bertram31.com

In the course of fooling with my old Whaler I've run across a few real good sources for stuff and thought I'd share with the Faithful:

Obscure outboard motor parts and misc. boat stuff: Kaylyn Bolm in Tampa... captlou5050@hotmail.com. I needed to convert a 1988 Nissan 30 hp outboard to electric start and ran across her ad on the net. Turns out Kay has been in the boat business for 25 years and knows her stuff. She put me together a kit with all the used parts for short money, shipped on time, etc. First class deal. Give her a shout with off the wall parts requests.

Online Industrial Supply, www.onlineindustrialsupply.com for stuff like body sanding discs, dirt cheap....4-1/2" discs in grits from 24 to 120 for about $11 for 25. Lots of other stuff too at very good prices and quick and easy to deal with.

Allen Machine Co. in Chattanooga, TN - long time advertiser in Boats & Harbors with lots of surplus stuff at crazy prices. I needed some big casters to make a boat dolly for the 13 foot whaler and they had some, with 16" full pneumatic tires, for 10 bucks each. Can't order on line but they have a website, www.allenmachineco.com with some of their inventory on it. You order on the phone and the guys that answer know their stuff and are super friendly.

Just a few that I've had good luck with.

Heading off shortly to Venice, La. to shoot the duck with my son Capt. Brent and son in law Chuck for a few days. Supposed to be the coldest weather since two years ago when I went with them.....somebody tryin' to tell me something?

UV

UV,

Happy New Year. Good luck with the ducks. Robin and I were out in the yard on Thursday afternoon watching flock after flock of ducks headed south....really large flocks. Probably at least a couple thousand ducks flying so low we could hear the wings beating...really cool. Tell Capt Brent I said hello.

Garry

Hi Pockets - they were going to Venice to sit out in the bays and drive us nuts...we shot a bunch but it was about as cold as it gets here. In fact I slept in this morning with gale force winds and 29 degree temps. The boys called me a pussy.....but when they got back with ice dripping off their tails I was brilliant. Good time tho, and we ate good and didn't run outta whiskey.

I just can't get quite as mad at dem duck as I used to.

UV

UV,

How does it go? The boat didn't break, we didn't kill anyone and we didn't run out of whiskey....UV defines a successful day on the water.

I learned at an early age that I was never going to be mad enough at ducks to brave good duck hunting weather.

High Pockets

I hear shotguns going off from my house in the most unbearable weather. I don't feel sorry for the guys who choose to do it, but the poor dogs who not only have to sit here, but also swim in blinding snow, wind and rain.