A few pictures around the store this morning...

This is an easy way to share the contents of the store with you.  It's really quite easy if you are used to I-movie or Final Cut Pro X-You just start a project and instead of using video clips you use your photos out of I-Photo.  Just drag them over and line them up next to each other.  Go I-Tunes and drag over a little music, go to share and post your little project to U-Tube and from there share it to where ever you want. You can find Royalty Free music at the Apple store.  I down loaded 80 Royalty Free classical songs for .95 cents.  The Lofrans anchor windlass video that we post from time to time has now had almost 5000 hits and we have sold several dozen of the windlasses.  Of course, having such a modest price on the Tigress windlass has helped a lot.  Have a great week.  Ernie and his CREW.

SUNDAY JUNE 7TH-BEST MARINE EVENT OF THE YEAR !

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.  If you are building a boat or a re-model I suggest you get there early and bring a flashlight.  Skippers start filling their selling spaces around 0400.  Remember, June 7th is a SUNDAY and not Saturday.  Every year dozens of buyers show up a day early and wonder why nothing's happening.  Selling spaces are $30.00 for boaters and $60.00 for dealers.  Still about 30 left.  Call the store at 949-548-4192 to book one.  Marine and boat gear and equipment ONLY.  All gear must be unloaded onto parking spaces.  You can not sell out of your car or truck.  If you are thinking of bringing a boat on a trailer, you must have special permission.  Holding this event is like walking on "thin ice" with the city. There are many regulations that we must comply with.  All selling booths must be EMPTY and cars gone buy TWELVE NOON.  We are dealing with 20 other businesses and many of them open at NOON.  It's gonna be FUN !!!

Balboa Yacht Club asked me to pass the word.

This should be a fun evening at Balboa Yacht Club.  I promise I'll be brief and hopefully interesting in my little talk about growing up in Newport Beach.  I'll touch on having the sixty five foot schooner  Kelpie in the family, starting, burning down and starting all over again Minney's Yacht Surplus, ocean racing and cruising, the Minney brothers starting Josh Slocum's restaurant and various sea stories.  Reservations a MUST.  Space is limited at the beautiful BALBOA YACHT CLUB on Bayside Avenue next door to the Coast Guard headquarters.  Sea you there.   Ernie

Thought I would take a few minutes and show you around the store today.

Those raw water pump power take-offs for Mann diesel engines are a fantastic buy.  We've
dropped the price to $49.00 each.  If you ever need one, your engine man will probably bill it out somewhere around $400.00?  We got them from the Sun Seeker yacht dealer when he was
moving to a smaller building.  We are still discounting all Kevlar-Carbon Fiber and Hi-Tech racing sails 33% till the end of April.  Have a great week.  Ernie

S.S. STANCHIONS-GATES & PEDESTAL STEERING SYSTEM...

Just in-When times are slow our good friends at Railmakers turn out stanchions and stanchion gates for us at very reasonable prices.  24" stanchions are $35.00 each and 30" stanchions are $39.00 each, pairs of rail gates are priced at $149.00 a set.  Specify whether you want 90 degree base which is straight up or down or the industry standard with a 6 degree angle to allow for the crown of your deck.  These are American made by the same company that has made stanchions and rails for Catalina, Ericson, Islander and all the boats that came out of Southern California in the past forty years.  Are we keeping boating AFFORDABLE, OR WHAT !!!!!  Also pictured is a Yacht Specialities pedestal steering system that came out of a Pacific Sea Craft 36.  It appears in excellent condition, has instruments pods, under deck pulleys, roll bar and even the folding teak cocktail table and a nice compass.  We estimate this little beauty from Edson would bet $2500.00 plus.  We will not ship it.  Our price $1095.00.  Happy Valentines Day....  Ernie and the crew at Minneys...

MINNEY'S WILL BE CLOSED ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.  SINCE WE SHIP LOTS OF MERCHANDISE TO BOATERS IN THE PACIFIC NORTH WEST, WE GONNA BE ROOTING FOR THE "SEA HAWKS."  Thanks for your continued support. 2014 is turning out to be the best year in the history of our little store.

A Buttermilk Day 1-16-2015

Lofrans 1500 # Windlass---The "TIGRESS"

1959 MUTINY ABOARD GEORGE MINNEY'S SCHOONER "KELPIE.'

Mutiny On The Kelpie--A father's dream goes astray as his sons with help from the rest of the crew over powers him and sets him adrift on the ship's dory.  Actual 16mm color film taken by Ernie Minney on a one year voyage aboard the family's big schooner "KELPIE" in 1959  See what happens when you aren't nice to  your kids? Except for the mutiny the Minney men had a great adventure sailing all of the Marquesas, Tahiti and most of French Polynesia, several of the Hawaiian islands and returning back to Newport Beach in exactly one year.  Kelpie was built in 1928, a Payne design by the famous Harvey Gammage shipyard in Maine.  Kelpie was owned by George Minney from about 1948 to about 1982.  All the Minney kids were raised aboard the sixty five footer (82' O.A) and after the Tahiti trip, Ernie leased her from his dad, got her USCG certified for 49 pass. skippered her for 20 years in So. Calif. waters.  She was recently purchased and sailed to Falmouth, England.  She's had a million dollar re-build, is now called "Kelpie of Falmouth" and is racing in Europe's classic yacht racing circuit.  Google "Kelpie of Falmouth" for complete info-videos etc. on the new 'KELPIE."

I'm not always messing around with boats !!!

There's lots of fun to be had in MEXICO...

ALL HI-TECH SAILS 33% OFF UNTIL APRIL 1, 2015

WE HAVE A FANTASTIC SELECTION OF MYLAR-KEVLAR-CARBON FIBER-SAILS BY NORTH-ULLMAN-QUANTUM-HOOD-ETC.  THIS IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO FILL OUT YOUR INVENTORY AT NEAR GIVE-AWAY PRICES.  AS YOU KNOW, THE MAXIMUM PRICE OF ANY SAIL IN OUR INVENTORY IS ONLY $1500.00.  KNOCK OFF ANOTHER 33% AND YOU CAN HAVE A VERY GOOD TO EXCELLENT MAINSAIL FOR YOUR SANTA CRUZ 70 $1000.00 !!!  ARE WE KEEPING RACING AFFORDABLE, OR WHAT???  WE JUST DID AN INVENTORY AND THE SAILS LISTED ON OUR WEB SITE ARE IN THEIR BINS AND UP TO DATE...

AROUND THE STORE TODAY...

Every day's like Christmas at the store.  You never know what someone is going to bring in the front door for sale???  Many of those compasses have been passed through a generation of two?  How bout that stainless steel flip up wash basin off a submarine?  That  spinnaker's like new, think it's about a 50' luff with a price of about $1100.00.  And the bell off that Navy ship?  She sailed from Pearl Harbor on December 4th!  One lucky ship and crew.  Have a great week.  The crew at Minney's

Approximately 200 sails will be added to our website in the next seven days. No sail over $1500!!! Values to $15,000.00.

A few of the sails we measured today.

Measured a few sails today...

Great buy on about the cleanest water maker that has ever come into the store.  The boat owner gave us a great buy and were in a position to pass a great value on to you.  New membranes are $800.00 according to the skipper.  Our price is $1095.00 and we do not want to ship it.  You've got to pick it up or have a friend build the crate and send it to you.  Lots of great sails at very modest prices.  Sea Ya...Hope you enjoyed my little Golden Bear video.  If you can't sleep some night, check out my video channel--Search---Ernie Minney videos on U-Tube.  The blooper video has had over 3000 hits and the Lafrans windlass video is getting close to 2K...