Mike Pennington

Perhaps I should have worded the contest header differently. The point is that we all get Quality trailers to go with our Quality Boats. I am waiting for the snow to depart the rest of the way, before I can lay my metal out. Those boxes for the keel are going to be a must. I don't like the way the keel sits on just the few rollers of my current trailer. The long tongue is another plus, I about died when I clipped my Wife's new $40,000 RT Durango's hatch when launching in Seward last fall. :oops: That bow sprit is a long one, just ask the jet skier last summer, it will reach out and touch ya!

Well I knew there had to be an explanation why I have Boat Building Fever, my adopting father Fred Pennington, sent this first ever photo of me when I was small. Some kids get left on the door step in a basket, Not Me! I can actually remember one of the deck hands in Sea Drift, Texas, padling this little cruiser around the harbor. I was pretty dang mad when he sank my boat by clowning around. I was not very happy! That deck hand found blue tip crab in his bunk at the most unopportune times the whole season. He would have been bait if I could have managed it. I couldn't get the three foot Hammer Head Shark in his hip boot, by myself, but his buddies lent me a hand. They were nice guys.

I had a Little help, Frank, But they were made in the Knife Shop on my homestead. Jimmy Little, died about five years ago, he was a partner of mine of many years. He was the true knife maker, I just apprenticed for a dozen years, or so. The two daggers were made several years apart, and any thing hard or complicated was over saw by J.L. Little. The Knife Shop is still there on my land, but I haven't the strength or the heart for the art any longer. I gave the shop to Jim's brother Sam, who is all most as good as Jim was when we first teamed up. Never the less Sam has the heart for the trade, where I am more of a Patron. Mike

I wonder if a person could buy the wood strips, coil, rivet and epoxy them. I think I'll pay a visit to the hobbie store. I used macremae rings in a pinch, because I didn't want to use ABS, and they are actually strong enough, after I weeded through a few. So I don't expect I will have to make the wood ones to thick. :icecream:

Mystry Man! Well I have certainly enjoyed the fun! I dug my boat out today, winter may still think it is here, but I sure have had a enough. Made contact with an old friend, Lars Opland, of the Matanuska Suesitna Valley, a small wooden boat builder, whose boat the Loon inspired me to build the Wolf. We will be having a little sail off right after break up. A gaff against a double masted open cockpit boat of the same size. I figure I can always steal his wind :twisted: and the larger jib, should even things up a bit.

Aye, Mr. Wild Dingo, It be a sad state, but I be looking forward to POGYBAIT! Better than Bait Bucket, Eh?

Problem solved, in a round about way. I changed over to cable a few months back and of coarse the e-mail address changed, too. I have to log on with my old address and pass to access my Weekender Site album. Of coarse I also had my security turned up to high, that cookie thing, you mentioned to Bob. Live and learn, let see if I can post a pic. Looks like some things have changed :oops: [/img]

Frank, I have tried to edit my album over the past few weeks but have been unable to get in. I changed my e-mail address a few months back and I am wondering if that is part of the problem. When I click on add photos, I get bumped over to Msn sign in. I try to sign in and I get bumped back to the sign in page.

a little ditty I found The Sound of Freedom Listen my son to the sound of freedom! Look my child, and see it pass. Breath in deeply the air of liberty Pray each day for it to last! There are those who would seek to destroy it the freedom that we love today. Pledge my child that you will be vigilent and on guard that we stay free. For there is a price for freedom and a cost involved in liberty. Men have bought with their lives our freedom. Freedom never has been free! By Thena Smith A well said poem, at the risk of sounding like a softy. And perhaps I am a violent SOB, but I have watched my friends die, some in my arms, thirty years ago. It is one thing to shout peace, love, dove, but another to wake up safe in your bed, because thousands upon thousands of Americans have died defending the right for those disgruntled few to shout what they think is okay to say.

Looks good, Bob. I have done a lot of climbing in and out of my Vacationer, while she has been on the trailer. The bunks towards the stern not only seem to carry the wieght better on the road, but allow me to get in the boat with out wondering if the boat and I are going for a ride over side ways. I have used pics of my boat and truck to describe how big the boat is, not how small Nice pair, Very Sharp, keep us posted. Mike

Oops! Forgot to say, yep those casters on the bottom of your building frame will make life a lot easier. Actually, this is another shameless excuse to up my posting rank.

