Complete with a Project Update from Robin's Nest!
June, 2025

WBA Excels at Keels & Wheels!

(Above) If the mustachioed fellow in the yellow shirt looks familiar, it's because you've seen Dennis Gage hosting his TV show, "My Classic Car." Dennis was on hand to check out all the boats and cars at Keels & Wheels, held at Lakewood Yacht Club, May 3-4, 2025. Here, Dennis is learning about the Century Partners' Best in Class winning Sabre from Craig Godfrey and Chris Sterlacci. Dennis later did an interview with Chris that will appear in a future episode of the show.

(Above) Among the WBA winners this year are (l-r) Steve Seale, Jacob Wueste, David Kanally (accepting for the Hallams), Eric Wueste, Alan Oppenheimer, Craig Godfrey, Phil Brosseau, Pat Vinson and Chris Sterlacci.

Steve Seale brought his Chris-Craft tribute runabout, "Havaiki" to the show, and took home a Silver Award. Rumors of a tickertape parade through downtown Jasper the following day turned out to be unsubstantiated. Congrats, Steve!

 

 

(Above) Ann and John Hallam's 1958 Yellow Jacket Catalina brought home a Best in Class award for the outboard class. This year's show featured Texas-made boats, including Yellow Jacket, Glastron, Helton, Holmes and more.

This Yellow Jacket was restored by WBA members in 2023, with more than ten members participating in the work! Special thanks and congratulations to Ann and John. Your boat was a great addition to the show!

(Above) Eric Wueste's rare fiberglass 1960 Yellow Jacket Bullet continues to do the club proud, in this instance, winning a Silver award in the outboard class. Eric restored this boat himself, with a bit of advice from the club. Way to go, Eric!

WBA member Lloyd Kirchner's "Unfinished Business" won a silver award in the utility class. Lloyd says he chose the boat's name because the work on a wooden boat is never really done. We hear you, Lloyd! Watch video here!
WBA Members Among Winners at Wood, Waves & Wheels!

On what was arguably the nicest day of the year, members and friends of the WBA, the Eagle Mountain Classic Boat Club, and numerous area car clubs gathered on the shaded grounds of the Fort Worth Boat Club on Eagle Mountain Lake, May 10, 2025 for the Wood, Waves & Wheels show.

Hundreds of local boat and car enthusiasts attended the event, enjoying a buffet lunch prepared by the boat club staff. More than 80 classic cars were on display on the club's lawn, a record number for the event. Special thanks to Trey Bull and all the organizers of this wonderful event. Watch the video here!

 

 

(Above) Congratulations to all the Wood, Waves & Wheels boat winners from the WBA and the Eagle Mountain Classic Boat Club. Trey Bull, left, was on hand to present the boating awards: Nicolas Schutts, best non-powered boat; John Unsworth, best classic cruiser; Kit Jacobson, best utility; Richard Snyder, best classic sailboat; David Kanally, best outboard; Steve McCune, best fiberglass boat; Chris Welsh, best of show; Karl Deitz, best runabout; Lindy (and Lisa) Robinson, Chris-Craft stewardship award. Not pictured: Chuck Seibert, skippers' choice; Jim & Hank Lattimore, best cruiser, 28' and below. Event photos by Dan Stober.
Cheatham, Gulley Represent WBA and Yellow Jackets at Denison Spring Fling

On May 3 in Denison, alumni of Denison schools gathered at the annual Denison Spring Fling to renew old friendships and to reminisce. The Denison school mascot is the Fighting Yellow Jacket, namesake of Yellow Jacket boats. which were built in Denison from 1949-1959. Above, Barney Gulley was happy to show his 1957 Yellow Jacket Riviera to Sue Vest Lazenvy, sister of the late Ron Vest, who once owned this boat.

 

 

Barney and fellow WBA member Dennis Cheatham brought their Yellow Jackets to the event to remind attendees of an important chapter in the history of Denison.

