That's what I might have expected as well, especially after the cold summer. I'm so busy with work right now, I'm not even sure I will make it out this weekend. I did more than modify my Basstracker Tournament V-17, I stripped it down to a bare hull about 3 years ago and built a center console. It was a long winter project, but well worth the effort. The best improvements, aside from the center console, were two built in tackle boxes, a huge livewell with recirculation and a custom 18 gallon gas tank. There is a good picture of the boat on my bragging board, go to www.rgsiroisco.com/fishingpage.htm and click the link to the bragging board and you will find the pic.

Tight lines and let's hope it's not all over locally just yet.

Oops, I guess I didn't click respond to post and started a new thread. This was for schoolie monster in answer to his quiery on my boat, sorry.

Got, nice job on your boat. I have to say, a little experience building boats. I didn't get to do the kayak that I wanted but I have built 2 boats and worked on so many it's not funny. The first boat I built was an 8 foot pram(one of those pug-nosed numbers). I didn't keep that one. My friend and co-worker bought that one. The second boat that I built is a 12 foot powerskiff. It's still not done but it is in my driveway. It needs some sanding and painting and a little work but that's about it. Then it's getting sold. The surf thing is a full time bit for me now. I might make a kayak when I get some money going just for jollies. Then I'll sell it probably. Not to toot my own horn but I'm good <img src="/Images/TooHappy.gif"><!--e13-->
The only recipient of the Master Boat Builder's Award for the 99-00 Season, <img src="/Images/TooHappy.gif"><!--e13-->
Patrick

P.S. Have you tried that Roto-Zip for fiberglass work? It looks pretty good. That stuff itches like crazy.

I haven't worked with fiberglass, since my teenage years. Back then fishing was just a mild hobby and my love was racing a 24 foot International 110. Lot's of fun, planning hull, trappeze and a ball after a good storm. You could actually get almost half the hull out of the water and surf the big swells if you had a good strong wind. We had a 12 boat fleet in Scituate back then, but I don't see them around much any more. Some still being dry sailed out of Hull, but it's a dying breed. I owned 2 of them and man did I hate the fiberglass work. Both boats were in tough shape when I bought them and I clothed both bottoms and fared in the keels. I'd itch for days after doing any sanding.

Tight lines.

Gotta love those 110s, long and skinny and fast for a blow boat <img src="/Images/biggrin.gif"><!--e7-->!!! And and absolute <b>BLAST</b> to trap on. Being a former CBIer, I also had opportunities to race Flying Scotts (not from CBI), Lasers, Larks and 470s and I got to race and help repair the venerable 16' Cape Cod Mercury of which we had over 100 boats... Also end-over-ended an 18' Hobie, winging the jib, down-wind in strong gusts while trapping with my feet barely bouncing off the tail end of the pontoons - What a <b> BLAST !!! </b>

But...with a blow-boat (named so for its propulsion, no lewd comments please) its tough to pull a water skier and lously to work inshore on the rocks <img src="/Images/Tounge_Wink_Face.gif"><!--e5-->

John, you and I have more in common than just fishing, lol. My love affair with the ocean started back in high school and I lived for the Saturday/Sunday races. Come summer, you couldn't peel me away from the 110 with a crow bar. Some of my best memories of those years are sailing solo, out on trap, wind blowing a good 15-20 and watching the stars while zipping around between the harbor, north river and cohasset on those warm summer evenings. Nothing has come close to that feeling since, but a good night of fishing does come close. The 470's are a fun boat and the hobies are a wild ride in the heavy stuff.

Did a couple of summers teaching sailing, one for the town of Scituate and one for the Lincoln sailing club that operates off that pier by the 3A rotary at the inner Hingham harbor. Got some great stories from two crew jobs I was on delivering a couple yachts out of Ft. Lauderdale one summer. One was on a beautiful Crocker designed 42 foot catch build up in Kennibuckport Me, from FL to San Francisco. The other one I almost met my maker on and was on the racing yacht called the Congere. That was a fast 52 footer that was headed back to NY after finishing the southern circuit. The skipper took the outside route around Hatteras and we were nailed by a early November tropical storm. Waves taller than the boat was long, some the skipper estimated were pushing 65 feet. I've never been so cold, so wet and so scared in my life. We were standing 2 man/2 hour watches, because your body couldn't take the pounding much longer. As luck would have it, the storm jib broke loose during a late night watch I was on. We called up 2 crew and proceeded forward to haul in the sail. We were sitting on the deck hauling the sail in and we hit a monster of a wave and the ocean just disappeared. We came back down so hard that we plowed right through the next one and both of us were underwater for a few seconds. If it weren't for our life lines, we would have been overboard and history. I haven't even seen the perfect storm yet, just because I'm not sure I want to replay that in my mind. I got chills just watching the promo's.

Sorry, I tend to ramble, but that's what us old salt's like to do. Once you start us talking, you can't shut us up. Tight lines.

