Kids Transform Skiff this week!

great progress at the shop! Trevor and Scott (jr) have been out several times and are getting into raising their skills levels. They are becoming quite productive and self motivated - great to see!.

 

The skiff is all sanded and stained, ready for a few coats of S1 Sealer this week

 

 

The lightning deck assembly is sealed on the underside and ready to be flipped and fastened to the boat - a huge milestone! It is looking really fine.

 

 

 

Despina still needs to have a bit of carpet work done but she is just waiting to see if we can arrange a slip this week.

 

A new development! Volunteer Bernie would like to restore one of our outboards and we settled on the '57 Johnson 5 1/2 hp for a start. Parts will be relatively available and this will create a little brother to our trusty '57 Johnson 18 that you may have seen on the Richardson cedarstrip.

 

We have a 10' cedarstrip skiff which looks to be in fairly good condition but needing restoration, it is a pretty boat and would look great next to the Richardson with the 5 1/2 on it. Would this appeal to a team for restoration this winter?

 

 

Boatrides wonderful last weekend!

A wonderful time was had on Sunday when volunteers George, Anton and skiff builder Trevor trailed our Hunter runabout to the Humber ramps. The lake was a touch bumpy with 3' rollers but no problem! We headed around the point to the MCC and fellow volunteer and now Folkboat sailor Chris. After a lovely lunch on the balcony of the club, we haeded off in the boats.

 

Anton elected to go sailing with Chris and Lisa in "Puffin" - a beautiful sight out on the lake - and the rest of us headed off in the Hunter to give George and Trevor their first experience running an inboard.

 

We ran over to Ontario Place then part way up the Humber River - perfect day on the water. Later we headed back to Chris' club for a refreshment and to collect Anton. Back to the ramps to close a great day!

 

As for this week at the boatshop, here's what's up:

• Trevor's skiff, more sanding and detailing - starting to look pretty good.
• Lightning, add deck
• 27 Shepherd, continue reworking fuel fill plumbing and tail end of the wiring.
• 17' Shepherd, trailer needs to have other side wheelbearings done. Boat can come over from quarry for this.

 

Day Out in the Toronto Islands

Pictures, courtesy of George and Malcolm, of the Hunter out yesterday  in and around the Toronto  Islands.
They cruised around the point to MCC and met up with Chris and Lisa - on their new folkboat - had lunch at the club then off boating. Some of it was slow going with the rollers coming in but as long as you pick a line you can make out pretty well. Everybody in the Hunter got wet but it was warm! Lovely day! Boated until about 4:30 or so.

(Your esteemed blog writer was putting out marks for the Cross Border Open Design Races hosted by the Mississauga sailing club that same morning and we had waves of 4-6 ft. and very dicey conditions.
How you guys managed it is beyond  me!)

K&C Skiff donated to Camp Huronca!

PRESS RELEASE

Date: Wednesday, July 13^th, 2011

Event: “Project Rowboat”: From “Kids and Classics Boatshops” to “Camp Huronda”.

Times: 11 AM: Kids & Classics Boatshop Museum, 586 Main Street, Glen Williams, Ontario L6G 3T6 Contact: Malcolm Black – Founder (905-873-0141)

           4:30 PM: Canadian Diabetes Association “Camp Huronda”, 1252 South Waseosa Lake Road, Ontario, P1H 2N4 (705-789-7153)

Contact: Sue Taylor – Regional Director, CDA  (519-673-1630)

Sometimes the stars align and very good things happen!

When Bob Kayser, a retired business executive, bought raffle tickets from an old friend to support his volunteer work with “Kids and Classics Boatshops” in Glen Williams, Ontario – he didn’t expect to win the handmade rowboat crafted so lovingly by the kids-at-risk who are helped there!  Nor did he have a place for it.

When his name was drawn on Father’s Day, Bob decided to donate the classic skiff to Camp Huronda, a residential summer camp for children with Type 1 diabetes near Huntsville, Ontario, in the name of Jay Gilbert, a recent MBA graduate whom Bob had met through his own mentoring activities in London, Ontario, and who’s life story to date has been so positively influenced by his 15 summers at Camp Huronda and by his strong advocacy for those with Type 1 diabetes like himself.

