What was, What is; and What may yet be

Rollerdave · Jul 10, 2009

Hello iBoaters!

Having introduced myself in another thread, I thought I ought to introduce my boat.

I'll start with what was, all the way back in July of 2007 when we bought the old gal.

She's a 1965 Mark Twain 18' closed-bow runabout with a 150HP Chevy inline six and a Mercruiser stern drive.

All of the pics from New Boat Day 2007 can be found here.

She came with a rather cumbersome custom made cover with little sleeves to accommodate the flagpoles bow and stern and a tentpole to keep it up and water out.

We pulled her home and immediately discovered what a hassle backing up a steep 150ft driveway with a bend in the middle, trees close on one side, and a drop-off on the other can be.

We also discovered our truck needed head gaskets. Joy joy.

We tried taking her out, but found that I was in no shape to be of any use and even though we had siphoned off the bad gas in her and replaced it with new gas and she seemed to run fine, she would die the moment you tried to throttle up. very discouraging.

We wound up parking her up the hill behind our house and promising ourselves we would get to her sometime soon. I think we knew we were lying to ourselves at the time, but we had a lot on our plate, dying business, rising gas prices, my health, The poor old gal never stood a chance.

More to come....

RD

tashasdaddy · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

$50 hitch on front bumper will beat the driveway problem.

lucky7 · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

sweet old boat. gut looks like new!

ezmobee · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

That's a very unique boat. I've never seen anything like it. And it appears to be in excellent condition.

ziggy · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

yep, that boat has sex appeal to the max... she's beautiful...

to get her up and running great. a good place to start will be to read the summerization thread in the adults only sticky. do all that stuff and you'll be a step closer to having her run great too. the oem service manual has trouble shooting guides in it also that are much help to me...

Rollerdave · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

tashasdaddy said:
$50 hitch on front bumper will beat the driveway problem.

<Image removed - RD>

Yeah, that was one of the ideas I toyed with. I wound up getting a trailer dolly.

I was able to drive up forwards witht he boat trailing behind and put the truck where I wanted the boat; up the hill off the parking pad.

Then we unhitched the boat and put the dolly on, swung the boat around so it was facing the other way in the next parking slot over and backed the truck past the boat off the pad. then we jockeyed tings around a bit until we could re hitch the truck for the final push up the hill.

Of course by "we" did the jockeying I mean "others did the jockeying while I gave directions and mainly just did the driving." After all, I was just barely out of my wheelchair at the time.

lucky7 said:
sweet old boat. gut looks like new!

Yeah, don't she?

Let's not forget that this is just the beginning of the story, the start of what was. As the story progresses the old gal is put in peril, gets invaded by water, and becomes surrounded by junk, but those are stories for further down in the thread. Like any epic tale, things get sadder before they get happy again.

IVAZ · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

Beautiful boat!
I?m interested in your boats story, please continue.

Rollerdave · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

ezmobee said:
That's a very unique boat. I've never seen anything like it. And it appears to be in excellent condition.

Ezmo, I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic and funny because you've got a beautiful mid sixties boat yourself; or are serious and noticing all of the find detail and nuance that make her so rare and lovely.

Either way, thank you very much!

ziggy said:
yep, that boat has sex appeal to the max... she's beautiful...

to get her up and running great. a good place to start will be to read the summerization thread in the adults only sticky. do all that stuff and you'll be a step closer to having her run great too. the oem service manual has trouble shooting guides in it also that are much help to me...

Yeah, I got the manual with her, of course this was two years ago and in the course of the tale we give up our house, have to move, so we have no freaking idea WHERE that manual may be at the moment.

As for sex appeal, now that you've brought it up I simply HAVE to dig up my original write-up I posted in the forum I used to frequent at the time.

Cleaned up, of course since they didn't filter cuss words.

As I recall it was pretty funny.

Rollerdave · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

OK, I found my write up, and IMHO it's even funnier than I remembered.

2007 07 20 Another Harrowing Rollerdave Tale

My day started well enough, going for a drive with thirty crisp fresh
hundred dollar bills in my pocket, my lovely shiny truck and my best gal.

Ahh, life was sweet!

We got fueled up at Sam's Club filling station because it was cheap as
hell, wound up using the same space/pump as when our van died and needed
major work, we laughed frivolously about this amusing happenstance, tee
hee.

BEEP!

Huh? A warning? look! a light is on! It says "Check Gauges"
Whoah! Lookit the temp gauge! Youzer!

So we shut 'er down, and fill 'er up, hoping its a glitch of some ugly sort.

Uh, no.

We get to a valvoline rapid oil change place and have 'em check the coolant, it's seemingly DRY!

How very odd!

There has been no sign of deviation from the factory delineated 'normal' mark on the temp gauge, now it's quite suddenly dry?

Well, they filled it up, looked it over, no obvious leaks, water pump looks/sounds fine, yet it drank like a camel. Beeezarrr.

But it was holding well, so we decided to see HOW WELL. by taking a long drive to a random location quite a distance away that we had happened to make an appointment to see a boat the day before.

It takes real foresight and preparedness to make random and spontaneous appointments the day before, or maybe a time machine....

But I dissemble.

Long drive, many many many orange trucks hauling whatever orange trucks haul when they divert traffic everywhere. We have two seasons here in Minnesota, Winter and road construction.

Stop at wally World to buy hitch stuff, and then we were there, at the spontaneous random location, as expected, and there she was.

She was a beauty, classic lines, showing signs of the years that, while being kind to her, had undeniably passed. It had been some time for her shut in, away from the sun and the wind, and she longed to get out on the water again, and stretch out her legs like the old times, but those times had passed and she despaired that it might be time to pack it in.

Eighteen feet long, covered by a custom made boat cover, and resting on an almost new Shorelander trailer, The Lady was ready to entertain visitors.

When she was uncovered, her chrome glinted, her pristine vinyl shone, and her paint did its best to gleam... The old gal pulled out all the stops to impress these latest visitors in the hopes they would take her home, let her run flat out once again; and from the look in Becky's eyes, it was working. Heck, I could feel that stack of hundreds trying to climb out of my pocket!

The nice folks lowered the the out-drive into a big tank of water and let the old gal roar to life! 230 cube 150hp Chevy in-line six, just like my old Malibu!

I wondered why she hadn't sold yet, and they said most people thought she was too old; Yet she was no older than I, a Deluxe 1965 model!

As I counted out hundred dollar bills to the nice man, I almost think the old boat winked at me.

We hooked up and drove off, gingerly at first because we were being followed very closely by a vehicle damn-near as big as the truck!

The truck was a pulling machine, the light was golden, traffic gave me a wide berth and a lingering gaze, and the old gal rode proudly behind the truck, a 1965 Mark Twain closed bow runabout finally feeling some wind at long last.

There we sat at the bottom of the damnedest driveway you ever saw, I knew it was going to be an (expletive deleted) getting that boat up that drive, damn-near vertical with a bend in the middle and trees close on one side, a dropoff on the other...

Backwards.

I knew it was going to be a (female canine), that it would blow stringy goat-chunks, that it would be, at the very least a harrowing experience.

I had no bleeping idea.

Turn left! Turn Right! straighten it out, go forward and try again! watch out for that tree! Oops, the wheels weren't straight, keep the boat on the drive, get the truck BACK ON the drive!

What is that SCRAPING sound off my starboard beam?

A FREAKING PHONE POLE that jumped out and scuffed my TRUCK! MY TRUCK!!!!

ARRRRGH!

Finally got the old gal on my parking pad, and almost all of the truck as well. I didn't leave any bits by the phone pole, but I just couldn't get the truck AND trailer on the pad at the same time.

I just shut 'er down. The others here can find their own ways to park, that beast is where it is. they can try to nestle in on the drive itself under the truck's reproachful chrome glare, my Truck don't like being scuffed. I'll have to get out the ol' Devilbiss paint gun and fix the clear-coat or my truck might never speak to me again. Might have to give it flames to make up for the indignity.

