TOPIC: the thread for project x 2011/help a sick child

we now need a boat and trailer for resto,we also need a family with a sick child to do this for,i think ill go to make a wish charity,and see if there are any kids that we can help with medical bills.
unless one of you know of a deserving family,it would be nice to help an fg member,but any child that is sick,would be a canidate,if you know of a family like this please nominate them,john

John, I'll be glad to try and help out with any electrical items you need for the project, just let me know. It's awesome what you're doing here, wish I could contribute more...

Well.....one option is to give you the 62 Manta Ray for x2011. I have the original CC windshield and all trim. And you ARE the man for the premier interior package. Doug Young is on the road to/from Utah right now, and I have given the boat to him. But I know Doug is unable to commit to getting it until next year. If he agrees, it's yours for the project along with all the hardware and fixings I have. I also have the original seats, but they need reupholstering. It needs everything, and a lot of glass repair, but the hard work is done. It's split in two and the old wood's out. I think I built a transom blank, and then got going on other projects.

mark that would be great,and anything donated is appreciated,because its from the heart,john

by that sounds good to me,another custom craft to do,it will sell well too.
and thank you on the complement on interiors.
sounds like a good project,keep your eyes open for a trailer for it,please,frank is going to restore the trailer,that alot of help for me,i just have to restore the boat,lol,john

boy oh boy...john you restoring a mantaray premier, i think that would bring big bucks. i know someone who could restore the merc 500. he lives in Pennsy...maybe i'll give him a little push. lol...ron

that would be great ron,now i have to figure out(if its ok with "fins")to get it here,oh well i have time yet,i havent taken the lido off of the lowboy yet im still cleaning up the garage after finishing the sunray,plus i need help getting it off the lowboy,ill see if my father in law will help later today.

if its the premier interior,i will need a heavy duty sewing machine that can sew vinyl,does anyone have one i can borrow?
the interior in the sunray doesnt have one stitch of sewing in it,but i think the premeir does.

please go easy john...damn, wish i lived closer.

I think Brian has a great idea. I would love to run up and get the Manta Ray and bring it home to Louisiana, but the way things are looking for me it's going to be a while before I can make the trip. So with that said, I think it would be a great boat for Project X and since Brian suggested it I say let's do it! I can't think of a better cause.

Doug

That old Manta Ray was parked where it was easy to get (and see from the road) Doug, thought maybe somebody would start a boat relay from NY to LA. Now it's parked so you can't see it, but still easy to get to. Got a lot of tongue weight (I can't lift it with my bad back), but that makes for great trailering usually!

Frank

WHOOP... MUCH THANKS DOUG. when john is ready i will get it to him somehow. wish i hadn't sold my 16ft. trailer. maybe if i can take my manta off the trailer..i'll use that. will need a hand with someone with know how. ron

Apparently I'm missing something here. Did crosbyboat say the MR could be the project x boat? If so I might be able to deliver it. Could somebody email me about this? Thanks.

Frank

Hey Frank,
Look up towards the top of the page at Brian's post! BTW, you've got email.

Doug

vuyosevich wrote:

WHOOP... MUCH THANKS DOUG. when john is ready i will get it to him somehow. wish i hadn't sold my 16ft. trailer. maybe if i can take my manta off the trailer..i'll use that. will need a hand with someone with know how. ron

Hey Ron, most of the thanks should go to Brian Lawson (crosbyboat). He gave the boat to me a while back once he learned that I was interested in it and I just haven't been able to get up there to pick it up or find an empty hitch headed this way. I'm glad Brian approves of this deal and suggested it. It should be a great boat for the cause!
Doug

wow this idea has really taken wings,thanks brian and doug,i think i can pick it up as soon as tim calmes in ny,gets my father in laws motors done,maybe frank can get them to tims and ill pick it up with the lowboy,thanks to everyone for all the help,john,now we need a trailer and a child thats in need of our help,john

it looks like frank cant get it there ,can anyone take it from franks to tims,i have to ask tim 1st though,johnp.s.frank feels bad he cant take it because of his back,its ok frank we will do it somehow.

Thanks Doug! I knew the LA contingent would come through...again. That said, if desired, project X2011 is a 1962 Custom Craft Manta Ray Premier. Everything I have that came off the boat goes with the boat to you John. This includes, hardware, trim, seats, windshield, transom blank. It's going to need a special trailer to carry it, but I bet we can get it to PA before that's needed. And the good news, it's only 14' long, so will fit nicely in your shop. Should bring a good dollar when restored. Needs a long shaft motor, as this one has the center pod.

