Cool Picture Of The Week - Victor La Baron

This weeks Cool Picture Of The Week has more than one picture.

This bird splattered and faded 12 foot long finned boat appeared on eBay in recent weeks. A rare, late 1950's Victor La Baron on a trailer with cantilevered suspension.

Extremely scarce, however, the folks at one of the boating forums say the seller is a known fraud and most likely doesn't even own the boat or the property it sits on to begin with.

Some of these early fiberglass vessels had production runs numbering in the hundreds, sometimes with the manufactures going out of business within several years or less.

Although quite rare, these great looking boats don't command as much monetary value as some land vehicles from the same era. However, with a modest amount of cash investment and lots of physical work they are restored in better than new, pure eye candy showroom condition with modern plywood, fiberglass and gel coating paints.

This Victor La Baron looks suspiciously similar, in a way, to another boat we're familiar with.

Batboat Rebuild: Part 2

The type of wood everyone at the boat restoration forums will tell you to use when repairing old fiberglass boats is Exterior Grade or Marine Grade plywood. The three "big box" lumber sellers here have neither. A while back a local boating shop had suggested asking Barn Door Lumber, a place at the other end of the county.

I checked out what they had. There were two 4x8' sheets of Marine grade 3/4" ply left and priced at almost $100 each. I talked to the guy working there about the different types of plywood. He was very knowledgable about his field and explained how it was getting harder to find fine quality plywood. The Marine Grade they had there had to be special ordered and getting harder to get.

At home, I thought it over and decided on the Marine grade and figured out the measurements it needed to be cut. There wasn't much choice. Barn Door was the only one who I found stocks it.

It is crucial that this wood is kept completely dry at all times before installing. However, when driving back to Barn Door Lumber for the plywood the next day, Thursday, June 26, it was in the worst rain storm I've ever been in. Visibility was no more than 10 feet ahead of my hood but the rain stopped by the time I got there.

The cut Marine Grade ply fit in my back seat with an inch to spare and, luckily, I was able to get it back home and in the house without a drop landing on it.

I have to stress that it is very important that this wood stays completely dry. After it is sealed in epoxy there is no way for moisture to get out, thus, starting the rotting process.

Later that night there was another downpour. The huge, heavy autographed Batboat fin I had carefully placed on the porch was starting to get hit with a mist. The outer layers were made of Tileboard that gets damaged when wet so the six foot long fin had to come in the house were I leaned it upright against the fridge. After the frustration of bumping into it several times, I took the autographed side off carefully and set the rest back outside.

The next day was Friday and a dry one. The pile of dismantled Batboat debris I left leaning against the pine tree days before was cut into pieces for firewood with the table saw. The two heavy, large boards originally used under the fin deck were set by the curb with "free plywood" sprayed in black letters and were gone the next day.



The center of the fin was stuffed with Detroit area newspapers dated April, 2006. I assume that must have been when this Batboat was built.
Monday, June 30, I shopped around a bunch of places for a Sawzall, or reciprocating saw. Found one on sale for $20 off. I need it to cut off the rotting deck that original to the boat to make room for the new, improved one.

Got it home and while getting used to how it works by cutting through the rotting deck I had another Oops! moment by misjudging the depth of the blade and the distance between the deck I was cutting through and the fiberglass hull, sawing a 10 inch cut through the bottom. It is an easy fix but I had no idea the two were so close together in that small spot!

I have to do fiberglass repair in that area anyway.

I am doing more demolition this July 4th weekend. By Monday or Tuesday I hope to have all of the original deck removed and work started on replacing the transome, or rear of the boat.

Lots of pictures of the mess, too.

Delay in fiberglassing the Batboat. Victim of ID theft.

Demolition work on the boat will go on as planned, unfortunately, there will be no fiberglass work in the near future.

My identity was stolen last week and sadly, I've been preoccupied with getting that situation fixed.

Someone got my credit card # somehow and charged thousands of $$ to it. To my relief, my credit card company blocked my account immediately when they detected suspicious activity.

The fraud investigator told me multiple internet orders were made to places like Abercrombie and Paypal over the weekend.