One thing I can tell you is I am NEVER doing THAT again!

All of the pics from New Boat Day 2007 can be found here.

This_lil_fishy · Jul 10, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

Hehe, a little more practice and you'll begin wondering how come you thought it was so hard to get the boat back there. People are still amazed to see my 20' + swim platform boat stuffed in my garage in one shot...the first try took a mighty 45 minutes!

ian

Rollerdave · Jul 11, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

This_lil_fishy said:
Hehe, a little more practice and you'll begin wondering how come you thought it was so hard to get the boat back there. People are still amazed to see my 20' + swim platform boat stuffed in my garage in one shot...the first try took a mighty 45 minutes!

ian

heheh, I know what you mean about practice! If I still had that place, I would definitely need some, but that part of the story is still a few more installments down the line.

Not that I couldn't STILL stand to improve my trailering skills.

RD

Rollerdave · Jul 11, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

Part two; When the tarp, comes tumbling down...

Well, there she sat, pushed up a hill in my backyard, in my mind, and in my life.

A lot of stuff was going on, so we didn't notice that the tentpole, a flimsy aluminum affair, let go under the weight of a heavy snowfall until the boat had already been subjected to a thaw.... And the resulting encroachment of a boat's best friend and worst enemy, water.

One day in march of 2008 I was in the dining room and happened to look out and realize the boat didn't look pointy on top anymore. A bad sign I was sure.

I was right. It was a VERY bad sign.

I managed to get some help, hitched her up to my truck, and moved her down to the parking pad, but she already had water in her.

I tasked my daughter to bailing her out, and also set one of those self starting siphons on the job and soon had her pretty dry, but had to find a way to keep it from happening again.

My daughter stuck a camera tripod I had laying around up under the cover and it provided a peak, of sorts....

There was still a significant low spot in the starboard stern where water would pool no matter how many times I tightened or adjusted the cover, but at least it was where I could see it and deal with it in something approximating a timely basis.

as the days droned on, fuel prices skyrocketed, property values plummeted and my business evaporated. I lost most of my tenants, and things looked bleak, but I still worked like a demon on my health, became stronger, lost 50lbs and prepared for the inevitable upheaval that was to come.

I figured when everything hit the fan I would need to be more able, stronger and more mobile. I was right!

Next installment, house troubles for us and junk troubles for the old gal.

RD

Rollerdave · Jul 11, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

So times got worse, my last tennant left, money was tight, and we were unable to keep the place. Fortunately we are working on unloading it without foreclosure, but that's another whole story that has nothing to do with boats.

Mid December 2008 we moved to a rented townhome with a ton of stairs and began working on emptying the old place out, it's July '09 and it STILL isn'r done, we got pianos, an organ, quite a bit of stuff, a convertible and of gourse the old boat.

When we moved and as we cleaned up, the poor old gal became surrounded with junk.

(more pics here)

From here, it only gets better and once I'm up to date I can start figuring out where to go from here.

All the stairs at the new place kicked my butt and I got stronger, lost another 50lbs since the 1st of the year, that makes 100lbs total and now I am able to step up into the old gal from the ground. Pretty important for being able to work on her.

Next installment, the old gal emerges from hiding.

This_lil_fishy · Jul 11, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

Wow, maybe I missed it, but what was your weight...congrats on the loss though. That takes real will power, and strength. Good for you!

Ian

Rollerdave · Jul 11, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

This_lil_fishy said:
Wow, maybe I missed it, but what was your weight...congrats on the loss though. That takes real will power, and strength. Good for you!

Ian

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

Ten years ago I had very little feeling below the waist and was confined to a wheelchair. I had a LOT of physical therapy, pool therapy, I managed to get feeling and motor function back.

Five years ago I couldn't walk to save my life, I had to teach myself how all over again.

My weight became a problem when I lost mobility, I just kinda ballooned up. Early on, I made a few changes that kept it from being even worse, cutting the sugar, trying low carb, but it was only when I became more mobile that I began retaking my life.

We estimate that my highest was 500lbs, I am now battling to get into the 380's.

