The Lakeside Wooden Boat Society

(ie: How’d the Boat Show Go?)

As I type this, there is horizontal snow blowing (howling actually) around the house and it is a toasty 8 degrees outside. (Same as last year!) One of the great things about the Cleveland Boat Show is that the IX Center has no windows, so for 10 days I can be surrounded by boats and pretend it isn’t winter.

There were four objectives at the show this year: * Build the canoe with kids and adults. * Try out pond boat building with kids (at a cost of $10.00 per kid) * Promote the LWBS July show * Promote the Richardson project (restoration and charter service)

Once again, people were blown away that we would come in and let children (and adults) actually build a canoe in 10 days time. Stan Starry, (Shirley’s dad) became my assistant this year for the entire show. Like many of us he has always wanted to build a boat and this was his opportunity. His faithful help and enthusiasm were invaluable to the success of the show.

As most of you know we elected to build the same canoe as we built last summer. Lakeside children had already built the strongback and molds so that made for a quick start up. I glued up all the panels at my shop ahead of time which streamlined the building at the show. Over the course of the show we had many children and adults stop by to build or watch. Once again, it was a great opportunity to connect with people and spread the word about Lakeside and LWBS. There was a lot of interest in the upcoming July show.

The canoe is virtually complete. There are a few pieces of wood yet to be installed and then it’s on to sanding, sealing and varnishing. The kids at Lakeside this summer will enjoy finishing and using what was started.

It was great to see some Lakeside faces during the show, Tom and Luann Ramsdell came in for a day and were a great help.

Pond Boat building with the kids was attempted for two reasons, one to let the kids have the experience of navigating through jigs and fixtures and have the fun of building something they can take home. And two, this also was a LEMPTA pleaser, and was very well received. We weren’t sure how well this would work because CABBS offers free pond boat building, but we decided to try it. We built 45 kits hoping to sell out and were able to sell 30 of them. Overall light attendance at the show (especially children) impacted this activity. This activity further showed a picture of what LWBS is and does to the people at the show. Whether we should do it again next year will be up for discussion.

Lakeside did a fantastic job of putting LWBS and our Woodenboat Show as top billing on their posters, information and booth in general. Each handout had a inserted flyer on our boat show. This should help people in actually putting us on their calendar and showing up for the show. I was also able to invite many people to bring their boats to our show and Cleveland and Toledo Model Boat Builders both expressed interest in attending and bringing their models. I also spoke to several people who had attended our show last year and were looking forward to the 2008 show.

The Richardson project was displayed on a nice poster along with Keith Kreiger’s Richardson information board. I met several people who had had Richardsons and were very interested in our project. Many people remarked that they would be interested in chartering the boat this summer. I am currently negotiating with an Interlux paint rep about Interlux supplying all the paint for the project. I met a retired doctor from Sandusky who wandered up the canoe building and announced, “ I used to work for Richardson.” In 1941, at the age of 16, he started in war production with Richardson. At 17, his parents signed for him so he could enlist. As a youngster, he and his father enjoyed going to the Richardson boat shows which were at the beginning of their Sailaways. He may have seen our Richardson when it was a brand new boat. He also remembers the German doctor who owned it before Jim Hermann, and remembers seeing it off the Cedar Point beach in the 50’s and early 60’s. He hopes to attend our show this summer.

Overall the show was a success. We furthered our imprint on the boating community, and the knowledge that we are out there will continue to bear fruit. I will be writing LEMPTA a nice thank you note.

I will also be sending out a progress report on the Richardson soon. Thanks for everyone’s help and a big thanks to Lakeside and lemta for making this possible. Dwight

After three and one half months of full time stripping and sanding I spent almost 14 hours working on the boat during the blizzard last Saturday. Almost became lost walking from the house to the shop several times. Just tonight we finished bleaching all the woodwork that will be varnished except the floor. So tomorrow we sand again and clean up to stain Wednesday. Things will start looking very different soon.

The hull is ready for sealer and primer which will also go on this week. The bottom is ready for primer except there is one plank out. Under the head floor and ice box lurked the worst of the rot. I ended up replacing ten frames and five floor frames, then part of the head floor and stub frames under the head floor. Most of this was unexpected but did not shock me. I knew their was some soft wood in the floor forward under the lockers as well as four frames and two floor frames at this same spot. The frames are fixed but the floor here is still up.

All the paint in the cabin has been stripped and sanded, the plywood bulkheads are ready for sealer then everything gets primed. The gas tanks are done and are being shipped up from Florida. The shaft has been straightened and the prop reworked. The cabinsides had little pockets of rot hiding under varnish or the trim that covers the canvas . I ended up putting a ten foot section of the starboard coach roof and the aft upright in new. There are several small graving pieces here and there. The deck gunnels were originally varnished but have long since been painted. I wanted to put them back to original varnish but this took lots of sanding and other forms of finessing but they are going to look great.