To add insult to injury, this afternoon I received a bottle of weight loss pills in the mail that I didn't order but was paid for with my card. The person used their email address, but I doubt much will be done about it.

There is no way I can buy the fiberglassing supplies until the new card arrives, which should be next week, and funds to the unauthorized orders are refunded to me. Most of the items have to be ordered from the internet.

Until then, I will post updates on ongoing progress with the Batboat and a tutorial on how to make a Batman Utility Belt.

Batboat Rebuild: Part 1

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 seemed like a good day to begin dismantling the Batboat in order to get it ready for structural repairs and fiberglass rebuild. It looked so nice and I hated to do it but once started I couldn't stop.

Spent about 4 hours that afternoon through the evening. One of those hours seemed to be spent drilling out 5 rusted screws original to the boat but I had a good time.

The boat is about as old as me. I won't say which is better condition, however.

I began the afternoon taking off the rotating light, fin and rear deck. All were secured with a large number wood screws. I had to be extra careful to avoid accidently damaging the autographed side of the fin. It is signed by Batgirl Yvonne Craig and George Barris, the designer of the Batmobile.

The rear deck came off easily. It was very heavy but after a careful balancing act I needed no help. The fin was attached to the top of the large deck with screws and I decided to wait until I could take the time to carefully remove it.


Next to go was the rest of the damp carpet and the 4 x 8 foot, rotted plywood underneath which was wood screwed on top of the even more rotted original floor.

The moldy carpet came off easy but there were many, many woodscrews underneath holding in the makeshift plywood flooring. Some were totally rusted and despite all the rot I ended up prying it off with the claw of my hammer. I checked to see what the crunching sound was while prying and it was the hull flexing under pressure, resulting in three minor holes in the hull cracking through the gelcoat above the water line. My first major Oops! I have to re-fiberglass in those areas anyway. Not much of a big deal.

My first Oops!

With the false floor out the original deck was exposed for the first time. Nothing but rot. Walking on it sounded like a bowl of Rice Crispies.



I ripped some holes in the old deck by hand and there was nothing but compost and more rot. Yes, I said compost. It smells like potting soil in there.

It is normal for an old fiberglass boat to be in this condition, however. The plywood Glastron and other boat companies used back in the '60s was usually 1/2 inch thick untreated ply. Topside of the wood was epoxyed and fiberglassed to the hull while the underside was left bare, making the wood vunderable to mold, dampness and rot. Especially, if water got down there and saturated the foam that is suppose to make the boat float in an emergency.

Interestingly, most of the foam I've handled so far has been dry.

In the case of this vessel water got under the deck because of unsealed bolt holes drilled for bass boat seats. (scroll 2/3 down the page here for the story)

I ended the evening with carefully taking the autographed fin off and dragging it on to the porch to protect it from the elements until I could figure out how to take it apart.

If you are going to buy a boat to rebuild into a Batboat, get one that is very rotted. Trust me, you will be relieved you did. The structural wood in old, all original fiberglass boats (by old I mean 1950s through the 1970s) has to be completely replaced anyway, no exceptions, and rot makes it easier to get it all out. Most of the deck in mine can be pulled out by hand. This will also save you money than buying one in better shape.

Two More Batboat Toys

A couple more 1970s Batboat toys from some other countries.

I know nothing else about them. Just found the photos on the net.

1,000 Visitor!

I woke up this morning at 10:35 to a pleasant surprise. The Batboat Blog site visits counter reached 1,000 views since Feburary 10.

I haven't even started to add info on the Batboat yet!

The 14 minuet page view came from Waldron, Indiana.

I started work on my Batboat yesterday. Completely dismantled it so stay tuned, if interested..

THE OUTLAWS IS COMING (1965) Adam West and the Three Stooges at Redford, MI

When I saw on their website that the Redford Theatre in Redford, MI was showing THE OUTLAWS IS COMING on Friday, June 13 I immediately marked it on my calendar. Who could pass up the rare opportunity to see Adam West on the Big Screen?

I vaguely remember the movie from when I was a kid but never saw it all the way through.

A couple days before the show I checked out their site again and they added that one of the actors who was in the film was making a personal appearance for the evening shows; Johnny Ginger, a local 1960s Detroit TV kiddie show legend.

