things we are doing to our boats for this years fishing season

[dragonfly]

I thought I would start a thread showing what we are doing or would like to do this year to our boats and share with others our ideas that mabye would help someone elese, or go I never would have thought of that! any way my idea came when I got tired of having to keep my anchor chain in a container so I wouldnt have to here it bounce on the deck or scrach the deck and sides of the boat when I had to haul it over the sides. I do a lot of hyd. work and need to protect the hoses from rubbing so I thought the sleeves I use on hyd hose would work perfect its nylon, soft, breaths, and dosn't rot and its black which goes with the boat (thats important) best of all its cheep. for my ss chain I use #16 or 1'' and about 6' of it, I slide it down the chain and tuck in about an inch and cut 2 small slices opposite each other and run a black zip tie (not because it matches the boat they are uv resistance and wont crumble like the white ones do over time) thru and chain above the anchor if you use the break away style like I do or to the anchor eye if you don't. do the same thing on the last chain link before the rope conection and you are done no more noise, scrached floor, or hot chain, and no more container I have to worry about blowing out. simple and easey here are some pictures for those that have never seen it before. dfly

 

[Bluknight]

Looks like a great solution. My length of chain is rubber coated but I don't that will last very long before it starts breaking down and crumbling over the deck. Where would one get that stuff you used?

 

[Bluknight]

Oh yeah - In response to your thread other than pulling maintenance on my outboards I only have trying to figure out a step stool / lead storage solution for my boat. When I sit on the transom to run the kicker my legs dangle and don't reach the ground. When I'm on the kicker for 2 hours straight I tend to lose feeling in my legs. You know like when you spend too long on the toilet! Anyway I figured a step stool type deal to put my feet on while trolling and make it easier for those less agile to get in to the boat would be nice. Also - why not put a lead on it and store lead cannon balls. I tried the high end version of this getting one fabb'd out of diamond plate but it is a bit of a pain in the a*% to move out of the way once a fish is on. I'll see if I can pull it together and share my results. Anyone want a nice diamond plate box with a lid?

 

[SuperD]

bluknight, depending on how married you are to the weight storage idea, these steps fold up and store nicely out of the way when you don't need it.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-12-Folding-Step-Stool/16206978

 

[SuperD]

My boat modification for the Winter was to add a secondary bilge pump.

 

[mrmike]

My fishing partner (wife) just purchased for my Christmas present a new Ripe Tide 101 thrust auto Pilot Minn Kota Electric for my sled. Will be in the process of mounting it here shortly. Will have some custom made removal bracket so I can take the unit on and off, its 36 volts (3 batteries). I have a guide model sled having it removalable it might interfer with my anchor system. I'll get it worked out.

 

[dragonfly]

Bluknight I get it at a-1 coupling in tigard, wholesale it runs about $1.22 a foot, cheeper if you buy a 100' roll. retail $2.00 you should be able to find it at most hyd shops I give you the price so you can gage if you are getting a good deal or not where ever you buy it

 

[Bluknight]

SuperD - That looks like a very good option. I thought I was doing good trying to kill 2 birds with one stone. Instead I got a pain in the butt from it. I have bench seats so I think a little organization tray inside one of those will hold weights just fine.

Dragonfly - thanks for the heads up on the pricing. I'll have a look around

 

[Kokanee-Toni]

Oh my OH MY

This is a good place for ideas.

What am I doing for my boat? I am, with the help of friends, trying to get a boat ready for the water.
My old boat is a 12 foot 1977 Sears Gamefisher. I got an unexpected inheritance and I spent it on a beautiful red 15 foot boat.
To find out that the motor and trailer were good but the transom, stringers were like wet sawdust.
Then we had a fundraiser and collected about 1/2 of the money and I bought this 15 foot boat.
The blue boat. Which was in much better shape.

So I had Steve and Trent trade the boats trailers, took off the 1973 65horse Evenrude Triumph with the controls (which is for sale). Then sold the trailer and gave the boat to the person who bought the trailer who is restoring it.
But I didn't want a putting green for the floor so Trent took out the carpet and there was a soft spot that they cut out.


And the power trim didn't work on the motor of the blue boat so I bought the trim motor and Steve and Trent put it on. It works now.

