Boat Repair for James

James had the engine on the bass boat worked on but the interior still needed quite a bit of work. He and I stripped out the old carpet and coated the floor and walls with bedliner material (we like how it turned out) but did not get the carpet work done nor did we manage to refinish the paint. Since we will be here in Texas (on a lake) until April, we decided it was worth James bringing the boat half way and Becky and I would then pick it up and I would finish the job James and I had started. This is the result.





Here is one of the original lid covered with the old carpet.






First you have to pull off the old carpet (easy) but then you have to remove the old glue and the underside of the old carpet (not easy). These two shots show the results after each of the processess.








Here is what a finished lid looks like alongside an old one. Yes, the old ones were green and the new ones are grey - it actually works - trust me.






A few shots of work in progress and then some after all carpet is in place.










The console has seen a lot of modifications over the years and had left a hole right in the center. I decided that we could use a power outlet to charge cell phones, run a spotlight or whatever so now we have a power point where the hole use to be. This worked out since I had previously put a cover and toggle switch in the hole but had a 'leftover' toggle switch hole so it was just a two move operation and now all holes are used!





The boat had been in some of the 'dirty' lake water at Lake of the Ozarks long enough to make the stern look pretty bad. Should have taken a 'before' shot but this 'after' shot demonstrates what a bit of elbow grease and finish renew can accomplish. You bought some good stuff James.




Believe it or not these shots were my attempt to show how much the finish is improved. For some reason I just cannot get it to show up as well as I would like. The console does the best job but, believe me, it looks as good as it has in many years. May not be new but sure runs and looks good.












After all that work the new cover will keep it looking good until James gets to use it after we go west in April. Enjoy James and Cher!!!

Thanksgiving at Bill Jr's

Bill and Janie were having Thanksgiving at Bill Jr's house in Austin and, good friends that they are, 'twisted' Bill Jr's arm to play host to a bunch of senior citizens (and one young chic) for the weekend. Just kidding actually. The Crawford Clan always have an open invitation at Bill Jr's and we think of him as another member of the family just as Bill and Janie are. It was great getting together and we all enjoyed the good times we shared. Thank you Bill for being the gracious host.



This is the front of Bill's house but these two photos do not do it justice. I'll try again the next time we are down. Bill designed the house himself (well Janie may have helped a little) and acted as his own general contractor during its construction. He even did some of the work himself! Not sure how he found the time with all the time he spends at work being an ER doctor!




This is his fireplace. The painting sitting on the fireplace is one Bill acquired down in the Keys which was painted by a friend of his and is of local scenes near the house Bill has there. It was in very bad condition and Becky had done considerable restoration work on it for him. It really turned out well and was another 'first' for her - not that she is thinking about taking on restoration as another hobby!!.




The rest of the photos are of the interior of Bill's house, the table set for one of our non-Thanksgiving meals (I was too busy enjoying the meal and fellowship on Thanksgiving to take photos!!! - sorry Janie/Becky). I even got a shot of Bill and Bill at the BBQ as they prepared steaks for all of us. My role was consultant and I performed it flawlessly. Good job Bill's - if you need a recommendation just give me a call.















This is another photo I will attempt again. Bill has put in a saltwater aquarium and it is really coming together. I did not realize how hard it was to get everything just right for the coral, fish, etc. Turns out it is not only making the right choices in fish, coral, etc. plus the correct salinity but one of the hardest items is getting the correct amount of light. It's all coming together!!!