Looks good Derek, I like the way you are constructing the cabin, looks sharp. But you can't sleep on the couch with all that precious scrap wood taking up the room. :roll:

Serious, such a deal, a buck a piece! I went over and checked out their site, they want $12 to $13 for the 5-5&1/2, hoops regularly. Oh well! I was hoping, the best deal so far that I have seen has been the beaded hoops. One would think the boat building list would get smaller eventually, but no, I keep finding more that I want to do.

Inspires me Bill, nice work, and thanks for sharing.

The sames been happening to me on my home computer. I'll check it out.

Not a bad idea, I already have my partner convinced we don't need a traditional house. Just one long shop with an apartment up stairs. Sounds good to me. Boat shop first, then a place to sleep.

Nice touch, Joe. I could never make my mind up, Mary Ann or Ginger? :roll: Mary Ann, always seem to have the better attitude. Don't mind the non sense, I am on a quest to leave Landlubber behind. :twisted:

Now thats a bunch of good sea doggies! Nice response!

Way to go Bob, That is just what I am looking for, Your trailer is on the wall. Thanks for the details, the pics will be a big help. Mike

Show off your boat trailers, thats right, I have noticed some good ones, and in the past couple of years I have copied a pic or two. However I missed a few I am sure. My son and I are tooling up this april and pricing materials to weld a couple boat trailers. I purchased Glen-L's boat trailer book to add to my iddy biddy store of knowledge and I am thinking I am about ready to make the plunge and buy that welder. So how about it Fabricators, what do you have? I am interested in framing styles. I got a pic of Phil Gowan's boat trailer from a 6/21/01 posting on my wall. Craig's is there too! Bob, is your Vacationer on a trailer yet? The Prize? You make it on my wall of Fame! Hey don't blaime me for these goofy ideas, I got to get a promotion off the stinky list! :puke_right: Land Lubber?

No fare Frank, I been sick, :? Go away for an ectomy or two and the whole dang site changes. Took me ages to log on, my poor brains been so befudled. And the old sites don't even count? BooHoo! LandLubber! Phooey! What would Popeye think of me now? Totally scandelous how you will get a guy off his duff to just get a post out of him. I am amazed! Well to late now, Admiral, I will find a nice character for you in my next novel thats for itchy sand fleas and all for sure. :twisted: Oops! Sorry! Dang! did I really say that? What happened to the Nice Guy Rule? :oops:

Well it is good to hear, 4 to 5 hp is good, because for the cost of anything bigger makes me sweat. Besides, I bought my Wife a Husqvarna sewing machine, for her birthday, this kind of cut in to my outboard fund. One sweet factor about this machine is that it will sew heavy sail material. I have this vision of a big blue genoa, oh boy! :roll:

Good point Gordy! I will be staying with 12 volt accessories. A 12 volt blender, cool, I 'll check it out. Mike

All right! I got some good information, thank you very much. Yes, Ray, old buddy, post that pic. Charlie, I feel better from your reasurance, concerning grounding the 12 volt system to negative termenal. I found a 400 watt inverter so I may install one yet, but separate from 12 volt system, I got that Ray. Bill, thanks for explaining the need for the blender, you got that one right on the money. I got to have my smoothies. Last year while trailering my Vacationer, on a 34 year old trailer, I had a couple of flats, it would have been nice to plug in a portable air compressor from the cockpit. Instead I changed that puppy right in the road. If I could of given that old tire a squirt of air, I could of made the tire change in a safer spot. And I do have one of those big old spot lights, with a 12 volt plug in, I can see where that could be very handy. I will sit down tonight, at a slow point here at work, and map out where I want lights and other accessories. From there I can calculate how much current I'll need and to where. Keep it simple, tends to work for me, so I doubt this old tree hugger will get to involved with the finer things in life like airconditioning, television, and the foot massager on board the Wolf. Thanks for the input Builders, Mike :multi:

I have been collecting electrical goodies for a few months now anticipating the time when I finally feel good enough to go back to playing with my Vacationer. Two deep cycle batteries, for those long trips to Lake Paxson, located on the Richardson Highway out in the middle of no where. Excuse me can I plug into your RV to charge my batteries, naw, I don't think so. One of my questions, is grounding, should I run a bolt through the keel, and ground to it. Your knowledge on this subject would be appreciated. Pictures of existing set ups would also help me make up my mind on how to and how should I. I plan to place the two batteries up forward to help ballance the boat. I would like to mount the switch box close to main hatch for easy access. I am wondering if this distance will cause excessive resistance, should I mount the switch box closer to the batteries. Or can I get away with the distance by using a heavy gauge wire such as 10? :shocked!: