After it was all said and done, Lawn Ornament has been a good girl this year. We have been out on the lake a bunch of times and she has behaved quite well. For those of you that don't already know, Lawn Ornament is my project boat. A 1974 Signa Delta 18, that I picked up for $900.
When I picked her up, the previous owner said she hadn't seen water in 14 years, and nothing worked. However, she had a strong transom, a good hull and her 115 HP Johnson turned over. Unfortunately, I was soon to find out that this particular 115 HP Johnson only had about 5 minutes left in her. She took me out to the middle of Wallum lake and died, never to be resurrected.
We had the good fortune to be rescued by a group of folks that my kids now refer to as the Lion, The Witch, the Wardrobe.
A blond man (the Lion) who was piloting a 12' aluminum craft with a very small motor happened to notice that we were adrift and asked if we needed a tow. I gave him a resounding "YES! PLEASE!". To witch (which?) the witch with him responded "You are not towing that beast with our dingy!". The Lion ignored her, flashed me a big grin, and threw me a line as he pulled along side. The Lion towed us in without saying a word to the woman with him who loudly protested for the duration of his rescue effort. Once we were successfully at the ramp, the Lion gave us a nod and wave and was on his way. I should mention that there was a third person in the boat. A gentlemen we think of as The Wardrobe. We dubbed him The Wardrobe since he did not look up, speak, or make eye contact with us at any time during our short encounter.
Lawn Ornament makes 35 Mph on Otis Reservoir in Otis MA:
(The video quality is not great, and the sound is even worse...)
Check back soon and I will share some of the trials and tribulations that led to Lawn Ornament's return to the water.
3 comments:
Cute story about your boat repair!!
This is a great blog post. Keep up the good work.
Boat Equipment
I had the same boat, 1974 18' Signa Delta with a 115 johnson outboard brand new in 1974. That boat was the greatest. Plenty of room for fishing, fast enough (42-43 MPH)for skiing. Would love to see some more pictures of your project. I've been looking for a used one myself.
happy sailing,
Joe
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