What Did You Do To Your Boat This Week?

[Rayvon]

Took my new to me project Searay out for it's first water test since buying it today off Sidney.No disappointments,the twin 115 Mercs shot it onto plane fast with no bow rise at all.No GPS in the boat yet but it was quick enough and it seemed to like to cruise at 4000-4200 RPM.The foamed under deck made for no water noise below decks.Rear steering with throttle controls will be great for trolling.Pod was well above water line even with 3 guys standing in one rear corner.Overall happy with it,now I just need to finish it before spring.

 

[Stizzla]

Took my new to me project Searay out for it's first water test since buying it today off Sidney.No disappointments,the twin 115 Mercs shot it onto plane fast with no bow rise at all.No GPS in the boat yet but it was quick enough and it seemed to like to cruise at 4000-4200 RPM.The foamed under deck made for no water noise below decks.Rear steering with throttle controls will be great for trolling.Pod was well above water line even with 3 guys standing in one rear corner.Overall happy with it,now I just need to finish it before spring.

Sounds great! Keep tossing up pics as you go plz

 

[ReelSlim]

Playing around with the idea of a removable Alaskan bulkhead. I like the open back for summertime but a bulkhead would sure be nice in the winter. Couple pics of the mock up. I’m not 100% yet but I know an aluminum wall with a door is going to cost me a lot less than a drop curtain. View attachment 98184View attachment 98186

Just to keep you up at night making a decision on what to do......but I vote for a drop curtain. I think the solid bulkhead makes more sense when you have a stepdown cabin but when its level in the cockpit to the back deck the space seems much bigger without the bulkhead. It was something that I'm glad I didn't do during my build and anyone that has been on my boat comments on the space. I usually just roll up my middle part as it's the biggest section but it's nice to roll up the two side panels and then people aren't turned sideways staring out a doorway looking at the rods.....imo

 

[leftcoast]

My boat is going into the welders for anchor roller fix. While I have it there any other must do’s? I’m just looking for simple little things you did and love. Maybe a transom rod holder for the net

 

[Clint r]

Just to keep you up at night making a decision on what to do......but I vote for a drop curtain. I think the solid bulkhead makes more sense when you have a stepdown cabin but when it’s level in the cockpit to the back deck the space seems much bigger without the bulkhead. It was something that I'm glad I didn't do during my build and anyone that has been on my boat comments on the space. I usually just roll up my middle part as it's the biggest section but it's nice to roll up the two side panels and then people aren't turned sideways staring out a doorway looking at the rods.....imo

I’m with you on that 100%. Up here in the summer it’s way too hot to be in a closed boat so it absolutely has to be removable. Besides, wife says if we can’t open it up she’d rather have no bulkhead wall. My welder guy is in high demand and super busy so I’m in a holding pattern until he can come see what I’ve got going on and what he thinks about bolting vs spring latches or whatever he can come up with to attach it. Couple pics of where I’m at……….

 

[Aquaholic]

Large rear windows are a must, good call.

 

[Alex_c]

Practiced some TIG welding, fabbed up a couple parts for the camping trailer.

Will be adding a few things to the boat. Mounts for nav lights, anchor roller, more rod holders etc. Trying to get the skills to a decent level before I start goobering up the rig.

Pretty happy with how welds are coming along. Got a better welding table, which was a huge upgrade in comfort and body positioning. Stops are a bit rough sometimes, the arc starts to wander to the filler rod and melts the end off. Need to keep a better torch angle and get filler in and out faster. The checker plate is 1/16”, so I’m happy how that turned out for such thin material. Dipping the tungsten less which is helpful

 

[sly_karma]

Maintenance time. Yesterday was all about the kicker: plugs, leg oil, engine oil, filters, lube points, fuel stabilizer. Fixed my goof up from last year's impeller change where I didn't get the reverse lock configured. Love it when the whole unit pops in the air when you give it some gas in reverse.

 

[KACH2]

Ripped out the tired old 470 and started stripping for a pod.

 

[Aquaholic]

Ripped out the tired old 470 and started stripping for a pod.

View attachment 98523View attachment 98524View attachment 98525View attachment 98526

What hull is that?

 

[KACH2]

What hull is that?

Hourston 18 /1989 Hull

 

[brutus]

Trailered the POs back to my shop, then gave a couple kicks to my Honda, couple curse word in French and that was it, letting it sit in a coma till I make up my mind what to do with it

 

[InterMechanico]

Playing around with the idea of a removable Alaskan bulkhead. I like the open back for summertime but a bulkhead would sure be nice in the winter. Couple pics of the mock up. I’m not 100% yet but I know an aluminum wall with a door is going to cost me a lot less than a drop curtain. View attachment 98184View attachment 98186

100% Can recommend. Heater on and door closed make for a nice environment for all manner of passenger.lol. Every once in awhile I take the door off, but even being able to run in a quiet environment is a great benefit of this setup.

 

[Clint r]

Picked this bad boy up for cheap. Sea star tilt steering helm with wheel (but no cylinder), 2013 mercury controls with extra long cables, merc wiring harness and electronic gauges, a switch panel with some quality switches and a first generation Clarion CMS1 sound system. Gonna have to sell everything except the helm to pay for a steering cylinder. Or swap for one? lol

 

[Fisher_dude]

I’m with you on that 100%. Up here in the summer it’s way too hot to be in a closed boat so it absolutely has to be removable. Besides, wife says if we can’t open it up she’d rather have no bulkhead wall. My welder guy is in high demand and super busy so I’m in a holding pattern until he can come see what I’ve got going on and what he thinks about bolting vs spring latches or whatever he can come up with to attach it. Couple pics of where I’m at……….View attachment 98492View attachment 98493View attachment 98494

I thought about doing this to mine as my wife said the exact same thing. I was going to try and utilize my existing drop curtain snaps as my attachment point. I might fab something up out of wood first to see how it will work. I’ve already built wood piece that slides into my gunnel between the drop curtain and the seats to prevent the cold air from coming Into the boat. Why not just go the entire way and close the whole back in!

 

[Fisher_dude]

I made some new pullys so I can get my planer board lines up and out of the way so they don’t interfere with my outrigger poles. They just slide into my my rod holders on my arch.

 

[kaelc]

Doing some reinstallation of my transducer plates after one transducer exploded and I removed it. Highly recommend this technique for removing sikaflex and 5200

 

[Ringo]

Flushed the outboards with Saltaway and added fuel stabilizer to the tank. Cleaned the cuddly, greased the trailer and engines and removed the cushions. Moved her inside the shed and wrapped her in silk like a bride.

Can’t wait for the winter fishing season to start in a few months. Had a fantastic 2023 season and am very thankful to this board for all the helpful tips.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

 

[baddogg]

Put new backing plates and drums on my boat trailer. During the process I realized just how faded the fenders were. Wheels looked kind of grimy as well. Decided to paint everything and changed the fender lights to LED. Also added flush fittings that were suggested by one of the members here.

 

[profisher]

I was going to service my disc brakes and re pack the wheel bearings. After removing the 1st caliper that all changed. One look and I knew it was going to be replace everything. So last night I prepped the new rotors with the new bearings and grease seals then today (maybe the last nice sunny day to work outside) I removed and installed all new brakes. I just have to get my buddy over to work the break away switch on the electric pump so I cam bleed them. I've also spent some time getting my 12ft Thornes set up for a return to fresh water fishing. Bought a new Ez-loader for it and have had it out to Elk Lake a couple of times but still have what I think is a plugged high speed jet on the 9.5 Johnson due to sitting after rebuilding it.