Jersey Girl

Houseboat update, Tuesday, January 14, 2020 -- Jersey Girl's aft cabin door is almost a perfect fit, and it looks good too, I think. Just a tiny bit of planing on the hinge side, which will be the port (left) side, and I will be ready to install the hinges and the locking hardware. Then, I will finish the door with a couple of sealing coats of epoxy, which will give it an amber color like the surrounding cabin bulkhead. Eventually, all this epoxied woodwork will be protected from UV of sunlight by multiple coats of marine varnish. On the inside, I elected to leave the plywood core showing, as an inset panel, rather than face it with pine tongue-and-groove beadboard as I did on the outside. The door is strong and rigid enough without it, the extra weight would be a detriment, and I think it looks good enough.

Houseboat update, Thursday, January 16 -- Jersey Girl's aft cabin door is, if I may use the expression without intending any offense, well hung. It opens and closes freely, and with its opening, screened window in place, I think it looks pretty good. I still have a few details to attend to, which I will do tomorrow: I need to install the latch and deadbolt striker plates for the locks, then the door stop mouldings with weather seals, and finally the outside casings for a nice, finished appearance. Then, I'll go around to the forward end and do the same thing all over again.

Houseboat update, Thursday, December 14, 2023 -- With the painting of the fender washer striker plates, the finishing touches are in place in Jersey Girl's combination rolling aft cabin step and storage box. I'm just so pleased with how it all came together -- it locks solidly in any position when needed, yet rolls smoothly in and out from its recessed spot under the aft deck. The storage box is commodious enough to hold a two-burner propane camping stove, up to eight one-pound conyainers of propane (although I don't think it's a good idea to carry that much bottled gas), and a zipper bag full of assorted tools, wiring connectors, etc. Over the winter, I'll be sewing seven roll-up privacy curtains, with sewn-in clear vinyl windows, to surround the aft deck -- in preparation for the heated shower I plan to install back there in the spring before I re-launch for the season.

Houseboat Update, Monday, June 17, 2024 -- Jersey Girl the Houseboat, it turns out, is quite a hit with the ladies! JG and I had a great time on Saturday, participating in the 49th annual Lake Hopatcong Antique and Classic Boat Society's show at the elegant Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club. Lemme tell ya, JG and I have never before seen so much high-gloss mahogany in one place at the same time! But among all the women who voted, the clear favorite was none other than Jersey Girl! My well-built little babe came home with three awards, including the coveted "Ladies' Choice" plaque. She also won the award for "Best Restoration by an Amateur," even though she was relatively newly built (not restored), and launched in 2021 after six years of construction. Finally, JG won one of several gag awards, the Lake Hopatcong Realty Board's prize for "Most Portable Lakefront Home." My personal favorite (after Jersey Girl, of course) was "Mr. Frank," a sweet little 20-foot Larson Cabin Outboard Special, built in 1955 by the Larson Boat works of Little Falls, Minnesota, originally designed to be a mailboat on the Border Waters between the U.S. and Canada. Among the other boats was "Thayer IV" -- one of four mahogany Chris-Craft runabouts used in the filming of "On Golden Pond" starring Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn. As you may recall, Fonda, playing the part of Norman "You old poop" Thayer, ran this lovely runabout right up onto the rocks on Squam Lake in New Hampshire, the movie stand-in for the fictional Golden Pond. Needless to say, the restored "Thayer IV" showed no sign of rock damage. (Here's a bit of trivia for you: Did you know that Chris-Craft boats were built to such exacting standards that only slotted screws were permitted -- no Phillips heads, and don't even THINK of Robbies, you Canadian builders! Not only that, the screws had to be driven in such a way that all the slots reached their final position pointed in exactly the same direction. I'm attaching some photos of some of the boats in the show. Next up: The "I Built I Myself" section of the Wooden Boat Show, in Mystic, Connecticut, June 18-30.

Houseboat update, Sunday, July 14, 2024 (posting a day later) -- Ginger and I had a wonderful day with our dear friend Jim G. and his family aboard Jersey Girl on Lake Hopatcong on Sunday. Jim was accompanied by his daughter Audrey, son-in-law Nate, and granddaughter Morgan. Here we all are at the dock, about to explore the lake after a fine lunch at The Windlass, a lakeside restaurant. Morgan took JG's helm for a while and did a fine job piloting her through the wake of many boats speeding across the lake.