Question...Pilar?

[Lucky Luke]

Hello John,
Eversince I met you at Chinook landing this last winter I've wondered what your moniker and boats name meant. Searched the dictionary's here at home and found a discription that just doesn't seem to match. How did you come up with your moniker and what does it mean? Just wondering.... Luke

[Pilar]

Hi Luke. I've named my boat after an old boat that belonged to Ernest Hemingway, the writer. The boat is named after a woman in one of his books, 'For whom the bell tolls'.

Pilar was a Spanish Partisan during the Spanish Revolution in the late '30s. She was part of a band of rebels that conspired to blow up a bridge in the mountains with Robert Jordan, an American adventurer and explosives expert who sided with the rebels.

I have posted on this topic several times and I will find you a link.

The boat (my 'Pilar') got the name because of mine and Ernest's love of fishing and outdoor life. He used his boat (the original 'Pilar') very frequently and did things with it that no one had done before. He pioneered sport fishing for pelagic fish in the waters between Key West and Cuba in the years when he was based in Key West.

I am carrying on the pioneering spirit by promoting saltwater sportfishing in Oregon waters. When I first started fishing here, very few private boaters did anything but Salmon and bottom fish. The guys out killing TUNA! weren't very sharing with what they knew.

You can fish for big game in small boats and I will tell you how if you want to know.


'Pilar' was found by my Dad in the Florida keys and given to me. But that is another story.

[Born to Fish]

Very interesting. So....you've got my attention....let's hear the rest of the story, backed up by any pic's you might have of the original boat.

[Pilar]

I can't find any of the original posts. The search feature is not working as I expect it to. I'll keep looking.

Please be patient.

[skein]

Lucky, Born to Fish,

You mean you don't have a picture of the original Pilar nailed to the wall of your family room? You mean you haven't read "Islands in the Stream" three times, or the account of David fighting that marlin at least sixteen times? Oh man.

I got hooked on that stuff years and years before I met our local Pilar, but never thought I'd have the opportunity to do much about it. John-boy is indeed a pioneer - nay, an evangelist - for the small-boat, long-reach, tuna/billfish contingent in the northwest. I, myself, have fallen under that spell, much as a sailor eyeing the gold nailed to the mast of the Pequod, watching the seas for the first sign of....

I'll try to post some pics if Pilar doesn't have any. I have a pretty good selection. :grin:

Oops - I thought you were talking about the original original Pilar, not the blue and white and plywood-colored one that goes way tooooo far out in the ocean... I'll post a pic of Papa H's original though, just for fun.

Skein

[ 05-29-2003, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: skein ]

[Pilar]

Man, that was hard to find!!!! The search utility is pretty near useless. This is the story of the second boat, the one I fish in now. I have many photos of the restoration in progress but none of the boat as it was when I towed it home. I will find the restoration photos and digitize them.

When I got a good look at the wreck in my driveway I was thinking 'sell the parts and scrap it'. So I took no photos of something I was going to throw away. I'm glad I changed my mind.

'It was a good idea'

http://www.ifish.net/ubb/ultimatebb....=009259#000000

[Born to Fish]

Pilar, thanks for going to the trouble of searching out "the rest of the story." Great piece of writing. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] Man, I admire your fortitude, you obviously saw something in the original Pilar that others didn't and look at the great path in life that it brought you to. Looking forward to seeing some pictures.

My hat goes off to your First Mate - under the circumstances/conditions described most other husbands would have been clearing out sleeping space amongst the piles of empty beer cans in the back of the boat. She's a keeper. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Skein, regretably I have to admit that I do not have any pictures of said craft posted on my wall of fame, but rest assured that once Pilar posts some pic's, they'll go on the wall next to the one of my dingy. :grin:

[Lucky Luke]

Alright!

I'm so glad that I asked. It sounds like I need to dig into old Ernest's book case a little deeper and find "For whom the bell tolls", regretably one that I've missed. I recently rented "the old man and the sea", wanting to relive the strife the old man endured tiring out that monster marlin. At the end of the movie a narrative discribed the action aboard a small fishing vessel with Mr. H fighting a huge (12 foot marlin ) at the back of the boat with a wooden pole. Sure enough the pole jerks and throbs and then splinters. Scene after scene shows our famous hunter battling beasts from the depths. A wonderful way to see an avid fishermen in action, all of the cool of a seasoned veteran.
John, your discription of the plot line in "For whom the bell tolls" reminds me of a book I've read several times. Same time frame and location, Partisans and all. "Bread and Wine" by Ignazio Silone. Wonderful writer. Not as brusque as Mr. H, but conjuers the same nostalgia.
John, I would like to take you up on your offer. It would be wonderful to learn about ocean sport fishing the right way the first time and if your willing to teach I will happily digest all that I can. I don't have my own boat to use, but someday plan to. I've spent time on the big blue and have always been drawn to it but have never found a person or group that I could learn from, until I discovered ifish and the salty dogs, that is. Thanx for replying to my question. Luke

[Pilar]

The story 'Old Man and the Sea' was a master work that won Mr Hemingway acclaim in the form of a Nobel Peace prize for literature and the Pulitzer prize. It is a short novella and is full of the classic struggle of man against his fate, the value of determination and the basic qualities that make good fishers everywhere you find them.

