Web Edition
Volume 7, Number 4; Spring 1998
Table of Contents
(Underlined articles from the printed issue of ACBS Rudder are online.)
From the Chapters
News from International ACBS
President's Message:
Spotlight on a Chapter
The Open Exhaust
The Restoration Notebooks
Museum Watch
Exciting New Water Sports
ACBS 1998 National Meeting
Evolution of the Runabout
Trading Dock-Classified ads.
President's Message:
Ahoy Antique Boaters! Here's to a GREAT Boating Season!
Spring is officially here! Mary and I have attended our first boat show of 1998 season. The Mt. Dora Show was held on March 27-29 and was the largest show that I have ever attended. There were 148 boats in the water and some 40 additional in land displays. Also, the display of Woody Wagons drew much attention. Attendance was estimated at 40,000! What a show! Congratulations to the Show Chairman, Terry Fiest and his committee!
The ACBS Board of Directors, at their winter meeting, decided not to be a co-host with The Antique Boat Museum for the Raceboat Regatta. It was felt that the liability to the Club outweighed any benefits. We will be a sponsor for the event but the Museum will host the Raceboat Regatta. We do hope our members will continue to support and help the Museum by being volunteers and supporters. This is a good event and very worthwhile.
Our Spring Board Meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington on April 30th through May 2nd. This is the opening of the Boating Season in Seattle and proves to be a great time. And, our Summer Board Meeting will be in Clayton, NY on July 3 1st through August 1st. This is The Antique Boat Museum's Annual Boat Show weekend. If any of you would like to attend the board meeting please call Debi at the office for more information.
The directory is at the printers NOW and should be in your hands by April 1 5th. Tab Miller has worked extensively on making it better than ever. I hope you enjoy your '98 directory.
To any of you who tried to contact me by e-mail, please except my apology if I didn't get back to you. I lost several messages due to my inexperience in this new-fangled means of communication! If you care to try again, I will try not to goof it up. I'm really getting better at it. E-mail address is: minflood@juno.com.
Remember, if there is any thing you think "national" could or should be
doing, for "the good of the organization", or just want to get in touch,
please give me a call or drop me a line by mail, FAX, or E-mail.
winters: 1300 Lake Dora Dr. Tavares, FL 32778 phone: 352-343-8 179 fax:
352-343-I 140
summers - RR#1, Box 220A Cedarville, MI 49719 phone: 906-484-3852 fax:
906-484-6001
Hope to see many of you and your boats at this summer's events.
Tom Flood
Bottoms Up!
Ever wonder what to do if you're faced with the need to invert a big heavy boat? Maybe one with a cabin that you'd rather not have to take the time and expense to remove, and then replace after righting? And maybe you have limited or no overhead space for lifting? Well, here's a novel, safe and inexpensive way to do it. And this one was done outside!
Arnie Rubenstein's 1941 24.5-ft. Gar Wood Sedan was undergoing restoration when it became clear that the boat needed some serious bottom work. And the only way to get at the problem was to go "bottoms up." But how to do this without removing the cabin which, as originally designed, was heavily integrated into the of the structure of the hull and was still in excellent original condition?
The restorers built two identical "roll-overs" made of reenforced plywood. Each roll-over was essentially the size of two side-by-side sheets of 4'x8' plywood with the corners cut off on a diagonal to facilitate "rolling" on their edges while keeping the boat (including the cabin) clear of the ground. One roll-over was attached securely to the stern; the other to the bow in the same orientation as the one aft. Guys, tensioned by come-alongs, were used to provide further bracing and to maintain perpendicular alignment of each roll-over with the boat's centerline. A quick line-of-sight measurement from the edge of one roll-over to the comparable edge of the other, parallel to the boat's centerline, insured no interferences with the hull or cabin during the roll-over process.
Pulling straps were then run in parallel over the top of the boat perpendicular to its centerline, and wrapped around the hull to secure attachment points. A hold-back strap was secured to a pickup truck and run over the boat parallel to the pulling straps but in the opposite direction, and secured amidships. Then, using six people to pull on the straps and guide the roll-overs as they rotated, the boat was manually rolled over while the pickup truck provided braking to insure a slow, controlled roll-over and smooth transition from one roll-over edge to the next. The roll-over process took about two hours.
Once inverted, the roll-overs were removed, the boat was lowered onto dollies and moved back under cover. And when the bottom work was done, the roll-overs were available for reattachment to return the boat to its upright position.
According to Arnie, research to date indicates that this boat is one of only six Gar Wood Sedans built in 1941 and it is one of only two remaining. It was delivered to its first owner on Lake Winnipesaukee and Arnie is the boat's fourth owner. Restoration is expected to be completed in the spring of 1998.
Arnie Rubenstein is Past President of the Finger Lakes Chapter and has a strong affinity and appreciation for Gar Wood boats.
Dick Sherwood, 1/13/98