"RR94"

[Denisefwd93]

Well yesterday June 22nd, was like a first event for me with this rattletrap! The truck took me on a canoe trip it wasn't hours and hours only an it was an hour fiftheen, it was the first real actual destination I've used the truck for since I've had it with all it's problems!
Since I had the new tires installed I putnearly six hundred miles of just average driving going to the store shopping etc. alone seems major because truck used to shake and shimmy so badly I couldn't drive over 35
The canoe on top seemed to accent all the rattles in the truck that are coming from the bad body mounts.

 

[Denisefwd93]

I'm in a near local group of a national group with many chapters all around the world called wooden canoe heritage association. WCHA

 

[Uncle Gump]

I've expressed my admiration for the wood canoes before... Most are works of art really.

One thing we did as a family for many years was spectate the Ausable River Canoe Race... It is seriously like Northern Michigan Nascar. They sprint for pole position... they shut down parts of the town of Grayling and line up the canoes... then the teams foot race carrying all their gear for a 1/4 mile to the put in point. Then it is about 14 hours of hard core paddling... three portages... I think it's like 120 miles... with a bunch of those miles at night. If interested... the actual foot race to the put in point begins at just short of the 3 minute mark.

 

[racsan]

The wood canoes are beautiful. I used to work at a boat dealership and we had one there for years, I myself have a fiberglass 12’ old towne brand.

 

[Denisefwd93]

I've had to make two admissions about myself.
for all the hundreds maybe thousands of miles that have passed had under my boats. the truth is, I'd rather be building and restoring than actually using them, and that I've reached a point in life where it's time to disconnect and sell it off. I'm still very sore from yesterday which just confirms what I've already known, I just can't do it anymore!

 

[Curious Hound]

Truck looks good with the canoe on top.

I like wooden boats of all types. The new house I'm buying is close to a small lake. About 1.5 miles by road. About 1/4 mile if I cut a trail through somebody's wooded property. I would like to get a nice wooden boat with a good sliding seat rowing setup and use it for exercise. Something with fine lines and an efficient shape and lots of varnished ribs and steam bent frames. A functional piece of art. I'll need to save up and maybe buy one next spring.

 

[Denisefwd93]

Eric today's choice of materials is plywood (marine plywood) there are some wonderful kits floor plans out there for rowing shells, rowing boats, the however good rowing boats do not motor well boats that motor well to not real well. . I'm also restoring a boat called a Delaware Ducker it's 16 ftand everything that you describe. But it's going to be a while before it's complete!

 

[Curious Hound]

The ducker looks cool. I would love to end up with something like this.

 

[Denisefwd93]

Eric you have good taste in boats! Classic Whitehall rowing wherryi style!

 

[Curious Hound]

There are too many beautiful boat designs out there. I subscribed to Wooden Boat magazine for many years. Every issue captivated me for hours and fueled dreams of boat building, sailing and just plain "messing round in boats".

Is your Delaware duck boat related to the old punt gun boats of the Chesapeake? I think they were longer.

 

[Denisefwd93]

This actual boat was given to me by a lady that saved it from the Philadelphia Independence seaport museum dumpster because they were getting rid of things. it had been languishing in storage for 50 yearsI'm told. They were unique to the guides in Philadelphia that would take their clients out duck hunting, they also had Duckers hat were rigged for sailing.

 

[Denisefwd93]

Well, I've been driving the beast about 2 weeks now with the shackles rear shackles down like they're supposed to be. there are still lots and lots of things to do to the truck but I am literally dancing happy dance the way the truck feels going down the road! Best description I could give it, is a feeling of sitting on a go kart compared to sitting in a Cadillac Going down a bumpy road, the truck sits higher, even the front end seems to be higher. It's still a rattle trap but you can actually feel the springs working as it goes down the road, even on the interstate it handles better!

 

[Denisefwd93]

Well I ordered them and canceled from Rock (but they shipped anyway. )
Because they move fast, and I canceled the order it was already too late, meanwhile I ordered a set from eBay
So have a set of bed bolts and the spare set of bed bolts!

I can't believe all the junk on getting for this rattletrap and it all hinges on saving a frame.