For the record, I bought this boat from Jim Whaley a number of years ago for $350. It came from Jim's Vermont property. Somewhere I have a VT bill of sale, but I'm sure Jim could produce another one if needed.

ron,i cant seem to email tim,can you email tim and ask him if we get the boat to his place,if it would be ok?i just asked my father in law and he said we could take my lowboy along when we go get the motors tim is working on.
it sounds good brian,just everyone remember it took over 5 months on the sunray for all the work involved.
and ill start in the spring,im hoping to have the lido done by then,and ill jump right on the manta ray.
im glad its small,i didnt have much room in my ittle garage for the sunray,lol.
if need be it can be registered in pa,all we need is a bill of sale,but i think when its done it sould be sold near lakes,i dont have any close by.
if its ok,with you all,i will get in touch with make a wish and fnd a child in need,unless someone in fg knows of a family this can help,john

John, I just emailed you, but we could maybe bring the boat to Tim's at Thanksgiving, unload it from the trailer, then head for Buffalo to see the kiddies and maybe rendezvous with Chris to get that old merc, and drop that off with the boat at Tim's on the way home. That's a couple months and a week, but if yer not workin on it till spring, whadya think?

Frank

frank,ill be coming up as soon as tim gets done with my father in laws motors,it should be soon,can anybody take it to tims for us?john

Wow John - great to see this is taking off. It is a great cause that will bring lots of satisfaction to all that participate. Nothing impacted me more than seeing one happy young man with leukemia experience the fun of crabbing. Along those lines I picked up 2 more small fiberglass skiffs to repair and giveaway also.
Great stuff.

john-gibson wrote:

ron,i cant seem to email tim,can you email tim and ask him if we get the boat to his place,if it would be ok?i just asked my father in law and he said we could take my lowboy along when we go get the motors tim is working on.
it sounds good brian,just everyone remember it took over 5 months on the sunray for all the work involved.
and ill start in the spring,im hoping to have the lido done by then,and ill jump right on the manta ray.
im glad its small,i didnt have much room in my ittle garage for the sunray,lol.
if need be it can be registered in pa,all we need is a bill of sale,but i think when its done it sould be sold near lakes,i dont have any close by.
if its ok,with you all,i will get in touch with make a wish and fnd a child in need,unless someone in fg knows of a family this can help,john

i'll email him now.

My contribution was insignificant. Ron and many others are the true HEROES of these projects. I encourage all to contribute generously to make this happen in a good way. My thanks to all who do !! Remember, these contributions are going to a very worthwhile cause.

woodboat
Corinne
(in Dixie)

crosbyboat wrote:

..... Needs a long shaft motor, as this one has the center pod..

That's good news because when I heard it was a Manta Ray I thought for sure we were gonna be talking about 'waterfalls and sand bags' again..lol This old Merc 500 was converted from a short shaft to a long shaft by Tim C, for Mark.

If that is a suitable project motor, I can probably get it to Dave's in Buffalo at some point, provided he is willing to store it until someone can collect it from there, perhaps to meet up with the boat at Tim's place while enroute to John's. If a more suitable motor is available, that's fine too.

hi all thanks for everything your doing,sorry it took so long to respond,but im a little under the weather,lol,been having chest pains and getting dizzy with low blood pressure,so im having yet another stress test on the 24th of september,but it must not be too bad ,or they would have done it sooner,lol.
as for the motor thanks glastron,that sounds good,but someone else will have to restore the motor,im not a mechanic in any sense of the word,lol.

thanks corrine thats helps us alot,thank you.
i guess we cant get the boat to tims yet,but its ok,i dont need it till spring anyhow,then if noone can get ill go up to franks and get it,john

hi all,since no one has nominated a child from the fg group,i contacted make a wish foundation,and this is what i said,i hope this is ok with everyone.
"dear sir or madam,i belong to a website for restoring old classic boats from the 1950s and 60s,called fiberglassics.com.
i restore some of these boats and got the idea to help a needy child and their family withmedical expenses,i put this idea on the website and it is taking off rather quickly.
i told the people at fiberglassics ,that i would restore a classic boat,along with other members restring the trailer and motor,and then name it after the child,and give him or her rides in it,then after that sell it on ebay with the family getting ALL of the money to help them out.
we are getting a very rare classic boat donated to us,a vintage motor and trailer,plus cash donations to pay for the restoration of this boat,we are getting everything we need,except a special child and family to do this for,can you help us out finding that special child?
you can see it all happening at ,fiberglassics.com ,under forums,under ,what we are calling it"project X 2011",in that thread in that post you will see just how these wonderful people are coming together and helping in any way they can.
now it will be next spring until i can get to it,because i have a boat thats just starting to get restored,but right after that we will start on our donated boat.
the child that gets nominated for this project will be able to follow along with us on the website,as the restoration continues,with pics and storys about the restoration,they may even help if they would like that,sorry to be so long winded but its very hard to put this in words,please help us,sincerly john gibson"

John
That sounds very straight forward and I believe that should get a very positive response.
Neil

john-gibson wrote:

i guess we cant get the boat to tims yet,but its ok,i dont need it till spring anyhow,then if noone can get ill go up to franks and get it,john

John, does that mean if nothing else comes up, it's still reasonable for us to drag it over at Thanksgiving? Again, we could also rendezvous with Dave if Chris gets that motor to him and drop it off with the boat on the way home.

