Karmann Ghia Coupe

The Karmann Ghia was marketed from 1955 until 1974 by Volkswagen. It was a collaboration between the Germans and the Italians. With German engineering and reliability, coupled with Italian styling, the Karmann Ghia was a success full design for a number years.

Our Ghia sports a 1.2 liter engine. Volkswagen had many firsts that seeming went unrecognized by the mainstream automakers. Chrysler claims to have invented the mini-van. However, VW aficionados know that the mini-bus was really the first soccer mom transportation.

So why a Ghia? Dominic and I wanted to restore a car. Figuring by working together we could both learn about cars and eachother. I had partially restored a 1965 Mustang about the time Dominic was born. It was time to do another restoration.

We shopped. Watched Craigslist and Ebay. Checked out local papers. Did research. Looked and some junk. Dominic really wanted to have a 60's or 70's muscle car. I wasn't so keen on this idea for many reasons. The Ghia was a compromise. It's actually a perfect compromise between an Italian designed sports car and an American muscle car. The fact that this car has a small 40bhp engine and sips gasoline is a plus for being environmentally responsible. This car is capable of 30 miles per gallon! The car appeals to Dominic because it's unique. Think about it... you just don't see to many Karmann Ghias on the road today. Hopefully, with a great restoration this car will be a legacy to Dominic. He'll have the memories of restoration and the car.

I'll be posting updates as do a complete restoration on our 1964 Karmann Ghia. The car was delivered last weekend by flat bed wrecker. It has a strong engine and runs and drives. Dominic and I took a ride "around the block" last weekend. I'll use our blog to chronicle the restoration.

The car needs a few things to get it road ready. This 1964 has not been in a serious accident, however, it does show some wear and tear. The paint is in bad shape and there are several dings, dents, and some rust on the rear quarter panels. With that said, it runs and drives and the tires are good.

On Monday of this week, we pulled the car into the garage and put it on axle stands. Then we took all the wheels off and started to examine the pieces and parts. Upon examination, it was decided that the undercarriage was way too filthy to begin to work on. So we pulled the Ghia back out of the garage, jacked it up took the wheels off and pressure washed it! It's much cleaner now, and will make the next steps a bit easier. We'll begin with a total restoration of the braking system. One of the front wheels needs some attention, Dominic and I are unsure if the brake is hanging up or the wheel bearing is cooked. It's really hard to turn the wheels! We'll address this problem this week. Our plan is to remove the wheels and brake drums and do a total restoration on that portion of the car. Our goal, get the car the ready to drive!

I'll keep you updated with photos and stories as we restore this classic car!

Metal Art

Robin, Dominic and I have made several trips to the British Virgin Islands. One of our favorite places to hang out is Trellis Bay. This well protected anchorage is nestled next to the airport on Beef Island. Trellis is one of the more populated places in the islands, it sports a few beach bars, a couple of art galleries, grocery store, and an internet cafe with great coffee. We have stopped there on each visit to the islands.

During the full moon, Trellis bay transforms into a family friendly outdoor party. Complete with mocko jumbies (stilt walkers), artists, food, live music, and fire!

The photo above is an old anchor or marker buoy that has been cut with a plasma cutter. The tessellations form an artists impression of the island people standing strong and holding up the sun or sky. There are several of these in Trellis Bay and during the full moon. The artists of Trellis push or roll these tessellated shapes into knee-deep water. They are filled with dry kindling and set ablaze in a most remarkable display to celebrate the full moon.

Many of the members of Beaver Lake Sailing Club have traveled to Trellis Bay and sampled some of the local flavor. Everyone it seems, has found these burning orbs captivating. When my friend Tom approached me about an old 1000 gallon propane tank that was collecting dirt at Mike's house in Elkins, an great idea was set in motion.

First, how to get the propane tank somewhere where could work on it. Well with some Egyptian engineering (using round pipes to roll this behemoth) we managed to load this tank on a flat bed trailer. It took several hours and 4 guys, chains, come-alongs, a tractor, and a stout Toyota 4Runner to coax this tank aboard the trailer. We did this in early May when the ground was wet and slippery.

Next, we hauled the tank to my good friend Jimmie's shop in Fayetteville. Jimmie, now retired, has much experience working with things metal, he used to build racing car frames and suspension components for the dirt track folks around the area. Jimmie also has a large selection of grown up toys. A wire feed welder, a plasma cutter, and many other cool devices all dedicated to cutting, slicing, or joining metal.

So, we spent an entire day sectioning this tank into smaller more manageable pieces. It was no easy task as this tank had held flammable gas at one point in its life. Putting a plasma torch to this enclosed tank was a bit unnerving. We cut it open and began to create art.

As it turns out Jimmie's plasma cutter was working at its maxium capacity and cutting was fairly slow going. Enter Jesse, of White River Hardwoods, who had a much more macho plasma torch that sliced though the 1/2 inch thick steel like a hot knife though butter. Add another entire day and part of a morning and the tank was beginning to look a lot like the fire art we have all enjoyed the in the BVI.

Today, was the last and final push for finishing the tank. There was much grinding to do to even the rough edges left by the plasma torch. Using a grinder and Jimmie's advice, I worked for several hours and leveled things up a bit. Then off to the scrap metal place for chimney and by the days end, we have an awesome looking outdoor fire pit.

The years enscribed (1979-2009) represent Beaver Lake Sailing Club's 30 year presence in Molder Hollow. We'll start a fire this weekend during the Founder's Regatta to commemorate this auspicious event.

FOJW: Friends of Jimmie White

The title of today's BLOG is "Friends of Jimmie White" or FOJW. It seems that our dear friend Jimmie found his 1970's vintage Trojan cabin Cruiser resting easily on the bottom of Beaver Lake. This boat, which is berthed on the Rambo Riviera region of Beaver Lake, has been Jimmie and Sue's secret get-a-away for a number of years. This Spring season has been a bit different than usual with plenty of rain and even snow to fill the Cabin Cruiser. Our dear friends Jimmie and Sue found their beloved 31' cabin cruiser on the bottom of Beaver Lake last weekend.

No fear, it seems that Jimmie has lots of willing friends who demonstrated loyalty by driving to the Rambo to raise the boat. Think, 19th century barn raising! Johnny arrived ready to get in the chilly Spring water. Elmo had stayed out at Rambo to be there early and lend a hand. Steven and his friend Adam showed up to lend assistance in whatever needed doing. Don with the Rubicon were there with professional experience in raising the sunk. I arrived with provisions for lunch and a willingness to throw my shoulder into it, whatever the task. With the help of many volunteers, we applied straps, cables, winches, and chains and raised Jimmie and Sue's boat.

Lets face it, having a boat is every water lovers dream. Having a boat that sinks is really depressing. However, it seems that Jimmie and Sue's boat is no worse the wear for spending several days below the surface. While the interior was wet, the boat seemed to be fairly clean after the ordeal.

Working for most of the day, we managed to raise her off the bottom and tow her to the Rocky Branch Marina on Beaver Lake. She's now in a covered slip where she can dry out a bit. Jimmie hopes to get her running again by using diesel fuel to lubricate the soaked engines. Yes, this boat was equipped with two 350cu Chevy engines as well as a generator.