So on Wednesday, July 13^th, 2011 “Kids and Classics Boatshops” founder Malcolm Black will host the rowboat hand-off event in Glen Williams at 11:00 AM followed by the launch at Camp Huronda hosted by Camp Director Amanda Grassick and other Canadian Diabetes Association delegates at 4:30 PM that afternoon.

Kids and Classics Boatshops Museum is a non-profit, volunteer organization committed to the transformation of lives.  The particular focus is kids-at-risk to deliver a self esteem boosting program called “Boats For Folks” through which four kids build a 12’ rowboat in two days and then get in it and row it.  The kids are encouraged to return to learn more advanced boatbuilding skills by working on the shop’s fleet of antique boats.  In addition, learning the skills of sailing and rowing fosters the development of positive social skills.

For more information please visit kidsnclassicsboatshops.blogspot.com

Camp Huronda is owned and operated by the Canadian Diabetes Association and lies on a beautifully wooded peninsula on Lake Waseosa near Huntsville, Ontario.  This superb 110-acre setting offers permanent camp facilities for children with Type 1 diabetes through carefully planned day and evening programs that provide children with a summer of adventure, fun, activities, new skills, and health care.

The camp offers four 2-week sessions in July and August for 8-15 year olds, as well as two 1-week sessions for 8-10 year olds in August.

For more information please visit www.diabetes.ca or call 1-800-Banting (226-8464)

The boat has just left for Camp Huronca and here are a few pictures of this little event.


Bob, Gunby kids, Jay & Malcolm



Add Sue and Christine from CDA, London





Pictures by Rob Currie, K&C volunteer...more to come from Camp Huronda, Jim & Shirley Steeves went north to the camp on behalf of Kids & Classics Boatshops!

Design for Mural for Big Daddy Day

One of the activities for Big Daddy Day will be getting folks to help paint a mural on the side of one of the boats in the yard.

Here's the proposed design!

Spring in the boatshop!

with the weather finally breaking a bit, the shop door is open again and there has been lots of progress.

 

Lightning!

George and Alan scarphed the side decks to the front deck

Katie Rogers worked the scarph joint on the rear deck panel

Everybody had a finger in applying the white primer to the inside!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

next:

scarph the rear deck panel to the deck assembly panel

second coat of white primer to inside - try for final primer coat.

 

 

 

 

Skiff!

Katie and Chris touched up the chine joints this week and touched up the primer today

next:

sand out the white primer flat. If it flattens without going through - it is ready for colour.

 

begin painting the interior with the Buff colour.

 

Big Daddy Festival!

lots of books of tickets are out for the skiff draw. If you want a ticket or you can sell some tickets

, call Wayne Koning at 905 877-7342

 

If you wish to participate in one of the events that day call Roni at 647 302-7824

Shepherd Team returns from Florida!

well the great adventure is behind us - what a blast! Long drive south hauling 5 tons of boat and trailer but all went smoothly. Once in Jax we had a few issues to solve with the boat and we finally launched on Friday 18th. Ron arrived so we took a slow cruise to the city - all well.

Florida or Bust picture!

Ron digs into wiring issues



Grant & John up to the task

Monday we head up the St John River

Despina at the Crab Shack for lunch

Shepherd team chows down

Dennis, Ron and John - back on the river

the fleet at Palatka Mon & Tues night



Despina at Tues lunch-Crescent City



BBQ lunch at B&B in Crescent City

Mike, John & Grant racing "Triples"

really - we're not racing!

little 'gator at Corky Bell's Restaurant

Wed AM leaving Palatka

In the boatshop at Walaka

the "fleet" at Blair's Jungle Den

top down - John runs the river!

Ibis, herons, gators and Osprey - every day

approaching Lake Monro & Sanford

lunch on Lake Harris near Mt Dora

MB rides with old friends on Dancing Bear

more pictures to come. We lost our boating on the final Sunday trying to solve a mysterious fuel problem on the port engine. Lots of fun was had by all on our team and we learned some new benefits our Despina can bring to our "Boatride Museum"!

More anon....