The salon still had its original varnish. This means (which I did not know) that the first coat or two is not sealer but shellac. Shellac does not strip with a heat gun, we had to use stripper and its slow going. Then when you start to sand your paper plugs up twice as fast. All this doubled our time in the salon. All the decks that are getting canvas are ready, and the canvas is on order. We still have lots of parts to strip like windows and doors. Some have been done and others needed repairs which have been done. The chrome is at the shop. The chrome shop that I have been using acted like they wanted in on this job at a big discount for the pr value but then at the last minute they did not want to play along. Their bid was $10,000.Dave Mack took them to a place in Dayton (he showed me some of their work, very nice). They wanted $4000 then discount to lwbs to $3500. This is our first serious override in the budget as I hoped to get it done for $2000.

I will admit that the boat to look at does not appear to have over 160 pieces, but it does. If anybody wants to help on this override please let me know. All and all the project is progressing well. Some pictures enclosed. Look forward to hearing from all of you soon.

-Dwight Davis

This season’s show will host new exhibitors, more magnificent “woodies,” entertainment at the Gazebo, our 2nd Silent Auction and Boat Swap Meet, a barbeque on the grounds and boat rides. Save this Sunday!

Lakeside Wooden Boat Society sponsors pond boat building classes for boys and girls from 5-12 two afternoons a week through the season. The jet (balloon powered) pond boat is made by the kids with minimum assistance from adults. Hammers, glue, paint, saws, nail guns, and more are used by each child to create their own jet powered (balloon) boat.

Lakeside Wooden Boat Show
Sunday July 15th, 2007
Noon to 6:00pm

On the Lawn at the Hotel Lakeside
Lakeside, Ohio

For more information, or to enter your boat, call 419-798-2050

Horizontal blowing snow thrusts across my backyard as I sit inside watching. My mind however, is thinking of boats and boatbuilding. Here follows the report on the 2007 Cleveland boat show.

January 1st. I made the trip to Homestead Hardwoods to pick up lumber for Daisy four. That act started ten days of organizing my truck, gathering tools, sharpening tools, cutting out parts, organizing office supplies and making posters. As the move in day approached and my truck and Cathy’s van were loaded to the gunnels, I realized help unloading was needed. I hired two friends to help set up our space. We were ready just as the show started.

My vision to go to the show was in hopes of accomplishing several goals. First, to start getting outside the gates, and into Lake Erie boating circles and generate excitement and awareness of lwbs. Second, to get my hands dirty working with kids. That’s where the real blessings show up. This is where the adults also become engaged in talk and in watching the kids. So many people stopped and watched kids doing something constructive. They were blown away that we would come to the show and let kids build a boat. They were surprised that a boat could be built with limited tools and fast. Most importantly, that we let kids do everything mistakes and all. Daisy three was at the show to show off what the finished product would look like and all agreed that she is a fine little boat. How many times I heard a Dad or Mom say, “You won’t clean your room or the garage, but here you are building a boat and loving it.” Sixty nine kids worked on the boat taking it nearly to completion. (The decks and transom need stain and varnish, the sides need two coats of white, the bottom needs last coat of copper, the seat varnish ,one more coat of yellow inside and then the red boot.)

One family worked for over an hour when the parents finally dragged them off for lunch, but by the time lunch was over the kids had convinced them that the best thing to do at the show was to work on the Daisy. The parents sat back ,watched and bought tee shirts!

Two boys working the second Saturday looked familiar. Sure enough, they had been there the first Saturday . They had begged their Mom to take them back just to keep working on the boat. They also bought shirts. Others vowed to bring the kids to Lakeside this summer for classes. I will say here that show attendance seemed quite light especially during weeknights with few kids. Dick Davey with his unique kid coralling style would have been helpful.

We were weak in making it known around the show that there was this great kids activity. People had to stumble into it. Mid America boating did a very nice article on us announcing it (this newspaper is handed out at the show with a floor plan) but most people don’t sit down and read it until after they get home.

Very few adults worked on the boat, but many stopped by to talk, reminisce and ask questions. Stan ,Shirley Stary’s father, was the show standout. He and Tom Ramsdell showed up Wednesday and we had a great time together. Phil knows the trick is to get a tool in their hands and then they can’t put it down. The hurdle with many adults was nice clothes.

Many show exhibitors began their daily pilgrimage to see how daisy was coming along, and those friendships have some real potential . Here’s a few.

Hank Vinceti President, of C.A.B.B.s. (Cleveland Amateur Boat Builders) is a name to remember. Last summer, they built a few simple boats with Cleveland inner city schools and troubled youth. This endeavor was very successful, and the kids learned to sail on their finished boats. He has a similar vision and has found resources to make this happen (through a foundation).

I was invited to be their speaker for the group’s Feb. 4th. Meeting. It was a great opportunity to build bridges and spread the vision for LWBS. They are looking forward to attending the LWBS boat show this summer and will be bringing boats with them! They have had much success at the Cleveland Boat show building pond boats with kids.

