Minimost - Flashback project

[58 Johnson]

I tried to sneak in a ride this morning but the south winds were already up before 9:00.  Like you I hate to see the summer end.  Each season is unique and I am lucky to be able to live in cottage country, but each year the coloured leaves seem to appear all of a sudden and I am at a loss to explain where the time went.  A great summer indeed.  Fabulous weather in southern Ontario!

[Cubfan]

Well I made it back to FL last night. I learned one thing - I will never travel on a holiday weekend again. Traffic was terrible but I survived. I Felt like I was running in the Indy 500 or something. Very nerve racking. Three huge traffic jams due to wrecks and two very nasty rain/wind storms on I-75 in FL. What a fun trip !!!!!

When I drained the lower unit on the 15 I found water in the gear lube so looks like it is time for a new seal. Guess that's first on the list next summer. I also have to fix the checking on the deck plywood- anyone have suggestions for the best method? After sanding smooth what should I use as a filler before primer and paint?

Jay

[upspirate]

Jay, that is a trait of fir plywood.....the only fix I know is sand down to bare wood and use epoxy and cloth.

I didn't even have good luck with epoxy encapsulation with no cloth over fir plywood.....it still checked.

That's why I use okume or meranti plywood now with cloth over it.

[Cubfan]

Sounds like I will be busy when I get back to Maine next spring. I have to fix the deck checking and the lower unit seal on the motor. Should be interesting. I was planning just to sand and fill the deck and then repaint. I don't really want to get into more glass work at this point.

Jay

[Cubfan]

The tough part of having the boat over 1500 miles away is that you can't do maintenance and repairs over the winter. Guess I will need to plan to go a little earlier in the spring to get the boat back up to snuff for the summer fun.

I thought it was strange that the only place the wood checked was on the deck and mostly on the dark blue color. It is like the sun/heat caused it? The sides and bottom have no checking and are painted with the same paint. The yellow areas have very little checking on the deck.  Very strange

I just hope this winter flys by so I can get back to the lake

Jay

[Cubfan]

Heard from relatives in Maine . They had snow before halloween- looks like a long winter for sure. They had a mild fall and were swimming in the lake 3 weeks before the snow came.
Hope this winter flys by

Jay

[jmuskoka]

Jay,

You're just bragging that you're in the sunny south now, and most of us are hunkering down for the !?!?!?! inevitable winter.    Well, things could be way worse here in Ontario.   We had our first snowfall this past Thursday...Barrie had about 2 inches  (The snow belt of Ontario) but it has since melted away.   In fact, it was warm and sunny enough at the beginning of the week that they could start to re-shingle my roof.   I finally pulled my dock in yesterday.....sunny and sort-of-warm......and I brought my final seaflea home from the cottage.   The great thing about winter is you can start planning for the next season.   

Along with the many boats and motors I have to fix over the winter I am also looking at modifying  one of my trailers to handle four boats.   I was able to pick up a set of 14" trailer rims for $20.00 and some decent tires for $30.00.   The old tires on my trailer were those small ones on 12" rims...not enough  to handle the additional weight I would have with the extra boats.   In my dream world, I want to extend the trailer from its current 10 feet to 24 feet.  That way I can load two seafleas end-to-end on the lower deck and stack two more boats on an upper deck.  The single axle is rated at 3500 lbs...I figure 4 seafleas might total 400lbs each with motors.  Anyway.....I'll be planning for that when the snow is flying. 

Chris

[upspirate]

We've had a cold snap down here too.

I live just north of Jay and we saw 40's degree F temps last week,with temps in the 30's in North Fla

Too cold for me,but I am thinking of going out for a ride this AM for a while

[Cubfan]

Jay,

You're just bragging that you're in the sunny south now, and most of us are hunkering down for the !?!?!?! inevitable winter.    Well, things could be way worse here in Ontario.   We had our first snowfall this past Thursday...Barrie had about 2 inches  (The snow belt of Ontario) but it has since melted away.   In fact, it was warm and sunny enough at the beginning of the week that they could start to re-shingle my roof.   I finally pulled my dock in yesterday.....sunny and sort-of-warm......and I brought my final seaflea home from the cottage.   The great thing about winter is you can start planning for the next season.   

Along with the many boats and motors I have to fix over the winter I am also looking at modifying  one of my trailers to handle four boats.   I was able to pick up a set of 14" trailer rims for $20.00 and some decent tires for $30.00.   The old tires on my trailer were those small ones on 12" rims...not enough  to handle the additional weight I would have with the extra boats.   In my dream world, I want to extend the trailer from its current 10 feet to 24 feet.  That way I can load two seafleas end-to-end on the lower deck and stack two more boats on an upper deck.  The single axle is rated at 3500 lbs...I figure 4 seafleas might total 400lbs each with motors.  Anyway.....I'll be planning for that when the snow is flyin

Chris-Sounds like you will be plenty busy this winter getting ready for next summer
That is quite a fleet you have going.
I would like to get an old style utility hull (2 cockpits 8 or 10 ft)- I really would like to find one- not ready to build another boat yet. It's too bad that cocktail racer only can use such a small motor- it looks like a neat kit.
Have a great Thanksgiving
Jay

[Cubfan]

well I have a timer running on my screen that tells me I have 151 days until I head back to Maine for the summer- seems like a long time to wait.
Hope time flys this year.
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Jay

[jmuskoka]

The great thing is,  that as of next Thursday, the days start getting longer again.   Winter Solstice comes December 22 and our hours of sunlight begin to SLOWLY stretch out.   Up here in the great white north we have the Toronto International Boat Show to look forward to in January.   That's the unofficial kick off to our winter projects and the count down to the new boating season.   It seems like forever since I took the dock in but as I begin to look around the shop and the many motors that need to be restored, my mind is (like yours) waiting patiently for the warmer weather ahead.  Have a great Christmas Jay.

Chris

p.s.   And of course we are planning for Fleafest 2012......

[Cubfan]

Well I got a great surprise- Ted tipped me off on the OMC prop I have been looking for on ebay and I snagged it up. So I have a new prop to test in the spring also.
Can't wait to see how this works out on the boat.


Merry Christmas Everyone

Jay

[Cubfan]

we got our first cold snap here in Florida- It was in the 20's for a couple of mornings but has warmed up again. Boy I can't wait for summer to get here I am really missing the lake about now

Jay

[dave freese]

Hi Jay and Happy New Year!
Temps in the 20"s; that's gotta be brutal for your part of the country!  Winter has pretty much been an embarrassment here in Rochester.  I only recall having the shovels out once so far.  I love the snow, so this has been miserable.
While I do love the snow, I long for the warm days of summer too.  I have been watching the videos of our minimost zipping around in Clayton quite a bit more often lately!  Our calendar on the fridge tells me that tomorrow marks 200 days till we head back there!!!
Dave

[Cubfan]

Hi Dave
Happy New Year to you also.
It's funny- as a kid I couldn't wait for summer to get here and now I am doing the same thing- I guess that's a full circle.
I know you had a blast last year with your boat on vacation- so here's  a wish for it to get here soon again

Jay