Here's an Egret that Judy Blue Eye's boat guy in Charleston built. I'm not real fond of these boats, Egrets have the problems that all double ended sharpies have, they're very narrow and flat bottomed and pointed on both ends which takes away all of your space. So my advice to you guys who're thinking about building one, think real hard about it and try to go out for a ride in one first. Gaff rigged sharpies are good boats but they need to have flat back ends.

Charleston John's Egret

Here I am, the guy telling you what to do and I'm the one who has the big sign in the shop that says "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HELPING ME" . OK, sorry go ahead and build one. I'm here getting ready to glass in my screen porch for more sewing room space and got side lined with a hip problem. Cessna is in her usual ready to help position. Everyone knows that boats are bad for your health and I stand here as living proof. About five years ago I was pulling my boat down a dock and tripped on a cleat and fell in a funny direction, catching myself before I hit. I hurt my hip but it got better, no big deal. Well I guess it was a big deal because evidently I screwed something up in the joint and it's been like a trailer bearing that got run too long without grease, it wore out. Believe it or not a young, good looking skinny guy like me needs a hip replacement. What the hell, only old people get hip replacements; 65 isn't old is it? I still think I'm 25. I'll let you know how this one goes.

Some sharpies are lots of fun and go like hell. Like this one that Dean from North Carolina built. This is a Goat Island Skiff or GIS for short. These are fun boats that are easy to rig and sail and it weights only about 150 pounds so moving it around is simple. I like the pop up rudder he used so when you surf up on the beach you're not trying to do three things at once. Dean is one of those builders who wants everything perfect and uses only the best materials and the good news for you is that he likes to build them more than he likes to use them, this one's only been in the water twice. You know that I never advertise boats for sale here but I do tell you about give away boats sometime and this is one of those or practically give a way, Dean says he'll take $1250 for the whole thing, trailer and all to a good home so he can get on with his next build.

GIS, For Sale

Simon has one of these and reports that they will get on a plane and will surf. If I didn't have this hip thing coming up you wouldn't be seeing these pictures because I'd be heading up there to buy it myself. They should make grease fittings for all of our joints. Don't wait too long or it'll be gone.

See what I mean about great workmanship.

I planted a pineapple top about three years ago and got a pineapple from it. I had no idea that they really grew fruit. Here it is and it tasted great.

Home grown

Howard made a really long flint lock rifle and needed something to put it in so Helen made him a long sock. She can do anything.

Howard's new gun case

Here's something Pop-I Schuster made for his granddaughter or grand son, he made something for each of them, he makes lots of stuff for them. His real name is Irwin but the kids call him Pop-I. Since he's a boat builder I suppose we can call this a tiger catboat. He's a master graphic man so this kind of stuff is easy for him.

Irwin's tiger cat

Here's a boat being built a little different than usual in this e mail. John is a master welder and has had big trawlers all his life. He's here in Sarasota now with our shallow water and wanted something different so he making his own all aluminum tunnel drive boat. It'll be a pretty big boat with lots of comfort. I'll stay with this build to see how he does. John is another guy I met through his wife Dawn, a quilter. It's beginning to look like boat building and quilting sort of go together, the personalities must attract each other.

John's alum boat

John's Tack 2

Here's the start of the tunnel.

John's Tunnel trial fit

Another John doing something not fun. This is museum John grinding a centerboard to shape. This will be the board for his Everglades challenge boat. It's 1/4 inch thick stainless steel. Stainless steel comes in a million different chemical combinations and this one was the really hard and tough mix. It was the centerboard I had in a Snipe I built forty years ago to woo Helen in. It came from the Tampa Electric plant in Apollo Beach and was probably some super hard impossible to grind stuff.

Museum john and the grinder

This is the link to a song by Billy Currington, "People are crazy". It's here for two reasons; it made Michelle a believer in country music and for the place it was filmed, Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos, Bahamas. We've been there several times and I would recommend it if you're looking for a place to get away for a while. There is no crime at all and after a week there you'll know everyone on the island. You can take some friends, rent a house on the beach, a golf cart and relax. It'll take a couple of days to realize that you have to relax because there is no internet or cell phone service; teenagers would probably die from the shock.

David Lucas

Lucas Boatworks and Happy Hour Club