Displayed in front of Scott Middle School, the boats were a real hit, prompting some to ask for more! Above, Gulleys' YJ left, and Cheathams' '54 custom "dart delete" YJ, right.
May Meeting Features K&W, WWW Recaps! Video Up!

 

 

The May 15 meeting of the WBA was held on Zoom and at Two Guys from Italy in Dallas. The agenda included the usual officers' reports as well as reminders of upcoming events and activities of the club.

Shop updates were discussed, as was the availability of one of the stalls at the shop for your next restoration! Please let David Kanally know if you would like to get your boat into the shop for some work.

In addition to the regular agenda items, the attendees viewed a video recap of the boat portion of Keels & Wheels and the entire Wood, Waves & Wheels show. The video was produced and presented by David Kanally. Andy Eng photo.

Project Updates from the Robin McGeorge Boat Shop!

(Above) Chris McKeehan tips as Gordon Spriggs rolls the fourth coat of varnish onto Gordon's Glen-L barrel back. Gordon's using Epifanes Clear for his boat.

(Above) Alan Oppenheimer and Pat Vinson take a breather after a busy morning of staining the deck of the Yellow Jacket Riviera.

(Above) Mark McKeehan takes a reference photo of his Continental's 283 V8. There's a stripped hold in the end of the shaft that needs to be fixed to assure a strong mounting of the flywheel.

(Above) Carl Lapiska is restoring his Super Sport's splash rails. His repairs address the damaged aft ends of the rails, which have a complex combination of radius and bevel.

(Above) Gordon seems pleased with how the shine on the Glen-L is coming along, after he and David Kanally applied the fifth coat.

(Above) The 1957 Yellow Jacket Riviera's hull and deck are now all stained, and will receive a coat of sealer soon. Once all is sealed, the interior will be addressed.

(Above) The Century Partners recently held a successful water test of their Sabre, following the sealing of the joint between the shaft log plate and the sole. Butyl tape was the answer!

(Above) Gordon Spriggs and Chris Sterlacci go bottoms up to replace the drain plugs in Bill Mott's Volvo engine. The duo is confident that the new plugs will make Bill's life easier.

Next Monthly Meeting June 19 Featuring Table Rock Report. Don't Miss It!

boatOur next meeting will be Thursday, June 19th, at 7 p.m. at Two Guys From Italy in Dallas. Come at 5:30 and join us for the pre-meeting dinner. You'll receive an email reminder for the meeting a few days prior. We'll be continuing our door prize tradition, giving out an e-book, or print book of the lucky winner's choice, or a complimentary design of a boat show placard. Our presentation this month will be video from the Heartland Classics Cruisin' Table Rock Lake event, shot by David Sheets.

If you can't join in person, you'll be using the Zoom application for your cell phone or your home computer. To make things easier at meeting time, it would be a good idea for you to go to your normal smart phone app store to download Zoom Cloud Meetings, or go to Zoom.us on your home computer and sign up. Prior to the meeting, you will be sent an email with a link to join the meeting, and further instructions. Those who wait to download Zoom will also receive a link to do that just before the meeting starts. If you are among those who need a few attempts to be successful with technology, you may want to get the downloading taken care of ahead of time.

Our meetings are a great opportunity to socialize with fellow WBA members and to talk shop on questions about everything from paint and varnish to carburetor kits. Please join us on Zoom to be a part of our monthly fellowship!

Shop Talk and Musings: Remembering Les Burton

Longtime members of the WBA have no trouble remembering Les Burton, whose expansive personality, sense of humor and infectuous laugh punctuated every meeting and event he attended. In recent years, we sadly had lost track of Les, as his health forced him to withdraw from Club activities. We just learned a couple weeks ago that Les left this world in April of 2024, and we regret not staying close enough to know of his passing. Here's a link to his obituary. Thanks to Terry Westbrook and Phil Wolff for bringing this news to our attention.

And finally, please take a look in the shed or garage for leftover parts or other salable items you would like to donate to the Club. Contact David Kanally at david@historywithheart.com for more info.