Every once in a while someone, something, or an event brings back some great memories. This week was one of those times when I made a visit to my brothers and his wife in Mississippi. That something was a boat that my brother designed and built with the help of his older brother over 50 years ago. My brother has been restoring this boat for the past year, repairing the bottom and the ends which had deteriorated over the years. The boat was still in use just over 10 years ago, but the leaks got so bad that he finally stored in his shop until he had time to restore it. This past week was the finished date. If this boat could only talk; the stories, the amount of fish pulled over its side, the places it was lunched and the waters it has floated would fill hundreds of pages. Now the boat will be passed down to the next generation when my brother’s son will inherit it to use with his fly rod on some of the small streams and lakes in the Tupelo Mississippi area. The work that my brother has put into this boat is amazing and the result is a unique solid wood vessel that can not be duplicated. I know my Nephew will take care of the boat and in turn pass it down to one of his boys. The ends are solid popular with 1/2" western cedar inlaid over the popular on both ends
The sides are solid 1" by 12" cypress 12 ft. long
All the ribs inside the boat are popular
The two paddles are the original paddles that were used with the boat when it was built. The cypress seats rests perfectlly on the two side stablizers which are white oak
We launched the boat on Legion Lake late Thursday afternoon and not a leak anywhere. The cat walk in the bottom of the boat is the original 1/2" white oak strips--in fact all the wood is original except for the ends which rotted away over the years.
The boat has three stablizers on the bottom which is attached with brass screws. The bottom is 1/4" marine plywood which is original. The stablizers help keep the boat more stable on the surface of the water
You know I can't go to Legion Lake without fishing--my brother with a slab crappie
Nice bass on my 9 ft. 4 wt. The black leg poppers are one leg up on all others poppers
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