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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (June 28, 1959)
SUNDAY. JUNE 28. 1959 HERALD AND NEWS. KLAMATH FALIJ?. OREGON PAGE SEVEN Assembling A Kit Boat Separates Men From Boys NEW YORK UPI Assembling your own boat? Remember it lake more than two guys and a keg of beer to put together even the smallest prefabricated kit boat. And it usually can't be done in a day even with power tools. If you're a real handcraftsman mainly because there is no elec trical power available a kit boat of the simplest style can take hours of careful planning and la bor. The planning is the most im portant part and the labor is just work. The first step after deciding how large and what style boat best suits your needs is to ask a boat dealer or a reputable old salt to recommend a manufacturer of boat kits. Once you have placed your or der, start thinking about a con venient place out of (lie way of normal living where consttuction can be accomplished at a leisure ly pace. Garages, porches and recreation rooms are liable to be needed before you get through. Basements are suitable and work there can be done in rainy weather when the backyard might be too damp. Of course, every one knows the basement door has to be big enough to haul out the completed boat. When the kit arrives, the first thing to do is dig for the direc tions and retire to solitude for careful study. Then check the var ious parts to see they all arrived, and figure what tools wilt be need ed. If the kit comes equipped with a screw driver, don't be misled by thinking this will be a one tool job. Various size drills, a coun Launching From Trailer First Test Of Boating Skill And Consideration Boats, and boating, are fun, and thousands upon thousands of peo ple are discovering and enjoying boating every year. The morp he knows what he is doing with a boat, the more the novice skip per will enjoy it. Recognizing this fact, the Evin rude Boating Foundation has con stantly attempted to give tips on seamanship, the art of skillfully handling a boat. The Foundation recognizes that good boating habits are largely a matter of good tun ing. If you tram yourself to do everything in the most seaman like manner, you will be tabbed as a good boatman by the man ner in which you handle yourself in and around your boat. Let's assume in beginning the lessons on seamanship that you are one of those thousands of new comers to boating and have pur chased a boat, outboard motor and trailer, all of which are properly matched. You're all set to go Your dealer has properly rigged your outfit and your only concern is to get it into the water and op erate it. Where do you start? If you have the boat on a trailer and most boatmen today trailer their boats your first concern is to get the boat to the lake, ff the trailer and into the water. A good idea is to go out for a little test drive when traffic is thin and find out just exactly how your trailer rig behaves how much ex tra braking is necessary to stop. How much less pick-up your car has in pulling the rig. and how much extra swing you need to avoid having the trailer wheels hit -the curb. There ii no great problem m towing a boat trailer. Just remember: you're driving two vehicles and not one. Where the novice experiences h first trouble will come in back ing the trailer onto a launching ramp. It might be a good idea be fore you try to launch at a crowd ed ramp to go out into a shop ping center parking lot after shop ping hours or on an off-day and practice backing the trailer into the marked parking spaces. Basically, there if one thing to tersinking tool, a rasp, a saw and a nammer are also basic. If a power drill is used, the job goes more quickly, but, if not. a yankee screw driver or a brace with a screw-head bit are much easier than working with a sim ple hand screwdriver. Most kit boats are built on a saw horse-type form which is con structed first. Don't just nail it together loosely, thinking of its dispensability at the conclusion of construction. This will have to stand the assault of hammering, screw driving, sawing and rasp ing. It also helps keep the align ment of the boat in proper per spective. Once you are started on con struction, don't be afraid to re treat if you find a mistake. It's easier to take out two screws than 20. If directions are puzzling contemplate the work until you understand what is necessary. It may take two days to arrive at a variable keel bevel which al lows the bottom to fit snugly to the keel, and the bottom fit is important. Most do-it-yourself indulgents have the skill to put a kit togeth er if they have the patience to be careful. Here are a few don ts: Don't leave the prefab pieces around where the kids might throw them out the window or into the rose bush, or where they get wet and warp. Don't try to force a soft brass screw into hard oak by twisting. It will break. Drill the holes deep enough. Don't let unfamiliar terms scare you. Ask someone. A And don't' lose the directions. remember about backing a trailer rig. When you're backing down to the water's edge, the stem of your boat will swing in the opposite direction to the rear of your car. It's