By Tom Oncken
Thanks to David Coffey, Sr. and his family, the Texas Chapter started off its 2016 outboarding season with another successful meet. For the second straight year, the local weather was somewhat disagreeable with us. The weather during the meet was actually great with blue skies and cool winds; however, the massive rains that fell earlier in the week forced Lake Conroe officials to close the lake to motorized boating traffic as the lake level had risen by a little over two feet. Apparently the water had risen so quickly, that a massive amount of debris got swept off of the banks and was floating just below the surface of the water, and officials were concerned that motorized boats could be severely damaged thereby creating a risk that someone could be injured if motoring across the lake. So, our annual wet/swap meet simply became a swap meet.
Despite the boating restrictions, we had a nice turnout of members. David Coffey, Sr. and wife, Sylvia, David Coffey, Jr., and Tony Rodrigues (David Jr.’s brother) hosted the meet. Others in attendance included: Jerry Ball, Mark Betner, Adam Finn, John Graf, Rich Kairis, Captain Gary Keeney, Morten Lovstad, Bob Macaluso, Tom Oncken, Dan Peoples and his baby son, Luke, Dennis and Sharon Schmitt, Peter Schultz, John and Cindy Slator, and Royce Strickland.
Adam Finn had sent out an emergency email notice the day before the meet notifying members of the boating restriction, but he still invited members to bring boats anyway if they wanted to display them. We had two members who brought unique boats to show at this meet.
Morten Lovstad brought a boat that he was in the process of building from scratch. Beginning with a Hank Bravo drawing of a Tango 15 skiff, Morten did extensive modification to his boat including elongation of the craft, making longer sponsons, a wider transom, and cutting its sheer line down. It is really a unique boat made of 3/8” Okumi marine grade plywood using a stitch and glue method. All joints are sealed with 6oz fiberglass and West System epoxy. It is a flats poling skiff with a vented pocket tunnel and is powered by a 50hp Mercury inline 4 cylinder outboard mounted on a jack plate. It also carries a 9 gallon fuel tank under the front deck. We hope to see this beauty run someday soon at a future meet (if weather permits).
Dennis and Sharon Schmitt brought along another cute little boat. It is a 7½’ fiberglass twin hull boat made in Wooster, Ohio in 1970. Disney commissioned to have 500 of these miniature boats manufactured for their theme park. They were eventually all sold off and only a handful of them still exist today. It is powered by a 1951 Mercury KG-7 Super 10 Hurricane. Although the boat was not launched, Dennis backed it down the launch ramp and showed us how well the little outboard would run. She kicked up some serious water! Too bad we did not get to see it scoot across the lake.
As usual, it looked like a herd of cattle running to the feed truck as John and Cindy Slator drove up to the pavilion. John brought a lot of motors and parts with him, as was evident with his poor little truck hunkered down in the back. The good news was that John did not have to take back very much of the stuff that he brought with him. Although other members brought a few motors to show and/or sell, needless to say, John was the clear star of the show this weekend. Thanks for bringing all the great toys, John!
We welcomed a new member this weekend as Royce Strickland attended his first ever outboard motor meet. If I recall correctly, he sold a 1958 Johnson 5½hp and had another similar sized 1957 Evinrude offered for sale. He made a few purchases from John’s stockpile and met a lot of different folks. I hope you enjoyed the visit, Royce, and we hope to see you at another meet someday.
Jerry Ball displayed a nice 1958 Evinrude Ducktwin 3hp that he had recently purchased. Jerry went through the carburetor, cleaned off all of the grease and grime, and had the motor repainted. He installed new decals on the motor and clear-coated them. It is really a very nice little motor. It is amazing that he found a Ducktwin so quickly because they seem to be very difficult to locate.
David Coffey, Sr. (who is somewhat of a chef) provided a very nice lunch for a paltry $5.00 donation per person. David does not just slap a weenie on a Mrs. Baird’s bun. He takes his food preparation to another level. Rather than just plain old hot dogs, David provided foot long dogs from the nearest Costco and sausage links rather than standard hot dogs. Members could take one or more of the gourmet buns that David provided, then could pick his or her choice of foot long dog or sausage that David expertly grilled, and then head for the condiments which included several types of mustard, ketchup, chili, cheese, finely chopped fresh onions, pickles, and peppers. Other sides included potato salad, potato chips, and Fritos. Fresh oranges were available as a topper. Of course, you had your choice of bottled water and assorted cold drinks to wash it all down. If you left hungry, it was your own fault. It was obvious that David had spent quite a bit of time preparing for our lunch. Thanks David! It was fantastic as always!
Tom Oncken had bought along a McCulloch-built Wizard that he could not give away throughout the day. The motor was stuck and the Wizard hood had been replaced with a standard McCulloch hood. The good news is that Tom did not have to take the motor back home with him. As the meet was coming to an end, Tom tried to convince a couple of local fellows who were having their lunch in the pavilion to take the motor off of his hands. After they learned that it was stuck, they recommended that Tom drop by a junk shop just up the street and donate it to them. About that time, Rich Kairis drove up as almost everyone had left for the day and asked what Tom was going to do with the old McCulloch. Rich decided it would be a good parts motor for some of his other projects and he graciously took it off Tom’s hands at no charge. It was hard to tell who was smiling the most.
We wish to thank the Stow-A-Way Marina for allowing us to have our meet at their pavilion again this year. It is really nice to have restrooms close by and a convenience store where we can purchase extra drinks or goodies. Fortunately for the marina, lake officials indicated that the lake would probably be reopened to normal traffic on Monday morning. That was especially good news considering that Spring Break began on the day of our meet.
Once again, we would like to thank David Coffey, Sr. and his family for hosting this wonderful meet. We all hope they decide to do it again next year.
Please follow this link to see the rest of the pictures from this great event: http://www.texaschapteraomci.com/gallery/annual-conroe-wetswap-meet-march-12-2/
