A BOAT TO REMEMBER

Build Your Own Sailboat! 

BLUEPRINTS 

Only $15!

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It was something like that, the small teaser in Family Circle magazine in the year 1973. David is the youngest of our five children, youngest of three boys. We sent for the plans and were soon embarked on an exciting adventure.

The pictures for the most part tell the story.

Checking over the blueprints.

Ready to set sail . . . . . . . . not quite.

Dad lends a hand.

Dave thinks things over.

Dave thinks some more.

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Working for the hull of it.

Making sure she's water tight.

 We're getting there . . . 

 . . . Slowly.

Hey, it's beginning to look like a boat!

Sister Andi lends a hand.

OUT TO LAUNCH!

SPLASHED!

Bending the sails
 

Reeving the main halyard

Reeving (detail)

Prepare to raise the main!

And  he's off!

All we need is wind.

Dad's doing his best.

It would be nice to think that my mentoring during this project is greatly responsible for the amazing talents that blossomed later in David's life. Seems as if he can fix most anything, build anything; much like his two older brothers Jim and John. However, those who are aware of my expertise in all but one or two* areas, would soon have great difficulty in suppressing giant guffaws and super size sniggles. (* better limit that to one.)

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I only wish we had pictures showing Andi and me, sitting on the underside of the scuttled D&D, being towed to shore by the kindly skipper of a passing power boat. Talk about humiliation.

All hands involved in this caper had fun. Hey, we did, didn't we?