Charles Gallup

This drawing actually contains two drawings. The boxed in portion at the top of the page was a drawing I made to comply with Washington State's Department of Ecology's SWPP or Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. This plan required a drawing of the yard. There is no set rule to the drawing requirements so I just drew what the tape measure told me. The red rectangles around the shops, (My Hang Out), represent the construction of two beautiful work/wash slabs we built to minimize pollution to the storm water. My daughter laminated my draft copy I was using as a visual aid to pitch the Boss and the accountant for this $100,000.00 chunk of concrete, pipes and pumps. I swear the drawing sealed the deal. My draft hangs in the Old Man's office. He stole it from me! The remainder of the drawing describes the general construction and layout of the main dock and finger piers. The dock was damaged during the 7.0 earthquake we experienced February 28, 2001. Shortly after the earthquake the dock started tilting. So we are now repairing it. Parts of the dock are 30 years old. Being as a dock repair company is in the yard, why not have them bid and repair this or that while they are already mobbed up? The full size drawing clearly shows each bent's exact location and name. I think the contractor will hate the detail and accuracy of the survey. This morning I delivered my finished survey. Over the years, The Old Man has paid for numerous surveys of the yard. Today, he realized this time, he got exactly what he wanted! Chuck Gallup

My marriage is the best thing in my life. It is better today than the day we married and keeps getting better. The same is true with PowerCADD and WildTools. It sounds corny, but it's a fact! I use PowerCADD and WildTools almost every day for work and profit. I've owned the program almost exactly a year. My learning curve has been exponential! I would say it has also become a lucrative hobby as well. My manuals are coffee-stained and worn, not because the program is hard, and frustrating but because learning little nuances is an exciting daily occurrence. Using this program stimulates the mind. I never tire using the program and often find myself working till two or three in the morning only because I simply lost track of time. It's just that fun for me. Chuck Gallup

Here's the section of the drawing dealing with the dock.

I know my drawings don't rate high on the "Oooooh Aaaaaah Meter" but they do get the job done! I am able to do exactly what I wanted to do when I purchased the program. I now know I can do far more than that. I believe I can draw just about anything! There is nothing in my job description requiring me to produce drawings. The need existed and I was able to supply the demand. I haven't seen another CAD program that gets the $%*# out of the way and simply lets you draw. Therein lies the genius! Chuck Gallup

We conducted a dive survey, recorded data and applied it to this drawing. When there are unknowns, contractors most always bid time and material. Swimming under this dock is no fun. Time and material sounds great to the contractor and scares the owner. It was soooo quick and easy to draw up the typical dock structure and then detail the trouble spots. "Bents" are rows of pilings that support the dock. The pier contained 53 bents. I saved each bent as a sheet. Now, the owner and the contractor will be able to stay on the same page easily because the details are very clear. Chuck Gallup

Another Bent