Another new friend is Darcy Egan from Marblehead. www.outdoorsohio.com He does a television show, radio and print forum. (Someone needs to do a little research and watch a show) He has asked us to give him a call this summer when we start work on a boat and he would like to come and do a piece on us.

Lakeside Marine Groups, Dan Larcy stopped by to see the boat almost everyday. He loved Daisy’s classic lines and is excited about what we are doing. I asked if he could get us a dock for her so we could run outboard trips this summer. He replied, “Call me in the spring.”

Warren Wolf, from Wolf’s Marine (Midwest’s largest marine accessory store), said he would get us fabulous deals on hardware and paint. They do a lot of buy-outs. He thought he had the same oar locks we have been using for about $5.00 a set.

All the plywood to build the Daisy’s was imported by World Panel of Florida. I met David McGrath at the show, general manager of World Panel. He loved what we are doing and asked, “How can I help? I can get you free wood. Especially slightly damaged panels that the shipping insurance company has already paid on.”

These contacts were the most visible part of the iceberg.

The LWBS Boat Show was talked up, and several updated posters were displayed. I invited many boat owners to bring their boats.

When the show was busy, the Lakeside booth was busy. I don’t know what their thoughts will be once the dust settles and Tom Derby tallies up the costs involved, but one thing is clear, many people watching kids build the Daisy got a great picture of what Lakeside is all about. Many people that I talked to had never heard of Lakeside or had, but had never experienced it. Our booth was one of the only places in the show where someone could pull up a chair, sit down and relax for a few minutes. (Very Lakesidey, isn’t it?) The office has already had a call from a family wanting to book a cottage this summer so their kids could work on a boat again.

We had a very nice “boatique” set up with a fresh supply of shirts. To simplify change, the prices were rounded up to 5.00 increments. (From 13.00 to 15.00 for example) We took in $250.00 from donations and sales. We were disappointed at the low sales volume.

We did receive 2 donations. One family put in 10.00 and another 20.00 (included in the figure above) I think a big jar with a donation sign would have generated more. No one signed up for a membership. Maybe if we made it an “I helped build a Lakeside Daisy” club for kids…. Sign up and join for 15.00 and your kid gets a free t-shirt! ☺

We had Silent Auction table for Daisy 4. The starting bid was $1000.00 Even if we had sold her for that it would have really helped offset our cost, but we had no bidders. Daisy 3 and 4 are currently at my shop.

It’s clear we spent a lot of money to do this show. Many seeds were planted and many friendships were made. LWBS and Lakeside will have to further consider the degree of the success of the show only as those seeds germinate and bear fruit. I will be sending LEMPTA a thank you note.

We need to update our website so that the kids who worked on Daisy 4 can see the end result!

I think doing the show this year was vital to our growth of the club. Many seeds were planted and I think our boat show will receive a tremendous boost.

– Dwight

LWBS will join the Lakeside Staff to promote Lakeside and its unique programming at the largest boat show in Ohio. How? We are going to be “Daisy” building right there on the grounds! Come over and see the boat construced and completed during the boat show event! We will need your energy and presence!

• clevelandboatshow.com

The second summer of LWBS on the Lakeside grounds opened with a larger work site complete with our own source of electricity and a dock box for supplies and equipment. Begun last summer, “Daisy 3″ was completed and classes continued in restoration of our 1953 Lyman. In addition, our organization began the process of working with Lakeside on how to have “Daisies” safely available for use on Lake Erir. The Second Annual Lakeside Wooden Boat Show was held on the July 4th weekend and despite rain, a growing number of restored wooden boats graced the Hotel lawn. The Lakeside gate staff reported 55 passes sold that day just for the show! The 2006 season ended with our newest program designed just for children-pond boat building. In one week, over 100 children built pond boats and launched them in the Lakeside swimming area. (Whew!)

With each season comes new ideas and new growth wrapped in Lakeside friendship and commitment. Are you ready to look into the 2007 season?

• Cleveland Boat Show: January 12-21st
• Third Annual Lakeside Wooden Boat Show: July 15th
• LWBS Fish Fry: Early summer and/or fall
• As well continued classes in restoration and boatbuilding, as well as seminars of interest to the Lake Erie area.

All these activities are available because of Lakeside’s commitment, your commitment as a member, the generosity of our donors and the unique gifts of our instructor.

As you read this letter please consider renewing your membership or making a donation to Lakeside earmarked for LWBS. (A new membership or renewal would make a wonderful gift!)

Remember, all monies go directly into program materials and instruction

We hope to see you at one or all of these LWBS events and in many seasons to come.

From Phil: Hey y’all. As you can see Daisy is intentionally overfilled (4 robust vikings) to the tune of 800+lbs and in a not too calm sea. Details of our adventure are available, and needless to say she was very seaworthy, took the waves, dry boat with Bill acting as a windshield, and not prone to tipping. The 8hp motor is a nice match with a boat that would make proud her ancestry. This is Daisy 2 and 3 is currently underconstruction.