Joe,

Good story. I too, have a memory of my first boat that is some thing
like that. I've posted it before but you give me a chance to post it
again. At my age we do like to re-tell favorite stories.

My first boat was an "Old Town" canoe, with a damaged bow. I brought it
for $10.00. I was twelve years old. The year was 1938. 10 bucks was a
small fortune, in those Deoression Years.My father almost killed me.

Anyway, it was a 16 foot canoe. I sawed 4 foot off the bow and cut and
installed a stern transom out of common lumber. Turned the boat around
and intalled a mast in what was the stern. The mast I used was a pole my
Mom used to jack the cloth line up in the middle. She damned near killed
me. I made Leeboards and a rudder out of a scarp piece of 1x10 plank

All my hardware was brought in Woolwards five and dime store. a brass
pulley for the mast, five threaded eyes
( Used for keeper for hook & eye latches)
By this time it started to look like a sailboat and my parents started
to help. Mom donated an old muslin sheet for the sail and Dad purchased
two bamdoo poles for booms for the Lateen Sail. I mounted the mast with
a 1x4 board with a hole drilled thru the center, the size of the mast
and fastened to the gunnel with brass washers and bolts. I also mounted
the Lee-boards to the gunnel the same way. ( I had no idea of center of
effort and I wanted to be able to adjust their location) The Rudder
mounted two eyes into the stern and two into the rudder, held in place
by a brass brazing rod (Dad was a Plumbing Contractor) he also provided
the sheet lead for the tips of the leeboards, to make them sink.

After a few capsizes she got balanced out and I'm here to tell you she
sailed like a Witch. She was a Master Piece for a Twelve year old boy.
It was a source of Pride and Hate for my Parents.

We lived in Huntington, New York and Bobsprit can attest to the tide run
at the Inlet to Huntington Harbor. I could sail thru it, hugging the
shore while other better built sailboats had to power or wait for the
tide change.

That first boat really had an affect on my life.It made me a sailor. I
wasn't afraid to go anywhere on Long Island Sound with that boat, Which
I did. Caused me to get the "Old Man" foot up my ass on many occasions.
It made me join the Navy in WW2. In 77 years I've never lived anyplace
that wasn't near water where I could sail.

Ah yes, sweet memories; And "I'll Drink to That!!!"

Ole Thom