Thursday morning coffee

John....Cool Mark Twain! However, I really like that Merc motor. Reminds me of the 14' Chrysler boat my dad got when I was a kid. The boat was rated for a 65 HP, but, he decided that he should put a Merc 110 Tower of Power on it. That was a FAST little boat.

My first boat had an '83 Merc "T-O-P" 115 on it. It had a special feature called "Armstrong" tilt/trim unit too.

It was a special racing feature to lighten up the weight of the rig

I went over to my friend Steve's house this morning to teach him how to winterize my old Mark Twain over coffee. I felt a bit sad about selling it, especially to someone who had never owned or had any experience with boating other than riding in them and renting an occasional PWC. I was treated to the nicest surprise. Steve had used his spare hours between books and working out to polish the boat with several levels of polishing compound and his Porter Cable polisher. The boat was spotless, a level rarely, if ever, reached when I used it as a daily driver. I went to the store with him and bought all of the necessary supplies and lubricants to maintain it and winterized it.
It is satisfying to see a classic boat that you have cared for transferred to the care of someone who truly enjoys and appreciates it. The old bleach bottle may not mean much to some, but it is a great classic boat that is being lovingly cared for. Steve only intends to use it a few times a year so I am sure it will stay in at least this condition. I found it humorous that his new Infinity G37X sits outside now so as not to crowd the 48 year old Mark Twain that sits diagonally on display in the garage, proof that he has been bitten by the classic boating bug.
Hey Turning Point 84, I go past your shack in this run in the 64, but you can't really see it.

Spider Lake run