Sorry guys but I'm going off topic for a minute to talk about my field trip today, just a minute I promise.
I want to tell everybody about Classic Craft, more specifically Gary, the owner of Classic Craft a local boat shop thats been in my area since like 1974 I believe. When I first started my project, I went and talked to Gary. Ever since, oh.. about every two or three months I'd stop by to say hey, talk about my boat and sometimes bring lunch for the guys. Gary is cooler than the other side of the pillow! He's treated me like a friend and has always taken time for me when I drop by. Usually, there are one, two or three guys working in the shop so he and I would go in his office and chop it up. But today was kinda unusual, for whatever reason, he was there by himself and working in the shop. With the 4th of July coming up he was super busy. I walked in the shop, and he was getting ready to lift a boat with one of them above ground hoist swing things, I said hey Gare! He said ?I can't see you with these glasses on?, so I walked up closer, he had a big grin on his face and said, ?"Hey! How ya been?"? I said awww man? ain't nothin to it, just hanging out, still plugging away at mah boat.
We start talkin then I said, I know you're busy, so I wont stay long, I just wanna ask you about this window. I show him a picture, he looked at it and immediately said ?oh, pull that rubber strip up its screws under there? I smiled and told him that?s kinda what I thought, but was reluctant to remove it in fear of breaking it unless I was sure. I got a feeling its not easily replaceable. He said ?"yeah, its rubber but over the years it?s become hard and brittle? ?you gonna have to do it, just be careful, if it breaks don't worry about it?. I showed him one of my chrome grab rails because I was thinking about getting them coated or new ones. I was planning to clean them up with acetone first though, he said "and use some brown wool, you'd be surprised on how nice they clean up, you may not need new ones at all.? We talked some more (while he positions the boat and wraps the chains!) mostly about him retiring. His customers dont want him to retire, his wife does!
He has a waiting list for his custom wood boats and stays busy on the repair side too. He's too busy to retire
but I do hope he's able to partially retire soon. When you love what you do its hard to walk away from it. Then as I was leaving he said "
I wanna see you finish that boat!".
In my opinion Gary?s longevity and success is mostly a tribute to his knowledge and quality of work but also to his character and kindness. I'm a nobody and he treats me like somebody special every time he sees me. Then I get home from work and I?m reading all these posts from all my friends on the forum helping out. I have been so blessed to be surrounded by so many kind people! Thank you all!!
One more story and I'll get back on topic. From time to time when I'd come to see Gary there would be an elderly gentleman in the office and sometimes we'd joke around while I'd wait for Gary to come into the office from the shop. Well, around the beginning of the year I came to the shop and the elderly gentleman wasn?t there, Gary looked at me, paused and wasn?t his normal happy self. He shook his head and said ?we lost Jack? I said Jack? And then something clicked, Keaton Boats is on the same sign outside as Classic Craft. I said Jack Keaton?? The Jack Keaton?? of Jack Keaton Boats?? Gary said ?Yep? I was like WOW!!! All this time I?ve been shootin the breeze with a Legend and didn?t even know it!! Keaton Boats was very popular in California during the 60s 70s and 80s, not sure if those outside of Cali will recognize the name.
Ok, back on topic?
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