That Marlin battle was filmed in Chile on the original 'PILAR' by Ernest Hemingway and Pepe Fuentes for the movie, 'Old Man and the Sea' with Spencer Tracy as the old man. It took them some weeks to find the right fish and the right day.

The book 'Old Man and the Sea' can be had in a book on tape format. It is read by Charleton Heston and the performance won a grammy in 1977? I highly recommend this copy of the story as it portrays Santiago exactly as I imagined him. He talks to himself and bears his excruciating battle with the giant Marlin on a handline with stoic poise.

I have read the story many times and even have parts if it memorized but I never really 'got' the story until Moses read it to me.

Luke, I would be happy to help you take those first few steps towards a lifetime addiction to the salt. Promise me that someday you will pass it on to your son or some other deserving individual.

[ 05-30-2003, 10:45 AM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[Lucky Luke]

I promise!

[Mark Mc]

Hey John, thanks for digging up that biographical sketch of your boat & its re-birth. It's hard to believe you brought it home from 3000 miles away! Sounds like your Dad gave you a challenge ("..you'll figure out a way").

BTW, now I don't feel so bad about my project boat!!

-MMc

[8knots]

Love Hemingway....too bad he had so many demons. If I am not mistaken isn't the original Pilar still in Cuba and carefully maintained. I believe that his old deckhand is still alive. Nice to know the Cubans revere Papa and that even Castro recognizes the value of this icon. It goes well with all the 50's vintage cars still on the Cuba streets.

Have you watched the movie Islands in the Stream with George C. Scott as Hemingway? Great movie!

[Pilar]

8knots, nice to meet you last night. I know what I am renting at the video store tonight. I bet the Marlin vs. young boy part of the movie is killer!

The old boat is preserved as a shrine at the Villa 'Finca Vigia' near Havana. This was Papa's place in Cuba when he still lived there. The boat is in a shed in the side yard. No one is allowed to touch it but can stand behind the velveteen ropes and look. The original 'PILAR' is a wooden boat made by Wheeler with a hundred horse Kermath engine.

If you find pictures of it, check out the homemade steering station on the fly bridge. It is made from bicycle sprockets and chains. Sail ugly for sure.

I think Papa only had one basic 'Demon', a love of drink and saloons. Sloppy Joes saloon in Key West is a classic Hemingway hangout as is the Floridita in Havana and many others all over the world. Most of his written works include very detailed observations of people in bars, drinking rituals and denial of alcoholism. Read stories like 'One trip across', 'The battler' and 'A clean, well lighted place' and you will quickly get the pattern.

Mark, it meant alot to my Dad that I take that boat and do something with it. I think that more than anything kept the project going. The look on his face when he saw it after restoration was worth all the hardship.


Once the Cuban revolution took his Havana away he retreated to Idaho and sank into depression eventually commiting suicide in 1961.

[WP]

Back in my very early days as a literature major, I "specialized" in Hemmingway...read nearly all, if not all of his stuff from Nick Adams and Boys life on. The critics usually give "The sun also rises" the nod as his premier work but I have a special fondness for "For whom the bell tolls" as it was the first of his books for me. I don't quite understand the fondness some have for "Islands in the stream" as it was one of his worst efforts but it WAS about fishing! A gifted writer who probably did not get the most from his talent but even with the demons, wrote some pretty good stuff. It is sort of interesting that the critics are very polarized about "The old man and the sea". Some think of it as the definative American work and others as shallow, contrived, popular tripe. For me, it is a great adventure book with clasic conflicts and struggles with clear characters and well defined boundaries of good and evil. Everyone should read Old Man and at least one other of his better titles to get a flavor for a great writing talent and sportsman. Thanks for sharing a memory Jon.
WP

[ 05-31-2003, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: WP ]

[skein]

My fascination with "Islands" is the breadth it covers, and covers well. He walks you through his prowess (and travails) with women, shows you his very human vulnerability trying to cope with the hammerhead shark, lets his boys say the things they needed to say about him and to him, then goes off chasing German submarines much as Ahab sought Moby Dick. And right in the midst of all that, he wrote the unequaled piece where David fought the 1,100 lb marlin.

I never got caught up in the story - I just went along for the ride.

Here's a couple of pics of the original - Poppa's Pilar.




Some day.... some day I will go to Cuba and see that boat first-hand. And I will see the blue of the Stream and feel the pull of the current and the push of the Trades. Some day.

