Aleria's Adventures

It was a beautiful calm, sunny evening after a chilly and windy day. Alex said, "How would you like to go for a spin?" I wasn't feeling good but he was looking so hopeful that I had to go along.  We drove down to the slip towing the shiny Century Black Demon with the RTV. We launched her into the calm Bay waters and waited to see what would happen. "She floats," we both exclaimed in unison.  Alex took her out and got her up planing, then returned to pick me up at the dock. She's not the easiest to crawl into or out of. But we managed.  He opened her up and out of our inlet. The choppy waters outside were a bit uncomfortable so we came back in. Half an hour and we were lifting her back out of the water.  The grin on his face from ear to ear was worth every ounce of effort. A winter's work paid off.  The Black Demon is back!  

The steering system has arrived and the steering wheel is beautiful. Varnished wood with indentations in the underside for good grip. The two flagpoles are in, one for the ensign and the other for the burgee. Alex has built side pockets to hold drinks, glasses, etc. And she's already sitting on the trailer. Ghostie has inspected and approved. 

  She's a beauty! The Black Demon will sail again. I must say, it came out geat. Alex and Dmytro did a fabulous job. What a winter project. Now that it's done, all we need are seat cushions and some warm calm weather to launch her into. It's been cold, wet and miserable. 

  Alex's Black Demon project is nearing completion. I must say, I think it's stunning. The red which looked garish at first has now mellowed, the hull is a rich black, and the fittings, which Alex thought were brass are actually steel but polished up lovely. There's a combination of brass and steel fittings as he bought brass to match what he thought was there, but it doesn't detract.  The seats and trim need to be installed and have been fitted and varnished. That's the last bit and may actually be completed tomorrow. It's very shiny. I do believe it will float.  Last bits are to source seat cushions and an engine. Looking forward to a test drive. 

The seats are going in, the trim is being varnished, one more coat of paint to go, the Black Demon is getting close. Alex thinks one more week and she'll be done. Now to get the engine and order the cushions. He has sourced a 30hp for a reasonable price. We'll be doing a bit of touring around the islands this summer. If she floats! Which I have no doubt that she will.   

  Alex's winter project of preserving a 1930s Century Black Demon runabout is almost done. They fibreglassed the entire boat. Then they painted the bottom white, the hull black as in the original, and the top a dark red. Alex had wanted to simulate wood as the original idea of letting the wood show through the glass didn't look nice. The interior is painted grey and the trim will be varnished. About another week of work should do it. It certainly looks a bit better than it used to after spending some 50 years in a shed at Ross House.