Grandkid update, Charlie who's two today and Laylah. This was taken on Halloween and now the grass is covered with snow; Utah.

Charlie and Laylah

Another guys who went to Md without me. Chip and family seeing the sights at the museum in St Michaels.

Chesapeake Trip 2006 Buddy, Chip & Sheila

This place is worth going to see if you like old boats and you all do.

Chesapeake Trip 2006 Buddy, Chip & Sheila

This is a truly sad and tragic story. No names but the guy on the left had arraigned to borrow this boat from the guy on the right to take his super foxy women friend on a trip through the Dismal swamp and at the last moment the owner, old guy on the right said he wanted to go along. Enough said except how much room is there on a 22 foot catboat.

Farlie, Catherine

Howard's 80 horse four stroke still isn't running well so instead of dumping it in the ocean like I suggested he took it apart again just to see if he could find anything wrong. Pulled pistons and then put it all back together, all in two days and the thing started right up. I still won't trust it to take me across the river and we all might chip in and buy a new engine for this boat so we can use it.

I still submit that the only one of you out there who would do this is Washington Dan, who's frozen in till next June. I think he likes the nine month winters because he gets a lot of time to mess around with his strange boat projects.

Jim is going to fool around and finish his boat one of these days; still waiting for him to bite the bullet and buy his motor.

Back when I was a working man I had a sweet girl for my assistant. After I retired Michelle took over from me and I'm sure she was treated like a "girl" by the good ole boys out in the swamps. I wish I could have been there when they realized what she was really like, the other side of her hard had says it all.

I love it when nice people realize that they're the boss and have the nerve and experience to show it. After ten years of stamping through the swamps and lagoons with me Michelle is hard as nails.

Paul's forty pound tugboat has enough power to pull him against a head wind. This may be a new use for radio controlled boats.

Richard H is on my favorite part of boat building, sanding the hull and seeing the curves come out. This is Cortez Melonseed #15 I think. He's in for the winter up in Mass so it should be ready for the grandkids next spring.

And Sandy's doing the same thing on a smaller hull, a little canoe. He keeps getting talked into making these things for relatives but he loves doing it.

Layer of glass going on. Sandy's using cypress for the wood on the boats instead of the usual cedar. It's a little heaver, not much but easier to work with and costs a lot less.

Here's a boat Steve saw anchored in Sarasota Bay. This is not something you see very often, like never for me. I wonder how easy it is to handle?

And is it worth all the extra lines. Personally I like a cat boat with only one sail and no standing rigging.

Sarasota square rigger.

Kevin wants a large flat bottomed boat for shallow water work in the keys and he wants to build it himself, sounds familiar doesn't it. There's just something about building you on boat instead of even thinking about buying one even if you could afford it.

A melonseed by Steve B. These hulls are so much loved because of the great shape and curves. You can make them as fancy as you want (like Steve here or Barry Long) or as simple like me but either way they are real beauties.

Steve B's melon

Speaking of Michelle, check out this machine crew she's working with. They need to dig a trench through a marsh for the dredger to go through and this is what they are using. Have you ever seen anything like this, a floating tracked digger.

This is about the coolest thing I've ever seen, I want one to play with.

Last is Sweet Pea with her new paint job and bright work back to bright. Judy's done a great job.

Sweet Pea

David Lucas

Lucas Boatworks and Happy Hour Club