We still need a trailer for it. I can haul it over on my trailer, but need the trailer for another project I'm working on.

Frank

yeah frank that would work,i cant do it real soon unless i put my boat on the back burner,we will see.maybe by then we can find someone coming this way with an empty hitch.

todd "sailfast" has also volonteered to work on the trailer if we get one,heres what he emailed me,maybe you 2 could half up the work,john
heres his email,John,

"The Manta Premier will be a great boat. My Aqua Ray trailer has a a
great set up for that hull shape. If someone donates a trailer, I
will do the conversion. I sent this e-mail because it is getting
confusing where all of the news and info is."

Todd

thank you neil,im not much for writing but seem to be doing alot these days,lol.

John, never mind about the trailer, I've decided to donate the one it's on. It's an old Shipmate trailer I completely rebuilt years ago as a flatbed. As a flat bed, it works great for tunnel hull boats. It needs a bit of work to get ready to roll, but it is registered and has a current NYS plate on it, all new bearings and seals, new 12" tires and wheels and a good Rustoleum paint job. It is the perfect trailer for the Manta Ray, not too big, not too small, just the right size. By Saturday it will be ready to roll. Tie downs for the boat will be donated as well.

Once the boat is off the trailer, it would be my suggestion to cover the bed with a high quality outdoor carpet in a hue that matches the boat. If the hull is covered in Interlux's VC Performance 2 part epoxy, trust me, it will slide on and off outdoor carpet very easily. Plus the way I will set it up, there will never be any fear of dreaded hull hooking.

Frank

WOW! I got busy for a few days and things have really been rollin'. If a Manta Ray Primier is used...How bout' contacting Barret-Jackson for the sale? I think it would bring a much higher price and they love doing things like this. I've been reading about finding 1 child to help. With help coming in from around the country is there a national charity that helps families with living & travel costs resulting from medical costs?

If a long shaft motor is needed, I can donate a 700 Merc. It's located in west MI. Have to get rid of before moving to Brazil. It ran 11 years ago when removed and has been stored indoors on a stand since. Stands gotta go also.

chris, i asked mark about the 500 and he told me it was converted to a long shaft...thats great being the boat is a mantaray with center pod. i have someone in mind for the restoration but he hasn't gotten back to me yet.
john, thats quite a letter.
frank, much thanks for the trailer. now we have all the pieces secured in what a little over 1 week...AMAZING!
cash donations is what we need now to cover the restoration materials.

Hey folks ... yeah, new guy here. I'm not certain where ya'll are at progress wise ... (seems to be in the planning stage) so I dunno what I can do to help out at this point, but I'm good at fabricating & I run a small engine repair shop (on bull shoals lake in arkansas), so I may be of help in that area. Anything I can do, I'm on board, so let me know.

i know many of you weren't around here in 2007 when Houston came up with the idea of Project X. that year we gave away a boat to John Gibson's brother in law who had a sick child and was knee deep in medical bills. he wanted a boat but couldn't afford one.
so i thought a few pics of that presentation would be nice for all to see. the last pic says it all.

As I mentioned in an e-mail to John, my Aqua Ray trailer has a great set-up for hauling the boat. A series of rollers, bunks and a 4x6 with notches to support the bows. I'd be willing to modify the trailer to this configuration.

wow,i just wrote that letter and here is their reply..i cant believe it,it looks like we will find a special child on our own,heres the reply .."Dear Mr. Gibson:



Thank you for contacting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We grant wishes for children who have life-threatening medical conditions. Wishes include trips, celebrity meetings, and gifts like swimming pools and backyard play sets. After reading your note, I’m not sure if we can help you if your intent is to raise money for a sick child and their family and give them the money for medical expenses. That’s not what we do. We are not a go-between and we do not give wishes of cash.



If you there is anything I can help you with regarding this, please let me know.



Ann



Ann Hohn | Chief Operating Officer | Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater PA and Southern WV | 412.471.9474 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.wishgreaterpa.org

well with that said,thank you frank your a good guy.
catfin,im not too bad a reastoring boats,but i think barrett jackson is way above my abilitys,lol,oh what the heck its worth a shot,lol,as for the motor thank you,i think we have one in ny,but maybe we can sell it with 2 motors,i dont know this is happening fast.

ron thanks for posting that,its important that i pay back for it,plus im a little selfish and want to make myself feel good to see the child and familys smile.

lone wolf thank you,and welcome to the site,keep wathing this post we might need you somehow,thanks for the offer.

todd i was looking at rons trailer,it could be modified like rons pretty easy with a welder,its basicly a rectangle trailer with rollors at the cross peices,ill put up pics.its all up to frank he donated it,and said he would do it.

as for getting another charity ,im kind of disapointed with my 1st try,so why dont we do this all on our own,that way we KNOW ALL THE MONEY,goes to the child and family,i thank you all with all my heart and thank huston(mark) for the 1st project X,kudos to you my friend.

rons trailer