olcaptain
Senior Member
“Ol Chunk of Coal” to a Diamond of a Deal!
I’ll never forget posting my desire to find a used canoe on the GON Forum. Many would say it was a coincidence that the response came in less than an hour. But Dave “lagrangedave” Gordon and I both believe it was a Divine appointment. His response was simple and to the point. He said “If you aren’t hung up on appearances I have a 17ft Minnetonka aluminum canoe with a flat bottom that you can have if you will come to Lagrange and get it. Of course you’ll have to bring Max too or no deal.”
When I first laid eyes on the “Carp Shark” I was reminded of the song “I’m just an old chunk of coal but I’m gonna be a diamond someday”.
To some it might have looked like just so much scrap aluminum. But to me, it already had character plus (and this was a big plus) the thing was huge! I knew at 6’7” and 290 I needed something big and fairly stable and this baby filled the bill! Not only was it 17ft long but the bottom was flat and the widest part across the gunnels was about 38-40 inches.
Coincidence? No! Divine appointment? Absolutely!
I am blessed with many talented friends and acquaintances. In no time Mike “Batjack” from the forum offered to build a rack for my truck to transport the boat. He even worked on it on two occasions so we could get it just right.
The next step as many of you know was to take the boat to FishOn Fabrications in Cartersville, Georgia owned and operated by our very on Dawson Mion (bassboy1).
Dawson worked his magic on the “Shark” and in no time had it repaired and true as any similar craft could be!!
By then it was time to try it out! As always, Maximus Relaximus was giddy with excitement! You could just tell by the way he strutted his 4 inch legs that he was proud of his new life jacket!!
And he wasn’t the only one! I was kind of proud of mine as well……
There have been two voyages made thus far. Tim “Cool Dad” Gill made his debut with Max and me on Lake Acworth and later, Jim “Hatman” Hatter joined us in Porterdale on the Yellow River!
And folks, that’s not all! In fact, that is just part of this rags to riches story!! Recently I was contacted by Billy “Coweta Carper” Walden. We talked a while and he shared that he wanted to do something special for me. He said, “I want to paint your boat!” Now, Billy isn’t just a friend. Billy is also one of the best Carp anglers around. Not only that but he also paints airplanes for a living!! Because of his schedule Billy has had to keep the canoe for several weeks but I knew in my heart that the time we had to wait would be well worth it!!
So much work needed to be done. There was sanding to be done. There was prepping to be done. There was priming to be done and Billy did all of this in his garage on his own time after doing similar work all night at his job!! He even offered to do some special lettering to give the Carp Shark a unique an professional flare!!
So how does the Carp Shark look today? Is it now just a pile of old scrap metal or is it a thing of beauty? Is it still an Ol Chunk of Coal or is it a Diamond of a deal? I thought you’d never ask…………………………
Folks, I think there is a moral to most every story. Often we overlook things and unfortunately even people at times because they appear in our eyes to be just an ol chunk of coal. I think with a little kindness and encouragement on our part (and perhaps even a Divine Appointment) that person or thing may also become a diamond some day!
After the Carp Shark is properly christened I will try my best on each and every adventure to put four of the things that I dearly love in it:
1) My Rear End
2) My Heart
3) My Dog
4) My Friends (one at a time)
The Carp Shark is more that just a canoe to me. It is a tool that I hope and pray that I will use to continue to share the love and passion that I have for God’s great outdoors. As for stories and adventures…….”You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
Come see us!
I’ll never forget posting my desire to find a used canoe on the GON Forum. Many would say it was a coincidence that the response came in less than an hour. But Dave “lagrangedave” Gordon and I both believe it was a Divine appointment. His response was simple and to the point. He said “If you aren’t hung up on appearances I have a 17ft Minnetonka aluminum canoe with a flat bottom that you can have if you will come to Lagrange and get it. Of course you’ll have to bring Max too or no deal.”
When I first laid eyes on the “Carp Shark” I was reminded of the song “I’m just an old chunk of coal but I’m gonna be a diamond someday”.
To some it might have looked like just so much scrap aluminum. But to me, it already had character plus (and this was a big plus) the thing was huge! I knew at 6’7” and 290 I needed something big and fairly stable and this baby filled the bill! Not only was it 17ft long but the bottom was flat and the widest part across the gunnels was about 38-40 inches.
Coincidence? No! Divine appointment? Absolutely!
I am blessed with many talented friends and acquaintances. In no time Mike “Batjack” from the forum offered to build a rack for my truck to transport the boat. He even worked on it on two occasions so we could get it just right.
The next step as many of you know was to take the boat to FishOn Fabrications in Cartersville, Georgia owned and operated by our very on Dawson Mion (bassboy1).
Dawson worked his magic on the “Shark” and in no time had it repaired and true as any similar craft could be!!
By then it was time to try it out! As always, Maximus Relaximus was giddy with excitement! You could just tell by the way he strutted his 4 inch legs that he was proud of his new life jacket!!
And he wasn’t the only one! I was kind of proud of mine as well……
There have been two voyages made thus far. Tim “Cool Dad” Gill made his debut with Max and me on Lake Acworth and later, Jim “Hatman” Hatter joined us in Porterdale on the Yellow River!
And folks, that’s not all! In fact, that is just part of this rags to riches story!! Recently I was contacted by Billy “Coweta Carper” Walden. We talked a while and he shared that he wanted to do something special for me. He said, “I want to paint your boat!” Now, Billy isn’t just a friend. Billy is also one of the best Carp anglers around. Not only that but he also paints airplanes for a living!! Because of his schedule Billy has had to keep the canoe for several weeks but I knew in my heart that the time we had to wait would be well worth it!!
So much work needed to be done. There was sanding to be done. There was prepping to be done. There was priming to be done and Billy did all of this in his garage on his own time after doing similar work all night at his job!! He even offered to do some special lettering to give the Carp Shark a unique an professional flare!!
So how does the Carp Shark look today? Is it now just a pile of old scrap metal or is it a thing of beauty? Is it still an Ol Chunk of Coal or is it a Diamond of a deal? I thought you’d never ask…………………………
Folks, I think there is a moral to most every story. Often we overlook things and unfortunately even people at times because they appear in our eyes to be just an ol chunk of coal. I think with a little kindness and encouragement on our part (and perhaps even a Divine Appointment) that person or thing may also become a diamond some day!
After the Carp Shark is properly christened I will try my best on each and every adventure to put four of the things that I dearly love in it:
1) My Rear End
2) My Heart
3) My Dog
4) My Friends (one at a time)
The Carp Shark is more that just a canoe to me. It is a tool that I hope and pray that I will use to continue to share the love and passion that I have for God’s great outdoors. As for stories and adventures…….”You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
Come see us!
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