always best, if space will per mit, to pull up so that j : trail er is straightened out behind your car before you begin to back down to the water. This will call for less maneuvering and will make the entire operation easier. Another tip that is worth while to the new boatman. When beck ing to the water, grip the steering wheel of your car at the bottom. Then do your steering from that position. If you want your trailer to turn left, swing the bottom of the steering wheel to the left, and vice versa if you want the trailer to turn right. Don't over steer. This can cause your trailer to "jack-knife," or swing sharply in one direction. The only solution if this happens is to pull ahead again and start over. But after a time or two, back ing your trailer will become second nature. When you get it down to the water, roll it in just short of hub cap depth. With the modern tilting trailer, it is seldom, if ever, necessary to back into the water any further than that. This will prevent water from seeping in around the seals and causing rust in your wheel bearings. Now. before you get ready to push the boat into the water, you should make one important check. Be sure that the seacock, or drain plug, is inserted into the drain hole. If not. you might go sub marining instead of boating. Then just loosen the winch rone, be sure you hat a line attached to the boat, and push it into the water. Now you're all set to go boating. Just one little word of caution. On a launching ramp is the fir.it place to show your knowledge of seamanship and boating courtesy., When your boat is in the water, have someone else hold it in tow while you get your car and trailer off the ramp so that someone else may use it. You'll be respected for it, i Outboard Motor Boat Is Popular, Also Versatile By JIM FIEDLER I NEW YORK iUPl The out -I board motor boat, fast becoming the most popular pleasure craft in the U.S., is also one of the most versatile. Except for the Bayou Buggy and the Seminole Swamp Sled, which can glide over a few inches of water or even a patch of dry land, the outboard is 'the only boat that can be beached with its motor tilted up, eliminating any chance of damage to it. Many boats, from canoes to sail boats, which were not originally designed for propulsion by an en gine, may be adapted to take an outboard motor. This can be done with the use of outboard brackets, available in local marine hardware stores. The brackets can be clamped to the side of a canoe or bolted to the transom of a rowing skiff or sail- I However, before motorizing your boat, make sure it can safely use the motor you intend -to pur chase. Is the boat built by a recognized boat builder and will it give peak performance when using recom mended horsepower? If you are a water-ski enthusiast is the hull recommended for that sport? Another factor to consider is material construction. Whether the boat is built of wood, metal or fiberglass, has the material been proved durable for your locale? Is the transom strong enough to hold two motors if desired? t Freeboard., the height that ex tends above the water, is some thing else that should not be over looked. Big craft carry more free board, not because it is necessary to keep afloat, but for the large waves that are encountered in rough weather. Outboard motors have 16 inch and 20 inch motor driveshafts. The longer shaft permits a hign er transom cut-out, thereby mini mizing chances of flooding by a following-sea. Most boats built to day have a self-bailing motor well which allows any water shipped to run right out. Also there are out boards manufactured that have au tomatic power bailing. Last summer, this reporter wit nessed a marine accident and took part in the rescue while sailing on Long Island Sound. Six fisher men, crammed into a 12-foot rent ed row boat with an outboard mo tor, were swamped and over turned during a blow. Luckily, all were saved. But the accident taught some valuable les sons. First, there should not have been six people in the boat. The transom was low in the water and there was little freeboard due to the overcrowding. Second, the motor was too pow erful to handle properly. Finally, these Izaac Waltons knew noth ing of boatmanship. To carry the more powerful out board motors on the market to day and to provide added versa tility and stability, many outboard boats offered this year have great er beam than previously. With the greater and more varied use that today's outboard boats are under going, this development follows the general build-up in average IRON WITH CARE COLUMBUS 'UPD The com bination fabrics of dacron with rayon, cotton or wool all require extra ironing care, says Kdna Akers. clothing specialist at Ohio State University, i Although the fabrics look and feel like wool, they should be pressed with an iron set at the rayon setting 250 to 300 decrees. Pressure on the fabric should be light, and the iron should be in contact with the fabric for the shortest possible time. Remember that the fabric should be pressed on the wrong side. If il is necessary to press on the right side, use dry press cloth. COWS MII.K TAXPAYERS WATERBURY. 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