Skein

[8knots]

I had an interview in NJ about six years ago and the guy I was interviewing with had some original manuscripts from Hemingway framed on his wall. His father has been the editor for several of Hemingway's books. The guy I interviewed with was extremely proud of them and it was a great ice breaker. It was pretty cool to see them up close.....felt like a privilege.

[Pilar]

It never occurred to me to photo this mess until I got a month into it. I found some of those photos and here they are. The boat was split into top and bottom halves. The top layed in the yard and the bottom was cleaned out of rotten wood, wet flotation foam and debris like a cantaloupe half. The tools of choice were, round nosed shovel, a small chainsaw with a very dull chain (stick it in the dirt and rev it up) and a shop vac. Then I finished the cleanup with an electric grinder and skillsaw.

Anyway sorry this is incomplete. The deck job went twice in a year. The first plastic fuel cell collapsed when I foamed it in. It took me about 6 months to figure that out and I ripped it out and replaced it. You have to leave some expansion room.

The new tank was a 3/16 thick aluminum 42 gallon custom made in Mobile, Alabama at Silver Ships, boatyard. So I got to do the deck twice. If you ever want to do this, all I can say is that fiberglass itches like crazy and it stinks. Other than that it is a pretty fun time.

I will post more as the photos get uploaded. Don't try this at home, you will go completely mad.


The top half of the boat laying in the yard. The bottom half is in the garage, on the trailer.


The hole where the fuel cell will go.


Bilge pocket


Pouring and leveling flotation foam. A + B = hurry up before it goes off.


Flotation foam


Foam the tank. Turns out I used to much and the tank was crushed.


Fiberglass all the raw wood


Fill in the seams.


[ 06-06-2003, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[kenai]

Jeez, Jon I whine like crazy and throw wrenches when I hafta put in a steering cable. Looks like you know that craft inside and out (literally).

[Pilar]

First deck glass layer, start the flotation boxes.


Sand the spikes off and finish the flotation boxes. Fill them with foam.


Fit the gimbal housing in the transom hole. A little grind and drill here and there. The white areas on the glass are sanded for the next layer of glass.


Cut the sheer cloth to fit. Grind the surface first or the needles of cured glass will shred the cloth.


Applying color to UV protect the glass resin. Yet another thin layer of glass cloth and resin. Many
thin layers, properly wetted out make a strong composite. This is what makes fiberglass so strong, flexible and durable.


Applying color to the bilge pocket. This all had to be done before the motor could go in.


Final coat of surface cure resin with color on the bilge and engine area. The glass will no longer tack and dries hard after a surface cure.


Mercruiser (Chevrolet) 4 cylinder 181 CID motor. The classic 153 CID 'Iron Duke' on steroids. 140 hp from 181 cubic inches. Yes, I buy premium fuel or it pings.


[ 06-06-2003, 06:42 PM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[Pilar]

Chainfall the motor into the boat. This is actually not too hard with the right tools.


The Motor sitting on the mounts. It is much easier to get to everything with the top 1/2 of the boat in the front yard.


Put the top on.



Then finish the deck with surface cure and sheer cloth.


And from the other way


But it is not over yet. The gas tank is messed up. Dang rookie boat builders anyway. It doesn't hold 40 gallons and the gas gage is stuck.


New is good. This stuff wont crush or rot .. for a while anyway.


Silver Ships is a small boat yard in Daphne, Alabama, not far from Mobile. They build high speed assault boats of aluminum and also target drones. The place is kind of like Ed Wing. They were the only place I could find to build a custom dimensioned tank for a cheap price.

[Pilar]

There is a gap all the way around but it still holds more than the first one because the bottom is contoured to the hull, not flat.


The patch over the new tank. Screw it down, fill the cracks and glass over it.


The new floor.


Cathedral hull


Pointy


[ 06-06-2003, 06:48 PM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[Lucky Luke]

Thanx for showing the history of your boat rebuild, Jon. :blush: Rebuilding it by hand must have given you a lot of confidence to take it into the far reaches of our shorelines. In the mid nineties I rebuilt an old Italian motorcycle after doing a complete tear down. I felt comfortable going anywhere with that bike. After replacing every seal, bearing, and oil pathway in the motor I never doubted my ability to work on it on the side of the road. Still runs, never had a problem. It is a very satisfying building a vessel yourself. Talk to ya soon. Lucky

[Beer Waggin]

So you say you know a thing or two about boats hu?
Jiminy Christmas!
I knew you re-built your boat, but I didn't know you RE-BUILT your boat.

You're like the "Picture King". After an ordeal like that I think I'd burn those pictures and forget those two years of my life! Can you say "Sweat Equity"!

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Deepslayer]

You make it look so easy, I think I will go to a charity auction and pick up five or ten boats to rebuild in my spare time - NOT! Nice job on the pictorial John!
,Ed