Lake Mary

A hot day at Lake Mary was almost too much to bear. We went swimming and played volleyball. We didn't have canoes or boats back then, so we had a bright idea: (don't remember whose idea it was, though) let's build our own boat. We went into town somehow, but didn't have enough money to buy the wood we needed to build a boat. We bought an 8 foot sheet of roofing tin instead, one 2 x 4 2 feet long and a 2 x 12 about 18 inches long. And what do you think we did? We started building the L.W.M.A. Navy! One tin canoe to start. It leaked like H-ll! We took it apart and took cheesecloth soaked in tar doubled over several times and put on the 2 x 4 and the 2 x 10. The leak was stopped.

We found out that the sides of the tin boat would cut your arms so we got two fishing canes somewhere, split them, and fastened them over the sides of the canoe. It worked pretty well. To spread the sides out a little, we used short lengths of cane, about two feet from the front and two feet from the back, and a small piece of wood on the floor for a seat. Our paddle was a cut off broom. Sorry, supply, I owe you one! It worked but got real heavy for some reason!

Some of the other guys got into the "Navy Thing" and built bigger canoes. Chester Quinn '62 made one that was 12 feet long. There is a picture in the 1961 Ranger yearbook of another boy standing in one boat holding his oar while the boat is sinking. The caption under the picture is, "As the sun sinks slowly in the west, so does our hero!"

Well, I guess that's enough about the Navy for now. How nice it is to remember...

In memory of my friend, Alex Kritzky

Derron Owens '62

Alexander S. Kritzky '61 1960 Yearbook In memory of my friend, Alex Kritzky

Alex Kritzky - Page 24 - 1960 Ranger Yearbook Shop in background - One of the famous canoes in the foreground

Drawing By Derron Owens '62 Legend (top left) - Take one 8-foot sheet of roofing tin, One 2"x4"x2' and one 2'x10" or 12"x16" board, Several yards of cheesecloth, folded into 2 inch wide strips to go around the 2X4's and 3x10's. Glue and nail (roof nails) tin as shown. Add braces, life vest and have fun! Legend at bottom left - (not shown in this image) Designed by Alex Kritzky

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