President’s Message Linda and I had a great opportunity to drive across country during our winter break. Besides visiting Linda's family in Georgia, which was fun and restful, we visited many harbors and waterways on the way and as a result we saw what kind of boats people use in other parts of the country. We were surprised to see large yachts on the Tennessee River, as well as dozens of small runabouts used for fishing (sometimes right off the Louisiana highways). In the same area, we saw scores of traps along the bayous which we assumed were for trapping crawfish. The experience left us with many memories, as well as affirming what we already knew: that our area of the United States is strikingly unique. The Channel Islands, beautiful and accessible for fisherman, divers, surfers, and whale watchers are truly a wonderful gift. This trip also served as a reminder of our boat's distinctiveness. The Channel Island's extreme weather demands strong and seaworthy vessels, which is what we are committed to building. Although we think we always appreciate what we have here, it never hurts to leave home for awhile to reinforce what we already know. Don Radon
Featured Boat: Tom and Susie Lang’s Custom 29’ We recently delivered a custom 29’ Radon to Tom and Susie Lang, experienced boaters and divers. Their boat featured many custom touches; a stand-up head with shower and sink; galley area with stove, fridge, microwave, and sink; and tank racks built right into the boat for easier accessibility. This new 29’ Radon is powered by twin 200 HP Volvo diesel engines, which easily got up to 30 knots and also has a state-of-the-art Raymarine electronic system. Fortunately, Tom is very adept at using the complicated electronic system.
The Langs provided invaluable input toward the customization of their boat. As you can see, the result was awesome! We want to thank them for being excellent customers and wish them many happy years of boating!
Tom & Susie Lang on their new 29’ Radon
Boat maintenance tip from Don: Fuel filters
E-mails This was sent to us by Mike Blackstone, a satisfied Radon owner: “Hi Don, Just thought I would tell you know how well your boat held up the opening weekend of rockcod season. My son Matt and I and a good friend of mine went out of Morro Bay Saturday morning, looked good on the way to Cambria but the s*** hit the fan early that morning. We made the trip down in one hour it’s 17 miles from Morro Bay. 17 miles coming back took us four hours. The south swell was 8-10 and the wind was howling about 30 MPH, the boat was unbelievable. It took some bad hits from the side and my butt was puckering thinking that it was going to go over but it didn’t. I am glad we were in a RADON, if we were our Whaler, I don’t think we would made it back. Thanks again,
On the last day of work before our Winter break, we had a crew party at Stow Grove Park. As usual, everybody contributed food and good company. We had a surprise visit by Bill, our good friend and Kevin Costner’s boat captain. Our crew parties provide a valuable opportunity for our crew to interact without the pressure of the workplace. As you can see, the dogs had a good time too.
A note from Bill Parsons “Don & Linda, …We love the boat and it has been a pleasure working with you on it. Your recommendations on designing the boat have been right on the mark and we have ended up with a boat even better than we had hoped for…”
Progress report: 33’ Custom Radon now in production The fiberglass work is now complete on the custom 33’ we are building. Here she is being moved over to the rigging side of the boatyard.
Linda’s Photo Gallery
The Radon Team newsletter has once again come to an end But we will be back!
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Winter crew party
