What not to do on vacation (or, why are you limping, Rich?) pics

[Rich VanValkenburg]

This year was a little more fun at the rented place on the beach, until Thursday anyway. Several years ago, when I built a Nutshell, I had enough lumber and ambition to cut pieces for a second boat. This year I finally got around to finishing Nut#2 so we could have an all out war on the water.
They're pretty much the same, finished bright inside and Hatteras off-white outside. The different color strake and transom is so they know Dad's boat from theirs. I tweaked a couple things and tried to get the weight down so there wouldn't be any question of who would win. ;) So guess who took off in Dad's boat?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid28/p2956ebaada2285ea41f61de567f51969/fd640762.jpg
The mast in the foreground boat isn't bent, it must have been a lense thing with the camera. I think I had the wide-angle on.

These things are a gas. Got one? Build another. This isn't the 'what not to do on vacation' part, I'll tell you that later. The hardest part with the second was how to transport it up to the lake. I'd bought a cheapo 4x8 trailer and bolted a couple of beds to it for the first one. The trailer comes with some channel brackets so you can add sides to it to haul rocks, dirt, lumber, and stuff. I made another set of beds, and bolted it all together with 2" angle using 2x4's as uprights. Cleavis pins through half inch holes in the uprights and brackets keep the second bunk held down. Looks better than twin PWC's don't it?

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid28/p781339044001d25bb5a807470300d413/fd640764.jpg

The masts, yards, and oars go into 6 inch PVC held to a thingy I made from a 2x4 and BIG hose clamps. Works good, and doesn't sway at 65mph. The PVC rig holders are on the shoulder-side of the trailer so it shows off the boats. We broke a lot of necks and had lots of comments at the rest areas on I-75.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid28/p26bc46fd3ef2f7d4a9467be7e170f9e0/fd640765.jpg

The limp? Well, swmbo hauled these two fellows and I hauled the little fishing notwoodboat. This year we wanted an easier way to pull-push-drag the fishing boat up the beach at night, so I cut six 4' lengths of 4 inch PVC and laid them out on the sand every few feet and rolled the boat over them. Worked great. Then, Wednesday night the wind shifted a little and washed the sand back to a slightly steeper bank. Me and the daughter's beau were at the transom pushing, with the others dragging from the bow. On three, we started to push and then something in my left leg went pop and I felt like I'd just gotten smacked in the leg with a baseball bat.
So, tomorrow we'll find out if it's a torn muscle or if I ripped the tendon right off the bone. I'm guessing at the second case because the entire calf muscle just flops around like a lump of Jello. Also, I've had a torn calf before and this is nothing like that. Not much pain now unless I try to do toe-raises, so I don't do those. But when you look at the mechanics of walking and the muscle action, those toes are pretty important. So, now I'm a gimpy, falling apart at the seams 50 year old says swmbo.

It could be worse, but we did ok fishing with four nice Kings and a Laker for the week. The other good part was that I've had four slaves for the last few days. :D

Rich

[ 08-17-2002, 10:20 PM: Message edited by: Rich VanValkenburg ]

[Memphis Mike]

Glad you had a good time Gimpy. ;)

[NormMessinger]

Well, done. Well done. The rig I mean. I hope the damage to the hoof is minimal.

Best.

--Norm

[Tom Galyen]

I'm sorry to say that what you describe is almost exactly what happened to me May 5 of this year. The only difference is I was trying to push the boat the last 4" foward on the trailer by myself. It felt like someone had hit me in the back of the ankle with a baseball bat. My foot just flopped around. Not much pain but very scary. It was my Achilles Tendon torn loose. 12 weeks in a varity of casts and velcro boot. Now rehab. Doc says it will be back to 90% in 5 more months, but I will never run the 100 yard dash again. I told him I never did run it I was a shot putt type. So he tells me I'll not miss anything. Take care, do what the doc says. I didn't take the surgery and am glad for it so far. The scar is real ugly. The healing time without the surgery is only about 1 to 2 weeks longer.

Take care and do what the doc says.

Tom G.

[Rich VanValkenburg]

Tom, that's a serious injury, that one. I'm not very savvy on sports medicine so I always thought an Achilles had to be bolted back together to get a good start healing. That 'bolted together' business has been on my mind the last couple days. Good to know there may be other ways. Rotten summer though, huh?

Thanks Norm. smile.gif

MM, I didn't get a chance to try that rub on the fish yet. Wednesday was our plan for salmon-on-the-grill, but storms washed out the whole day.

Rich

[John B]

Aw, you know it's winter here doncha. Just getting your own back eh.Looks good,,, ferry good.

Sorry about the leg Rich.

[Ian McColgin]

If you're bolting the achillies, better use a good backing plate. But epoxy with a 1/4 round fillette on each side . . .

Seriously, take it easy, and be thankful that most stuff in small boats is best done sitting anyway.

G'luck

[Tom Galyen]

Yes for 7 weeks I couldn't boat because I was told not to get the cast wet. You'll hate this, they are fibreglass, and are set up, or activated with water. So if you get them wet they may deform and not do what they are supposed to. Try taking a shower with your leg wrapped in a garbage bag to protect the cast. I did find out that if you get the blue "painters" type of masking tape you could re-use the garbage bag. I also put 2 on in case one leaked, which did happen once but the inner bag protected the cast. 2 weeks in a non-weight bearing cast and 2 weeks in a partial weight bearing cast, then 3 weeks in a weight bearing cast then 5 weeks in a black velcro boot with metal braces. But I was allowed to take it off for showers. Now I'm 3 weeks into physical therapy. The doc says it will be 5 months from the time the boot came off before I'm back to normal. Right now I can't stand on my tip-toes on my left foot, and walk with a gimp, but the therapist says that will go away as the tendon strengthens and stretches.

Have you seen the doc yet? I hope they have you on crutches until you do. I didn't see him for a day or two because the emergency room doc put the emergency cast on properly. All the doc did was to remove it and put on his own to make sure my foot was in the proper position for the tendon to grow back where it needed to be.

Again take it slow and be careful out there and do what the doc says.

Tom G.

PS I found out that the nurses were better at putting casts on then the doc.

[bud]

Not to be distracted by the disintegration of your bod...(BTW, that's normal) I'm knocked out by your trailer rig! Congrats on a nifty job. Tell SWMBO you're keeping the essential parts going. ;)