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January/February 2010
Big Game Fishing Journal

Read Captain Len Belcaro's Editorial here
Feature Articles
The Rebirth of the Leprechaun
By Fritz Butler

  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

Is Your Bottom Draggin'?
By Dave Wrigley & Mark Allen

  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

October 23, 2009
An Evening for Tred Barta
A Special Thank You to All
By Captain Len Belcaro

  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.
More

The Dismantling of Frank Mundus' Famed Cricket II
By Robert Banfelder
  I was the last person to conduct a full-length interview with world-famous shark fisherman, Frank Mundus, which appeared in the March /April 2008 issue of The Big Game Fishing Journal. September 10th, 2009 marked the first anniversary date of legendary shark fisherman Captain Mundus’ passing. The CRICKET II, the most famous sport fishing boat in the annals of fishing, was purchased by Frank’s longtime friend and fellow shark fisherman, Jon Dodd of South Kingston, Rhode Island. The vessel was sold at auction in early February, 2009 in Montauk. The dismantling process began, and the boat’s old mast, tower, side pulpits, bow pulpit, all decking, weakened framing, diesel engine, gas tank and fuel batteries, storage tanks, corroded wiring, and steering stations have been removed. More
Extreme Boat Make Over
By Heather Maxwell
  We’ve all seen the shows — take a shack and in three days turn it into a mansion with minimal investment and maximum effort. It looks pretty cool on TV. The home makeover projects I have taken on never went so well. Have you ever used a torch to remove old linoleum and ended up catching the bathroom on fire? Well, suffice it to say that was a day I will never forget and the torch always travels with an extinguisher (now).
  Boat owners, on the other hand, approach things differently. An extreme boat makeover is never expected to be on time or on budget. Is it because we owners have such low expectations or is it because we have proven the old saying true time and time again? More