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The Fabulous Guppy 13 Gina Jo
There she was—sitting across the channel, alone and rocking slightly with the
current. I sat and stared at her over the course of several weekends. It wasn’t
that I desperately wanted her, but she certainly had my attention. And attention is
what she desperately needed. After more than thirty years on the water, her once
bright, shiny yellow coat had faded to what might be best described as a shade
of “Grey Poupon.”
current. I sat and stared at her over the course of several weekends. It wasn’t
that I desperately wanted her, but she certainly had my attention. And attention is
what she desperately needed. After more than thirty years on the water, her once
bright, shiny yellow coat had faded to what might be best described as a shade
of “Grey Poupon.”
When one contemplates buying a boat, you might think motoryacht, or skiboat.
However, currently owning a Reinell speedboat and a 36-foot Bayliner, the only
reasonable thing for me to do was to make this Guppy 13 mine. Bright and early
Friday, May 25, 2007, I became her proud owner.
However, currently owning a Reinell speedboat and a 36-foot Bayliner, the only
reasonable thing for me to do was to make this Guppy 13 mine. Bright and early
Friday, May 25, 2007, I became her proud owner.
After purchasing her, I realized the first challenge was a trailer. I had a trailer for
the jetski, (did I mention I also own a jetski?) but without any dimensions for the
Guppy, I turned to the internet for any information I could find. I learned that
trailers specifically for Guppy 13s were not available. So after a visual
examination of my little Guppy, I began to modify the trailer I had. In my search for
general Guppy information and trailer dimensions, I was extremely fortunate to
find Cleon McClain from Oklahoma, another proud Guppy 13 owner who has
been most helpful and encouraging in my renovations. He spent what I can only
imagine was a substantial amount of his time to make drawings with exact
measurements from all angles and views of his trailer to assist me in building
mine. Cleon was a complete stranger who I now call a friend.
the jetski, (did I mention I also own a jetski?) but without any dimensions for the
Guppy, I turned to the internet for any information I could find. I learned that
trailers specifically for Guppy 13s were not available. So after a visual
examination of my little Guppy, I began to modify the trailer I had. In my search for
general Guppy information and trailer dimensions, I was extremely fortunate to
find Cleon McClain from Oklahoma, another proud Guppy 13 owner who has
been most helpful and encouraging in my renovations. He spent what I can only
imagine was a substantial amount of his time to make drawings with exact
measurements from all angles and views of his trailer to assist me in building
mine. Cleon was a complete stranger who I now call a friend.
Within a week I completed the trailer, confident it would be a perfect fit. On
Sunday, June 3, I drove to Huntington Harbour to load her on the trailer and bring
her home. Like a little boy with a new toy, I drove home while plans and concepts
for the transformation played out in my head. And I told myself this was a little
project, with no time frame to complete her. More about that later.
Arriving safely back at home, I couldn’t wait to get started. As I mentioned, she
was weathered, but I was determined to restore the charm and character of a
beautiful little sailboat. I stripped her down, removing all the hardware, the
rudder, the portholes, the mast and sails. Every screw, nut, hinge and cleat
carefully laid out and cataloged to see what I could use.
With a counter full of parts, I paused momentarily to reflect on the task. I have
always had the opinion there was no job too big or too small. But now I had to
figure out what parts I would be able to clean and use, versus which I would
need to replace. Remember, I kept telling myself and Gina, there was no need to
hurry in bringing this project to an end. But I couldn’t wait to see this Guppy with a
facelift, and pull up her sails once again.
Sunday, June 3, I drove to Huntington Harbour to load her on the trailer and bring
her home. Like a little boy with a new toy, I drove home while plans and concepts
for the transformation played out in my head. And I told myself this was a little
project, with no time frame to complete her. More about that later.
Arriving safely back at home, I couldn’t wait to get started. As I mentioned, she
was weathered, but I was determined to restore the charm and character of a
beautiful little sailboat. I stripped her down, removing all the hardware, the
rudder, the portholes, the mast and sails. Every screw, nut, hinge and cleat
carefully laid out and cataloged to see what I could use.
With a counter full of parts, I paused momentarily to reflect on the task. I have
always had the opinion there was no job too big or too small. But now I had to
figure out what parts I would be able to clean and use, versus which I would
need to replace. Remember, I kept telling myself and Gina, there was no need to
hurry in bringing this project to an end. But I couldn’t wait to see this Guppy with a
facelift, and pull up her sails once again.
Windless
To mark the end of the project and the beginning of a new adventure, we
prepared Gina Jo for sailing. With life jackets and a picnic basket aboard, we
launched Saturday, September 15, at Huntington Harbour. We didn’t have any
sustained winds, but we enjoyed a quiet sail in some gentle afternoon breezes.
•SCA•
Captain E. Diedrich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1958 and moved to
Southern California in 1978. He has enjoyed boating for over 25 years and has
owned four boats, including a 34 ft. Trojan, a 36 ft. Bayliner, a 19 ft. Reinell and
the fabulous 13 ft. Guppy, GINA JO.
prepared Gina Jo for sailing. With life jackets and a picnic basket aboard, we
launched Saturday, September 15, at Huntington Harbour. We didn’t have any
sustained winds, but we enjoyed a quiet sail in some gentle afternoon breezes.
•SCA•
Captain E. Diedrich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1958 and moved to
Southern California in 1978. He has enjoyed boating for over 25 years and has
owned four boats, including a 34 ft. Trojan, a 36 ft. Bayliner, a 19 ft. Reinell and
the fabulous 13 ft. Guppy, GINA JO.