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  THE LEGEND
  Its 1964, the Leprechaun pulls into Cape May New Jersey’s Cape Island East Basin Marina currently now known as the Canyon Club after a total extended rebuild at Rybovich. The Leprechaun has a Chris Craft hull that is a bit unique in that only 18 were built. The rest of her is nearly all Rybovich. A crowd had formed as she backs into B dock. You see the Mid-Atlantic had not seen a vessel such as this with her open bulkhead dayboat layout, her 40-foot triple spreader Rybo outriggers, and open array radar. Spreader outriggers in 1964? Yes, and that is how you recognized the Leprechaun on the horizon because she was the only boat in the fleet with them. More

  Do you remember how your boat felt that first year in the water? With each successive coat of hull paint you could sense the change, a bit heavier, a touch sluggish, incrementally slower. Finally, you conclude that yearly reapplications of hard antifouling coatings have robbed your boat’s hull of speed and fuel economy, and you realize that its time to strip off all that old paint and start fresh.
Of course, the first step has always involved bottom cleaning, which traditionally has involved the process of sand blasting. But sand blasting is abrasive, and the effectiveness of the job and the integrity of the hull are completely at the mercy, and dependent upon the skill of the operator. Soda blasting is another increasingly popular method for bottom cleaning. More

  Most of us are aware Tred Barta was struck down with a catastrophic disease that took the use of his legs from him. In May of 2009, a horrible form of blood cancer paralyzed Tred from the waist down and nearly took him from us. After a three month hospital battle that still includes chemotherapy, specialized treatments, and expensive medications, Tred is back with us. Today, he may not have the use of his legs, but in true Barta fashion—it is an obstacle and a challenge for him to overcome.
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