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

Start Planning Now For Busy Boating October!

On October 4, Yellow Jackets galore will be on display along Main Street in Denison, TX, as part of the community's Fall Fest. Let Dennis Cheatham know if you can bring your Yellow Jacket to this town-wide celebration! Dennis is negotiating with the city for the best possible placement of our boats, and is doing a great job. We need a couple volunteers to bring two YJs from the shop to Denison and back.

Be like John Ables and attend as many boat shows and rendezvous as you can! October is the perfect month for boating with your WBA and SWACBS buds!

 

 

October 10-12 brings the party to Lake LBJ for the annual Austin Hill Country Boat Show at Horseshoe Bay. Details are forthcoming, but you may want to look into your lodging arrangements now. Horseshoe Bay Resort (877-611-0112) is offering a 25% discount on room rates for our Boat Exhibitors. Other hotels in Marble Falls and various VRBO and Air BnB properties are also available, but will fill fast, so make your plans as soon as you can.

October 18 is Cruisin' Lewisville Lake at Pier 121 Marina. Be like Phil Wolff here, and bring your boat out to show and ride! Area car clubs will have cool cars there, too!
Coast Guard Auxiliary Reps Present PFDs at July Meeting!

 

 

The July 17th 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.

Of particular note was a dynamic presentation by Jim McGraw of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, who made a compelling case for using the proper personal flotation devices while boating.

Jim and his able assistant covered the various classes of flotation devices from inflatable belts to full float suits, citing the appropriate uses for each type. Jim's key message about life jackets is: WEAR ONE!

Thanks, Jim, for a great presentation!
Project Updates from the Robin McGeorge Boat Shop!

(Above) Mark McKeehan and Alan Oppenheimer pause after applying another coat of varnish to the interior of Pat Vinson and Alan's '57 Yellow Jacket Riviera.

(Above) Carl Lapiska fastens a backing block to secure the forward end of the starboard spray rail on the side of his '64 Chris-Craft Super Sport.

(Above) Carl has also installed some floorboards to use as a work platform for finishing the boat's deck.

(Above) Gordon Spriggs and Bill Mott add what they hope to be the final coat of varnish to the engine hatch covers of Gordon's Glen-L. Flat sanding and buffing will tell the story.

(Above) Chris and Mark McKeehan paid a visit to their '59 Chris-Craft Continental at the upholstery shop recently, and saw the side panels installed. Looking good, guys!

(Above) The Yellow Jacket should need only a couple more coats of varnish on the deck and sides before painting of the floor and side graphics area can begin.

(Above) Carl has completed some pretty challenging joinery to get the side spray rails to join snugly and precisely with the transom spray rail on the Super Sport.

(Above) A quick buffing of the nose of the Glen-L revealed enough irregularities to warrant a coat or two of varnish.

(Above) Phil Wolff and Jim Wolfe worked together to figure out the placement of some of Boo Boo's interior pieces. Jim also painted Boo Boo's boot stripe recently. It will be good to see Boo Boo back in the water again soon!

(Above) Modern upholstery foam is a welcome replacement for the steel springs and horsehair of earlier times. The upholstery job is well underway, and should wrap up soon.

Next Monthly Meeting August 21 Featuring Bois d'Arc Lake. Don't Miss It!

boatOur next meeting will be Thursday, August 21st, 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 given by the Manager of Lake Operations for the recently formed Bois d'Arc Lake, located about an hour and a half northwest of Dallas, near Bonham.

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: The WBA is Hot, Hot, Hot!

With temperatures flirting with triple digits daily, the WBA shop has become a test of endurance for the Lucas Palookas. Varnish sets while you're looking at it. 3M 4200 rises like sourdough bread. And even the thinnest and fittest of the crew perspire until they become nearly unattractive. But the projects advance, a bit slower than they may in cooler weather, but they advance just the same. Our meetings are hot, too...not so much in temperature as in popularity, turnout and programs. We've had capacity crowds for most recent meetings, and a good variety of presentations to learn from and enjoy. And we're already looking forward to a busy fall season, with three consecutive weekends of boating fun in October alone. You can read more in the lead article of this issue. Let's keep the momentum going. Be part of the WBA action any way you can!

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.