Need repair referral in Bayou Land

[Neil from N'awlins]

I’m the owner of a homebuilt 20ft mahogany and ash straight shaft inboard that was disabled (on the way to the Madisonville Wooden Boat festival) by an underwater object (damn trees in Lake Ponchartrain)…I'd appreciate any contact information for marine service folk in Louisiana who can repair a woodie... I sheared off half a prop and my restored Chris Craft rudder and have a small hole in my hull (which is cold-molded wood and fiberglass composite), I probably also have shaft damage and am unsure who’s reputable in the area for this kind of service!

[ 12-17-2003, 07:42 PM: Message edited by: Neil from N'awlins ]

[seayou77]

Neil, You are the man! Next time you're crawling home from the pub have a look under the boat. You will have to dig a hole under the rudder to get it out. Have a look behind the engine you'll have to seperate the coupling, about four bolts, use wd-40 before,way before the hammer, then think about popping down to the rental place to get a puller to remove the coupling from the shaft. Remove the bent shafts and you'll be ready for an adult beverage. You'll be more careful when you get this baby back together. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Venchka]

Neil,

Greetings from the Best Bank!

I wish I could help. I know just the person to fix your boat. The gentleman who built my boat has been keeping lobster boats fishing for years. Alas, He's 2,000 miles away in a foreign country.

Seriously, when I was builder shopping the only person I found in N'awlins was Dana Asa Wright, 1127 Dublin Street, 864-0300.

For the engine/mechancal repairs, you might make a few calls in the Westbank/Lafitte area. If you strike out there, I'll ask some of the guys at work with shrimp boat connections.

Good luck!

[Venchka]

Neil,

I'm on the trail of a man in Lafitte who builds/repairs wooden Laffite skiffs. Stay tuned.