He played the role of Billy The Kid and was asked by Moe Howard to be in the film because he was the first to rerun Stooges shorts on TV, resulting in the rebirth of their popularity. Other kiddie show hosts who also ran 3 Stooges movies were also in the film playing outlaws.

That is where the title of the film came from. THE OUTLAWS IS COMING :)
Johnny was in the theatre from when the doors opened until they shut the lights off. He was very lively and sharp whited and said he was 75 years old! Didn't look a day over 50, to me.

Adam West had a prominent role in this, the last Three Stooges feature film. I never saw it all the way through until that night. Never liked that film when I was a kid but enjoyed the goofiness decades later.

I could be wrong but I don't recall Moe poking anyone in the eyes that night!!

During intermission Johnny Ginger came on stage and told jokes, sang and reminiced about the Stooges, Adam West, his career and the filming of the movie.

Johnny remembered Moe advising Adam against taking the role of Batman, which he had just won the audition for, explaining it would ruin his career from being typecast as a superhero, using George Reeves at an example. Well, we all know what happened soon after! :)

After the film was over he returned on stage, did a lengthy answer and question session with the audience and told more jokes.

Johnny was signing autographs the moment the theatre doors opened to until late at night in the lobby. He spoke to everyone, including me, treated everyone there very good, and signed my ticket stub and an 8x10.

He only charged $2 and $3 for the 8x10s and was a class act.

The guy in front of me in line asked about Soupy Sales, a fellow Detroit kid show host and friend. Johnny said he was not in good health and could no longer speak. It was sad to hear that but Johnny soon did an impression of Joe Besser, who he said he hated.

Soupy Sales and Johnny Ginger

Despite a brat kid in the balcony who was yelling throughout the film and the Q&A, I had a great time. Even Johnny Ginger commented to one of the staff members about the kid as he was walking past me after his performance. The Redford staff never does anything about these things so I rarely go there anymore.

That night I got to see Adam West in CinemaScope, the Three Stooges and unexpectedly meet and watch an old school entertainer do his stuff. It was a great night and for only $6 per ticket. Okay, the round trip was 225 miles. So what! I had a wonderful time.

8x10 and stubb signed by Johnny Ginger a/k/a Billy The Kid

Cloth Car! Not a boat but this BMW auto caught our eye.

Nothing to do with anti-crime boats but here is a BMW that reeks of Super Hero.

BMW Builds a Cloth Car
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
By Gary Gastelu
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,365042,00.html

They say beauty is only skin deep. Tell that to GINA.

Instead of a metal or plastic body, BMW's latest concept, the GINA Light Visionary Model, drapes a flexible fabric material over a moveable wire mesh frame, creating a nearly seamless surface that can alter its form at the whim of the driver.

If you're feeling frisky, you can raise the tail like an angry dog, bulge the fenders as if you've injected them with steroids and reshape the sides of the car to transform it from a sleek roadster into an intimidating racer.

No need to lift the hood to get a look at the engine — it opens from the center like Hulk Hogan tearing off his T-shirt. Even the seats and the dashboard can be customized under their smooth surfaces to fit the desires of the occupants.

Of course BMW claims there are practical aspects to the design as well. The polyurethane-coated Lycra is significantly lighter than more rigid materials traditionally used for an automobile body, requiring less energy to produce it while reducing the overall weight of the car and making it more fuel-efficient.

All of the moveable parts are attached to a solid space frame platform that provides all of the safety found in a traditional design.

GINA won't be coming to showrooms anytime soon, but BMW hopes the overall design philosophy will rub off on some of its future models.

In the meantime, you can see GINA in the flesh at the BMW museum in Munich, Germany.

Cool Picture Of The Week - Junkyard Batboat

Okay, so it isn't that cool.

Here is an old fiberglass boat with fins and an old Batman decal on it. The boat is from the late 1950s - early1960s.

The owner is going to restore it and run it on the water. Nice! :)

I'll see if I can get pictures of the finished restoration. You'll bet it will turn out great!

Batboat Lobby Card

A lobbycard from BATMAN (1966).

These 11 X 14 inch cards promoted the movie by being displayed in the theatre lobby. This one is #3 used for that film.