Recent content by jfreemanTMN

Kayak Jack, I try to NOT operate any boat which doesn't have forward controls & that are forward where you can see obstructions/hazards in the water. (My "bigger" skiff has an 18HP electric-start Johnny for power & my homemade "stick steering".) yours, jim

oldsparkey, I'm sure you're 100% correct. = I'm just wondering how much it would have to be enlarged. (There's no shortage of water out there for a longer /slim craft.) There is 23 pounds difference in weight between a 1952 5HP & a 1955 10HP Johnson. (I knew it wasn't a great deal, as I've...

oldsparkey; Boudreaux, Unfortunately, the link goes to an ERROR message. Downright HANDSOME cypress skiff, too. I wonder how much it would have to be "up-sized" to be safe with the 1955 Johnson 10HP OB that I already have?? yours, jim

To All, 06MAR18 is the 182nd anniversary of The Fall of The Alamo Fortress. = We wild/rebellious TEXICANS will pause at least once tomorrow to remember our MARTYRS. yours, Darla & jim

Kayak Jack, WELL SAID. Also to quote a French COL, who was a mercenary with the Mexican forces, "One or two more such victories by El Presidente will destroy our army." GEN Houston was another of the few natural military leaders, who despite their lack of military training & experience, KNOW...

Kayak Jack, Indeed so. = During the final battle & fall of The Alamo, which lasted from about 0500-0630 on 06MAR1836, about 190-210 Texans & about 750-900 Mexican soldiers died during the final assault & most combatants perished in hand to hand fighting. (At best, the casualty figures are...

oldbuffpilot, Fyi, I'm a docent at our Alamo Shrine and YEP we've celebrated Independence Day all day long here. The Dawn Ceremony & the following events which end at dark on 06MAR18 is the biggest event of the Alamo docent's year. REMEMBER THE ALAMO. REMEMBER GOLIAD. Note: Like most...

oldsparky, Here in TX, houseboats in saltwater MUST be powered & may NOT be powered by an OB motor or trolling motor, regardless of size. (Besides which, I like diesel engines because I fear FIRE when out on the salt.) yours, jim

Kayak Jack, A fairly well-known abbreviation among power-boat folk: The USCG designation for (a NON-governmental) MOTOR VESSEL. (Usually confined to watercraft that are DOCUMENTED with the USCG or another international marine police agency.) Btw, Darla laughingly calls it: The World's Biggest...

Kayak Jack. The "lake system" called THE GULF OF MEXICO & the MV DARLA'S DAYDREAMS will be "home-ported in" Aransas Pass, TX. = She will be powered by a diesel IB, with conventional shaft/prop drive. (I don't figure that a mortal man can live long enough to explore all the interesting places...

Chuck, Speaking of the bakery, our eventual plan is a retirement houseboat (with a barge hull) that I've been designing for over 3 years. (Actually, I started on the design in 1999, long before I even met Darla.) = The HB will be 62 feet long X 28 feet beam & 2 stories tall. = My house design...

oldsparkey, I'm considering FIRST building a REALLY simple skiff/johnboat for Darla & I to fish out of in the creeks/quiet lakes around here using a 12V trolling motor BUT my plan is to build a large power skiff for my treasured/low-hours 1957 Johnson JAVELIN soon. = Maybe Dynamite Payson's SEA...

beekeeper. TRUE FACTS. yours jim

beekeeper, THANKS for your input. - Better late to the party than a no-show, by a great deal. (Fwiw, I considered a johnboat, too.) NO final decision on our part, yet. yours, Darla & jim

To All, One of the things that I find interesting about the period of 2 and 4-cycle slow-speed engines is how many early marine engines were actually hand-built by the end user, i.e., the owner of the boat. Btw, my Uncle Ollie from Grove OK was a blacksmith, gunsmith & inventor . = In 1903 a...