The Jolly Boys Club at work
Last year Brian managed to get hold of an old dilapidated fiberglass boat hull. It really wasn’t much of a “boat” at all. There were cracks here and there, the transom was weak and almost everyone who looked at it suggested it would probably be best to send the thing to the garbage dump.
However, Brian would not be convinced and he set to work in the methodical manner he has. First the front part of the hull was strengthened with a bit of fiberglass and resin. New holes were drilled so that a plywood fore deck and windscreen could be installed, greatly increasing the strength of the hull. Then the other cracks were glassed over, and new plywood was cut to give the transom some strength. New benches were made to sit on, foam flotation installed and by the end of the summer, even a bit of painting had been accomplished. The final touch was the name. “Krid” is Dirk spelled backwards and happens to be the name of the character who supplied the hull.
Brian already had a small outboard for the project. Unfortunately it would only run for a short while before overheating and coming to a halt. It absolutely refused to pump cooling water and this in spite of the fact that over the late summer and fall, it had been completely dismantled and put back together.
Today we all gathered on the sun deck here at pier 66 to try again. First we tested the compression, and found 65 pounds in one cylinder and 75 in the other. Well that’s not very good, but what are you going to do? It’s a 40 year old motor.
The leg came off quite easily, the power head likewise. Bill got out his air compressor and after a bit of mucking about, blew air into the water intake in the engine. It wouldn’t really go in much at first and then… A tiny bit of gravel spat out of the exhaust riser. Now the engine pumps water wonderfully and Brian has his crabbing boat up and running. After a bit of back and forth testing, Brian and Pete set out across the bay.
That’s Cowichan Bay Village. Just another summer’s day.
The little ones are cute, but they can act up as well as any. I hope you two are well. You are missed in the Bay. @Bea Seaman
I love that little engine!! Wish I had one here… Using some big power that won’t start and runs like crap. I will post pics??. Xx b