Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

When things go wrong, my son and I call it the Hastings Curse (our last name) soooooooo


The "HASTINGS CURSE" rears its ugly head again!!!! I was supposed to pick my boat up from the canvas shop today after having the full enclosure done. Well I called the shop Wed. afternoon and asked for Duane (one of the three Aumish brothers that own the shop) Duane does all the enclosure work. I was told in the slow Aumish drawl that Duane wasn't there right now. I told him who I was and that I wanted an update on the progress. He then said, "let me tell you what is going on with Duane then". Earlier that morning Duane was flown to the hospital after an accident. Duane fell from a tree stand while hunting and had to be helicoptered to the hospital! I called yesterday to check on his condition and he had surgery for a break in his left leg just below the hip as well as having his left knee "rebuilt".

I am supposed to call next week to find out exactly what is going to happen, but they assured me if the boat does not stay in the work shop garage, it would be moved to a pole building garage on their property and kept inside the entire time they have it. I guess this may turn out for the good as they will most likely have it all winter until he heals enough to be able to work on it and I will get free inside storage, but the fact remains, it just figures, just my luck!

That's terrible. I'm just surprised that they didn't transport him in a buggy to a local clinic to have his injuries attended to. Must have really been bad to get a ride in a helicopter.

They'll probably be cussing the English when they get the bill for the helicopter and the hospital. The Amish are not known for having hospitalization insurance.

I wouldn't trade your luck for Duane's

Oh my god you guys, I'm laughing my ass off and crying.....for Duane. My wife thinks I'm retarded.


for Duane

Duane sure is going to have a BIG hospital bill to pay for,yuck!

I am thinking that with them having their own business that is of decent size considering it is all family run they would have to carry insurance. They are not of the strict Aumish, the shop has electricity, and they do not ware the homemade coveralls.

He talked to them on the phone, these are 'modern' Aumish.. :p

Make sure you really "Mouse Proof" your boat if it is going to be left in one of their pole barns (or even their shop). I would use moth balls in addition to mouse poisoning. A mouse (or a family of mice) can totaly destroy a boat in no time.

Well, I don't know how he did it, but the canvas guy called me yesterday to inform me my enclosure is done! I asked him if he helped at all or just supervised and he told me he did all the work! He rigged up a portable crane to lift/lower him to the boat! Will have pics this weekend!

Now that's dedication. America needs this kind of work ethic instilled into it's youth!

Cant wait to see the pics. I would love to get an enclosure, but the idea of putting up and down sounds like a real PITA and I know I would not like to have it on full time.

I am curious as to how it is to install and if you plan to have it up full time or only when sleeping at night. Also is it possible to store on boat or is it to space consuming?

What I'd like to have is a light fiberglass or plastic top--kind'a like the canopies they put on tractors.

My old 24' Starcraft pontoon boat had an aluminum top, but the framework and corner supports weigh 100 lbs. It wasn't something to raise and lower regularly.

A hard top would give you something to anchor a set of side curtains to where you could essentially have a "full enclosure."

The wife took the pics when we picked it up and she is not the best. I worked on them and got these 2 that are suitable to show.

Very nice!!

I want one nice