I took out the back to back seats that was in it and someone gave me these boxes. I have the swivel seats to put on them. eenakok gave me a bench seat, a Gramin fish finder and kokanee_slayer gave me 2 manual downriggers, and winterun gave some $$.
I have a new bilge pump waiting at Cabela's and Steve and Trent are putting the new roller bunks on the trailer that I bought.
So I need to get the resin and fiberglass for the floor. But we are going to do the whole floor with new foam and fiberglass the stringers...but that is another story.
Then have to figure out where to put the downriggers, fish finder, and all the other stuff one needs for a bigger boat.

If I didn't have a whole lot of people helping me I wouldn't have a new to me, boat, to put in the water this spring.

 

[dragonfly]

Toni, sounds like you have a lot of great friends I know there are a lot of people here with a lot of experience and been there done that, that will be willing to give advice when you get ready to start assembly. so when you have a problem or question weather it be boat or fishing you can't beat the experience combined here. dfly

 

[SuperD]

The green carpet is hilarious! It looked pretty plush. Once you put the 2 box seats in, look at the floor space and ask yourself if you really need the bench seat. My first boat was a 16' and I felt like I couldn't step backwards without tripping over something. I took the back to back seats out and just went with the 2 front seats. It made it much more fishable. Start another thread Toni and give us the blow by blow progress as the boat comes together.

 

[kokanee_slayer]

This years Winter project was to upgrade from Manual to Electric Downriggers and add a second battery. That work is done but am considering adding a bait station.

 

[SuperD]

This years Winter project was to upgrade from Manual to Electric Downriggers and add a second battery. That work is done but am considering adding a bait station.

Does your boat have an offshore bracket? Bait tanks done properly take up a lot of room!

 

[kokanee_slayer]

Does your boat have an offshore bracket? Bait tanks done properly take up a lot of room!

No, I don't have an Offshore Bracket and you're exactly right; the room involved is the delema. I really don't require a bait tank to store live bait for the fishing I typically do. So I'm kicking around some ideas to try and come up with something that will work with the space available.

 

[dragonfly]

heres a project I did a few years ago it's for the top of the dog house. it is wasted space so I made use of it. it holds my cooler,corn, scents, knife,papper towles etc. all at table height its my crab pot holder/dumping and sorting bin. and landing, wacking and cleaning station, when done I take my wash down and hose every thing out the back and into the water nothing ever gets in the boat and it hinges with the dog house so I still have access to the engine. dfly

 

[SilverBullets]

heres a project I did a few years ago it's for the top of the dog house. it is wasted space so I made use of it. it holds my cooler,corn, scents, knife,papper towles etc. all at table height its my crab pot holder/dumping and sorting bin. and landing, wacking and cleaning station, when done I take my wash down and hose every thing out the back and into the water nothing ever gets in the boat and it hinges with the dog house so I still have access to the engine.

might want to check the regs on that

 

[dragonfly]

silver what regs are we talking about i,ve had coast gaurd, state and sheriff on board , if you are talking fish cleaning as long as they are not dismembered and able to see fin clips, sex,and species and are just gutted thats fine acording to all 3 same with getting eggs as long as you have the carcass in possession in the field is ok, in oregon any way

 

[SilverBullets]

silver what regs are we talking about i,ve had coast gaurd, state and sheriff on board , if you are talking fish cleaning as long as they are not dismembered and able to see fin clips, sex,and species and are just gutted thats fine acording to all 3 same with getting eggs as long as you have the carcass in possession in the field is ok, in oregon any way

You might be right. It mentions "unlawful to dispose of dead animal (fish) carcasses, or parts thereof" under general regs. I took it as the guts too since under the general statewide regs the definition of chumming (which is illegal oregon lakes) reads "depositing in the water any substance, not attached to a hook, which may attract fish". Maybe i'm reading too much into this.

 

[SuperD]

Hey, crawdads and catfish have to eat too! LOL!

 

[dragonfly]

silver I talked with them about that and they said it would have to be a deliberat act to stop you for chuming. I am usually cleaning as we idle in from fishing or while waiting to get inline to load up thanks for asking