The Big Reveal! (cont'd)

More friends joining

...still paddling

...and they made it!

Boat party

And they paddled back to shore for the Bruins game

Switching captains

Team work

The Big Reveal!

Just as I had promised, I would reveal the boat’s name.  As you know she is red and she is my baby.  Her name is Baby Red.  I posted some fun pictures from Saturday.

Snapped this photo after I finished painting her name

Young sailors

Getting her ready to go out

Leaving the dock



Passing the torch





Torch passed



Stenciling

This week I’ve been sneaking down to the boathouse before and after work to do some final touch ups on the boat.  I was proud of myself as I left Jack’s this morning.  She’s done.  She has a name.  And she’s ready for the world.  I’ll hose her down before I show her off tomorrow evening (she has some dirt from when I took her out on the water), but she looks great in my personal and very biased opinion.

I made a stencil to paint the name on the transom of the boat.  I can’t show you the stencil because that would reveal the name, which would defeat the purpose of the Boat Revealing Party.  So I’ll show you another stencil I made last year in a bit.

I printed the name out on paper, glued the paper onto poster board, and cut the word(s) out with an X-acto knife.  Pretty simple.  I brought the stencil over to the boat and spray painted over the stencil.  Then I went over the rough edges with a fine brush and exterior paint.  I will show you the final product after tomorrow.  Promise.

Last year, I was on a kickball team.  I was also told I was too aggressive during games  …Anyways, we wanted our team name to have an MTV Jersey Shore theme.  I suggested The Kickuation after Mike Sorrentino’s abs, which he calls The Situation.  I thought we could take it one step further and show our own abdominal and oblique muscles.  I made a stencil and brought a can of spray paint to our first game.  We were by far the coolest team (again a very biased opinion, but the league agreed).  



On the left: The Situation.  On the right: The Kickuation
...thought I'd clarify



Jack’s Boathouse

Underneath the concrete bridge that connects Rosslyn, Virginia to Georgetown, DC there’s a small but very colorful community.  It’s the most vibrant view all along the Potomac (even the graffiti doesn’t compare).  It’s my favorite spot in my neighborhood and one of my favorites in all of DC.  It’s Jack’s Boathouse. 

Last boating season, I would stroll down there and rent kayaks out.  Don’t get me wrong, my kayaking days are not over, but now I have a boat that fits perfectly with the atmosphere at Jack’s—a retro, chill,  no-worries vibe.

The staff at Jack's is awesome.  Quite enthusiastic, friendly, and very helpful.  They let me borrow their power tools, always ask me if I needed help with anything, and keep an eye on the boat when I'm gone.  Paul, the guy in charge, really cares about the boathouse, his people, his guests, and even my boat!  Hands down, there is no better place to canoe, kayak, row if you're in the District.

Here are some pictures courtesy of www.jacksboathouse.com.  If you get a chance, watch the Youtube video.  It’ll give you an idea of what I’m talking about…but if you really want to experience Jack’s, you have to go and see for yourself!

Email/message me if you are interested in joining us for the Boat Revealing Party.  I will send you details.

The Sink or Float Test…results are in!

It was about time we finally see whether this thing could actually float.  The boat had yet to touch water, and it made sense that we find out if this vessel could handle the Potomac before I spent my precious time tinkering with aesthetics this week.

Loading her up for the ride

I realize that the photo above is a clear demonstration of my recklessness (though I prefer maverick-ness), but we needed to transport the boat and being the inpatient human being that I am, I didn't want to delay.  Katy and I loaded her up and crept along Route 29 to Georgetown.  We made it there in one piece without a single car beeping at us or a cop car pulling us over.  

I was getting nervous about how this would turn out.  To see our pride and joy sink to the bottom of the river would have been devestating, not to mention embarassing.  Before we sat on trial, we detoured to Jetties to meet Meggie for lunch.  This really calmed me down.  Meggie always knows what to do in these situations.  The solution to any uncomfortable feeling (jitters, restlessness, hangover, you name it) is usually lunch at Jetties.

My go-to sandwich at Jetties--the Sconset

After I finished my Sconset sandwich, my pulse was back to its normal resting heart rate and it was time to get brave and complete the float or sink test.  We drove down to Jack’s Boat House (post about Jack’s to come), chatted with the crew (who became our audience…stating they were so happy to be a part of this moment), grabbed some paddles in lieu of oars, and as my heart began racing again and pounding louder than the truck horns honking on the Key Bridge, we placed our boat in the water.

…I won’t tell you how it went, but I’ll let you see below…

Katy in front of the Key Bridge with the Kennedy Center, Washington Monument, and of course the infamous Watergate Hotel in the background

 

Me celebrating with a Corona



Great day :)



FYI - I’m holding off on posting more photos until after the Boat Revealing Party this Saturday.  Email/message me if you are interested in joining and I will send you details.

Step #15 — Runners and Rubrails (Part 2)

It was a perfect evening for my friends Meggie and Timmy to visit.  Timmy was back in the old neighborhood visiting for a few days.  He had a brief break in between his semester at law school and his summer job (http://timparrish.blogspot.com/).  And Meggie had a lot to tell me regarding Lady Gaga's new album.  So while I was hosting them, I did what any good friend would do, I used them.  But really, I couldn't imagine doing this step by myself.  I desperately needed their help.

I previously stained the rails to match the runners and seats.  The rubrails, or gunner molding, reinforces the gunwale (top edge of the side of the boat).  I had two long rubrails for the length of the boat, and holding them in place by myself would have been a disaster. 

The Crew

Before I mixed the epoxy glue, I handed these blonde babes some latex gloves.  My mom has a major crush on Timmy, so she gloved up as well.  After I epoxied the rubrails, I had them hold the rails in place while I clamped the rails on.  The glue was oozing, so I'm glad I dressed them in the appropriate gear. 

I kept the clamps on overnight, and the rub rails looked great when I checked on them in the morning.

Step #15 – Runners and Rubrails (Part 1)

You'll have to forgive my short post.  I'm in a two-day conference where laptops are prohibited! It's  21st Century cruelty if you ask me.  I'm writing this before I go into the lion's den...

Holding the runners before I glued them to the boat (...and realizing my hands look funny)

Despite the rain, I’ve managed to get a few more things done under tarps.  I cut three runners out of clear lumber for the bottom of the boat.  I stained them mahogany red and then epoxied them down.  I had to apply pressure to keep the runners from sticking up as the glue dried.  For this, I used only the finest equipment (see photo below). 



I spy a box of wrenches, a magnolia tree, a pogo stick, and beer