I am VERY determined, if someone else had somehow done this to me, I would have killed them with my bare hands, but I did it to myself and the weapon seems to have been a fork and spoon.

It's MY life, and I have so much to live for, I am retaking my life one hill at a time.

I just decided that life will NOT happen to me, I will happen to LIFE.

It's been working pretty good, and is about to get MUCH better.

RD

Rollerdave · Jul 11, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

Emergence!

Well it was getting close the deadline to get everything off our property, but where to put the boat? I didn't want to bring her to the townhome, no place to park her and she would instantly attract the attention of all the little parking lot kids running about swinging bike frames and sticks at each other...

There was a space next to my mother in law's garage...

But it looked like this:

We wound up renting a 30 yard roll-off dumpster, and working our butts off until it looked like this:

Now we're talking, baby!

Then I had to clean up around and under the boat. Sometime during the poor old gal's time there on the parking pad about three inches of the slimiest much you even saw was washed onto the pad from uphill, and there was junk... It was shameful. Not at all the way i want to live. It HAD TO GO.

We pulled all the junk away, disposed of it. Put away stuff that actually BELONGED someplace, pressure washed and shoveled slimy guck until we could approach the old gal walking on clean, uncluttered pavement.

MUCH BETTER!

Then we peeled back the cover.

It was all there, maybe a little musty, but all in serviceable shape.

Talk about lifting our spirits!

She was in pretty good shape and we had a place to put her!

More pics at the full photobucket album which can be found here.

Next installment, enough of what was, now for what IS!

NW Redneck · Jul 11, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

Great boat and great thread! I like your story-telling style and look forward to the next installment of "As the propeller turns".

mattpyle · Jul 12, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

That is a beautiful boat!! I can't wait to see more pictures!

Rollerdave · Jul 12, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

NW Redneck said:
Great boat and great thread! I like your story-telling style and look forward to the next installment of "As the propeller turns".

LOL, Thank you very much!

I'm having fun finally getting it all down in one place, and figure this is a pretty good place.

I am having SO MUCh fun, that I have to be careful not to neglect my main gig as one of the admins of another site.

mattpyle said:
That is a beautiful boat!! I can't wait to see more pictures!

Well you are in luck, since I finally got through the sad back story "what was" now I will be putting up all of the detail shots I have taken as aprt of the "What is."

Then I want to lay out how I'd like to use her, and what sorts of things I think she needs and get a lot of useful input as a sort of "what may yet be."

I gotta go out for a bit, but tonight I'll be in, stuck staying up to drive my daughter to work, and already have all of the pics uploaded to photobucket so if it's pics you want, it will be pic you get sometime around 8 or 9 central time.

Thanks for reading,

RD

Rollerdave · Jul 12, 2009

Re: What was, What is; and What may yet be

Well, here I am all caught up, ready to take stock of what is by showing detailed pics of my boat.

I'll start with the exterior.

From the side you can see she has fairly classic lines, and at about 18ft I think she is well proportioned.

No disrespect to Oops, but I think I'll keep her length original

She has hinges and snaps for a convertible top, and I understand they made them for this boat but I have no idea what they looked like.

Bow cleats, midship cleats at about the windshield line, a line locker slightly aft of that, and cleats on the stern.

Nose on, she looks like she's smiling; wouldn't YOU if you spent two years being ignored under and amidst filth and you got a reprieve?

She has an accent strip of padded ribbed vinyl down the center bordered by strips of riveted aluminum or stainless. The accent strip has the bow navigation light (complete with little flag) a vent of some sort, an antenna mount for a radio that is not currently present, and the fuel filler cap.

Nice square stern with a rock solid transom.

It has the outdrive, two stern loops for securing her to a trailer, and the transponder for the fish finder which is routed under the gunwales and over the stern, not through the transom.

There's also two little vents with grates, and two with scoops. I have yet to determine what purpose the each serve individually. there is a telescoping stern navigation light with a US flag, and just barely visible under the rub rail on the port side is a wasp's nest I removed.

What was, What is; and What may yet be

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