Are We There Yet?

Not quite, though Don McDowell from “Shake, Rattle, & Troll” radio show is quite convinced we would be there faster if he were allowed to use that chain saw!

As you can see from the pictures, the Scorpion — a 22-foot Chris-Craft — is back in the upright position. The bottom is now complete and will only need a general “once-over” after the rest of the boat has gone through the same process plus some additional work.

Once again, under the direction of our favorite fiber-glas boat repairman, Dan Turner, progress towards the completion of this leg of the project was made!

The mock up of the design that showed the Arizona gold and blue, along with the Rock the Boat logo were removed with acetone by hand — or rather, many hands! Film crew students, interior design students, owners, and host alike pitched in for over an hour to remove the logo and get under a layer of beige and down to the orange in the orange stripe that runs the entire upper “lip” of the boat.

The orange stripe was then rough sanded (thank you Brian Colkitt, director dude and sanding-disc operator extraordinaire!) to prepare it for paint to match the rest of the boat.

Meanwhile, the hardware was removed from the deck by the Superstition Search & Rescue volunteers. Thanks to Albert Moreta, Darrell Porath, Larry Hencha, and Walter Barrand for all of their efforts and humor during the removal of the hardware. We could not have done it without them!

Also helping direct our efforts were Dan’s son, JT and his assistant, Rusty. Thanks for spending your Saturday with us guys!

Filming continues as the project progresses. Each “session” of work on the Scorpion is being filmed utilizing a “time-lapse” method. This is done by setting up the camera to automatically record at set intervals of time.

For instance, it can be set to record for two minutes every 10 minutes. This captures the majority of the work being done, without using up immense amounts of tape.

Some of you may have caught the mention of the interior design students and asked yourselves what they might be doing lending elbow grease to the sanding process. Originally at the shop to see Jim and Carol Allen regarding proposed plans for the interior of the Scorpion, these students didn’t hesitate when asked to pitch in and get dirty!

Thanks, ladies! We’re looking forward to seeing the final interior design plans soon.

Final steps needed for the outer body of the boat include painting over the orange stripe, molding replacement, and the addition of sponsor logo designs by Bill Ryver Sign