Never came close to anything like that as I've sailed in 40+mph winds but in a low sea state that you get from protected waters. I've never been seasick but that would pprobably have done it (if I wasn't so scared from the storm to be sick).... Stuff like that, hang it up to experience and a bad day and hope for no repeats. The movie was great, the book was even better but the movie's visual effects might just jar something for you....

I miss sailing/racing and I might get a little one someday as the exilliration is really something thats hard to duplicate, although flying does the same for me. I KNOW I can't afford flying... someday <img src="/Images/biggrin.gif"><!--e7-->

John, you and I have more in common than just fishing, lol. My love affair with the ocean started back in high school and I lived for the Saturday/Sunday races. Come summer, you couldn't peel me away from the 110 with a crow bar. Some of my best memories of those years are sailing solo, out on trap, wind blowing a good 15-20 and watching the stars while zipping around between the harbor, north river and cohasset on those warm summer evenings. Nothing has come close to that feeling since, but a good night of fishing does come close. The 470's are a fun boat and the hobies are a wild ride in the heavy stuff.

Did a couple of summers teaching sailing, one for the town of Scituate and one for the Lincoln sailing club that operates off that pier by the 3A rotary at the inner Hingham harbor. Got some great stories from two crew jobs I was on delivering a couple yachts out of Ft. Lauderdale one summer. One was on a beautiful Crocker designed 42 foot catch build up in Kennibuckport Me, from FL to San Francisco. The other one I almost met my maker on and was on the racing yacht called the Congere. That was a fast 52 footer that was headed back to NY after finishing the southern circuit. The skipper took the outside route around Hatteras and we were nailed by a early November tropical storm. Waves taller than the boat was long, some the skipper estimated were pushing 65 feet. I've never been so cold, so wet and so scared in my life. We were standing 2 man/2 hour watches, because your body couldn't take the pounding much longer. As luck would have it, the storm jib broke loose during a late night watch I was on. We called up 2 crew and proceeded forward to haul in the sail. We were sitting on the deck hauling the sail in and we hit a monster of a wave and the ocean just disappeared. We came back down so hard that we plowed right through the next one and both of us were underwater for a few seconds. If it weren't for our life lines, we would have been overboard and history. I haven't even seen the perfect storm yet, just because I'm not sure I want to replay that in my mind. I got chills just watching the promo's.

Sorry, I tend to ramble, but that's what us old salt's like to do. Once you start us talking, you can't shut us up. Tight lines.

You may be referring the April 1972 delivery of Congere to the Derecktor yard in Mamaroneck, NY. If that was the trip you were on, Ian Trevleaven and I were one watch, you and the legendary Sven Joffs on the other. I remember the spinnaker pole detached at the mast. The end dropped on deck and sounded like an explosion over my head below. Yes, it was very cold the last hours as we went into NYC harbor. Other memorable moments included seeing the launch of Apollo 16 as we passed Cape Canaveral at 12:54pm on April 16, sailing through the USSR fleet of spy ships near Cape Hatteras, and almost hitting a sleeping whale, surrounded by dolphins in glassy smooth sea.

Wow, old thread, old names, old boats. I raced against a number of Bevin Koepel's Congeres. Just another old BN remembering the glory days.....

Wow, old thread, old names, old boats. I raced against a number of Bevin Koepel's Congeres. Just another old BN remembering the glory days.....

Yeah, the original post was from 17 years ago. I was Googling 'Congere' and I came upon this forum and post. As you know, after 1972 Koeppel owned a series of increasingly bigger boats up to maxi size. That delivery was my first time on the boat and was told up front this was my 'try out' for the 1972 tran-Atlantic race to Bayonna, Spain. I did that race and Block island race , then Marblehead-Halifax in 1973 on the boat. Koeppel invited me to do the Rio race the next year but I declined. Sven Joffs retired soon after that to Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard where he spent his last years racing radio controlled model sailboats! He died in the mid-1980's. He was apparently quite good with the model boats as I once saw some results on the web. Stories of his days on 'Ondine' are what made him the legend he was during that era. It was a true priviledge to have sailed several thousand miles with that man when I crewed on 'Congere'. I was age 22 at the time. BTW, on that delivery the seas were not 65'! Big but not nearly that big. P.S. Probably few would know what a 'BN' is... I do, I was!

Yep, we have probably crossed paths. I am in Marblehead.

IBNA In us they trust!
Antigua sailing week going on now. I wonder if they still have the Ball?

Wow, what are the odds someone googling the name would come across this post and we may have crewed on the same delivery to NY. It was true balls adventure for sure, but I think it took me a week into my next trip to dry out and stop shivering; I was ill prepared for that offshore trip.

It didn't deter me, fly back to Ft. Lauderdale to crew on a Crocker built catch heading towards San Francisco, with an unscheduled refueling stop in Cuba. Nothing like standing watch at 3am, with the sails set, everyone below, just you, the stars and the dolphins swimming in your bow wake. Southern Cross plays on the radio and I'm transported back in time.

memories ,you old fu ck :uhuh:in Goat >.wanna be ><><