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How to flip a Sleekcraft boat over in your garage

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How do you flip a boat over in your garage? That was the challenge my neighbor had while restoring his speed boat. His 92-year-old father came up with this brilliant system of pulleys and supports that made it fairly easy to turn the boat upside down. We start to raise the boat off the trailer. An engine jack was used to raise the bow. Note the yellow strap from the pulley to the dash. This was to prevent cracking the bow. Close up of the bow pulley system and how the strap slipped off the top wheel.  We should have cut a groove in it to make sure the strap stayed centered. A wooden support frame was built to hang the pulley system and connect it to the transom. We carefully turn the boat upside down. Stern leg bracket: The is the piece that connects the back legs to support beam. The legs were 2x4s and the support beam was two 2x6s. Safely turned upside down.  UPDATE 05/17/2021 The boat restoration was completed a few years back and came out amazing. Here are few photos
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How to Build a GoPro Water Ski Rope Mount

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One of the best views of water skiing is to mount a GoPro to the ski rope. Here is how to build the rope mount. Parts needed: 2-foot piece of 3/4" PVC pipe Duct tape GoPro bicycle clamp Foam noodle Wrist strap Zip tie Since the 3/4" pipe won't slide over the knot on the ski rope, you will need to cut the PVC pipe down the middle. (like a clamshell)  Fit the two halves over the rope and duct tape them to the rope and the V part of the handle. Duct taping to the V section is key to keeping the camera upright.  Attach the GoPro bicycle clamp to the pipe. Make sure you have a safety leash hooked to the camera and rope so it doesn't end up at the bottom of the lake or river.  I used a wrist strap from one of my still cameras and threaded the thin end through the GoPro latch and zipped tied the other end to the rope.  Add a section of a foam pool noodle to the rope to ensure good floatation. Duct tape the noodle closed. Add some duct tape on each end of the rope n
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10 things to know about the Providence Bridge Pedal

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Are you going to cycle the  Providence Bridge Pedal  in Portland?  Here are 10 things you might want to know.  
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Location: Portland, OR, USA
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People we met on the Providence Bridge Pedal

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Once a year, Portland, Oregon closes the downtown bridges to let over 18,000 cyclists ride across them. A totally fun way to experience the city. The event brings out the best, worst, and weirdest riders. Here are  some of the fun people we met on the ride. 
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Research Cruise: Donning an Immersion Suit

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The waves crashed over the railing of the ship as I moved the large sensor out into the ocean. How did a person who gets motion sick in the back seat of a car, end up on a research ship in the middle of the ocean? It all started last April when I took a new job at a research center that studies river-to-ocean science. They hired me as the web/marketing coordinator and one of the jobs was to create videos. Well wouldn't you know, they wanted me to go on a research cruise and document life aboard. The idea was to capture the scientists working and living at sea for two weeks. I thought it would be an interesting way to tell their stories. Except for one little fact, I get seasick. Thank goodness one of the staff told me about the seasickness "patch" you can get from your doctor. It's supposed to help prevent seasickness. You put it on before you depart and change it every couple of days. I ordered enough to last a month. (Better safe than sorry.) Watch as I attem
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Belize Day 13: Monster Burrito and Shark Ray Alley

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We went to town today in search of a strong cup of coffee. San Ignacio and Tikal had terrific coffee. Here in the Cayes, the coffee was less than stellar. We heard rumor of a place downtown called Island Delight that serves up the best coffee. We found the place and pulled up a seat at the outside coffee bar. We ordered two cups of the house blend. Full roasted. Bold. Oh yes, this is the best coffee on the Cayes. Sitting next to us is Jason, a transplant from Washington state. He tells us about a hole in the wall restaurant that serves up a monster lobster burrito. Diane and I decided to check it out. Waruguma is so small that we walked by it twice. We ordered the lobster burrito not knowing really what to expect. But when it showed up at our table, that bad boy was humongous, stuffed full of lobster, and absolutely delicious. ( Check out the Monster Burrito video ) Great coffee. Best lunch on our trip. We are on a roll. Shark/Ray Alley & Hol Chan    We decided to give Shark/Ra
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Belize Day 12: Caye Caulker and Betting on Pooh

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They call it a water taxi. I'd say it is more like a water bus since the boat holds over 20 people and they strap the bikes to the front of it. Whatever you want to call it, this was our transportation to Caye Caulker, a 30-minute ride south of San Pedro. Caye Caulker has a sleepy, laid back feeling. There are no paved roads, little traffic, a tiny amount of tourists, and a few iguanas sunning themselves. We walked through the town to the end of the road and a beach bar called the Lazy Lizard . It is located next to The Split that separates the two parts of the island. To cross it, you either need a boat or swim. There are no pesky bridges to walk across. Back in town, we met the shop owner of Chocolates who is a supporter of the Manatee. She informed us how cruise ship lines want to develop other Cayes, which in turn will shrink the natural habitat for manatee. We talked for a while and then wished her much success in her fight to save the manatee.  I spot a sign for a street
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