Tuesday, January 12, 2010

A healthy distraction VS. Underpinnings of a lifestyle



Almost as exciting as my first anvil, or first trip-hammer. As I remember, the purchase of my first anvil was pretty tame. $150 from a junk-yard owner in Wisconsin. A boat on the other hand - and a used boat, nearly thirty years old - offers more challenges, responsibilities, and ongoing financial needs. I felt a little different trailer-ing a boat through down-town Phoenix. Not because we are in the desert (that, in and of itself is a little curious, though), but because of the fact I exist in such a megalopolis. A feeling of 'small-town' crept back into my psyche.

The craft is not without issues. Many of the seals on and about the motor are leaking one thing or another. Not too surprised, to be honest. The seller was asking a very modest price with the notion that this is a fixer-upper. I look forward to another project, and hope to get it back and into the waters of the midwest, this summer. This boat was made in 1981, the last year Terry boats were made. At that time, their only competition was, the now famous, Ranger Boats.

Staying faithful to the metalsmithing tilt of this blog, the correlation here is the boat's model year, 1981, and the melting temperature of copper - 1981 deg F.