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Here's a good thread to check out for V-hull mods. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1211742982/0

I just wanted to share this article from the San Francisco Chronicle. These guys were doing something they shouldn't have (overloaded boat and driving drunk) and it turned deadly for four of them. Now the driver of the boat has been arrested. Here's the text of the article: Four young men from Oakland are feared dead today, and a fifth has been jailed on suspicion of felony manslaughter, after a 14-foot aluminum boat carrying them and six others capsized in the middle of the night in a delta canal near Tracy. Using rescue boats and helicopters, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Highway Patrol are still looking for the men, who were not wearing life preservers, said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Sheriff Les Garcia. "We're in recovery mode," Garcia said. "It's feared they have been in the water so long that they couldn't survive." Garcia said the boat sank after 10 men from Oakland, whose ages range from 18 to 43, went fishing in the man-made Grant Line Canal near the Tracy Oasis Marina on West Grimes Road. At about 1 a.m. Sunday, a person on shore called the sheriff's department after hearing screams for help, Garcia said. Garcia said the men, who were drinking alcohol, exceeded the boat's capacity, causing it to sink. He said none of the men wore life preservers, and some didn't know how to swim. Six of the men made it to shore. The sheriff's department sent a rescue boat to look for the remaining men, and the Coast Guard dispatched a boat and a helicopter, Garcia said. The CHP also sent a helicopter to try to spot the men from above and help searchers on the water. At 5:30 a.m. Sunday, the suspected driver of the boat was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, jail records show. Daniel Martinez Cordova, 43, is being held in lieu of $400,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Stockton on Tuesday. Garcia stressed that boating and alcohol don't mix. E-mail Demian Bulwa at dbulwa@sfchronicle.com. This article appeared on page B - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Nice! Love the aluminum.

I just thought it would be interesting to see some responses to this question. I have 5. :-[ My buddy has 31.

This thread show pics of how I made mine. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1211742982/0

Won't matter who's boat it is when it sinks to the bottom of the lake from all that weight.

You could also drill a couple of small holes through the foot pegs and the shaft for the bike wheel, and attach them with small bolts and wing nuts.

another thing to do, especially if you live near water, is keep your eyes open while you drive around and look for boats or canoes in peoples yards. You may find something that would work for you that someone is sick of staring at and would be happy to see gone. Just ask and you may get lucky. The worst thing they could say is no.

I used these. I ordered six and there must be only one key type because all the keys open all the latches. They're the cheapest stainless ones I could find. http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Lock_Door_Handle_Sets-SEA_DOG_SURFACE_MOUNT_LOCKING_LIFT_RING.html

stuff definitely happens. My little v-hull had only been out twice, both times with my wife and I. Each of those times I carefully explained the whole launching procedure, including how ABSOLUTELY important it is to put that little plug in. Then I took the boat out the third time, this time by myself. Got the boat launched and tied to the dock, went to park the truck, and just as I was getting ready to close the door i realized that the plug was in my pocket. I sprinted to the dock to see my boat half full of water. I dragged her to the ramp to prevent further sinkage, and had to basically back my truck halfway into the water to get her back on the trailer so I could empty her. (no bilge pump. stupid. got one now) Funny thing was i had spent the previous afternoon repairing leaking rivets and was looking forward to the outing to find out if they had all sealed. : I spent the day fishing in my wet boat with wet gear, laughing at myself for being "one of those guys"

I cut the aluminum with a skilsaw with a fine tooth blade, drilled the holes for the bolts with a small cordless drill, and bolted it together. aluminum is very soft and easy to work with. I also got an older evinrude 15 hp with a 9.9 decal on it. love it for those hp restricted lakes...

check out my v-hull mod. here it is: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1211742982

x2 on the replace all seals and gaskets. they're cheap but labor isn't, even if it's just your time. you don't want to have to rip it all apart again due to a $5 seal.

marine carpet is made with straight bristles instead of loops and snags far fewer fish hooks as a result. just a thought...

check out this thread of my v-hull mod. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1211742982

with new fuel lines and plugs and the problem persisting, you might try a carb rebuild kit. It's usually pretty simple to do on smaller engines especially.

I was told by a dealer that the eye should always be below the roller and the winch strap should be too. The reason for this he said was so that the winch pulls the bow down onto the roller and prevents the front of the boat from hopping up and down while the boat is being towed down the road. He said that any amount of hopping up and down while on the trailer would cause damage to the hull structure over time.

Mine's an '84. Does that count?

I got a bunch of pics of mine posted. here's the link to it: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1211742982

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll get it all done in the next few Sundays. I'll post more as I go. Thanks for looking.

The two large openings shown here (between middle and front bench) will be large hatch doors with locking latches. There are 5 LED lights inside this storage area. The front triangle will be storage too. It will be getting a locking hatch door as well and has a couple LED lights it it too.

Got part of the front decking cut out. The wood part in this picture will have a seat mount and there will be another where that orange cord reel is sitting. Will post more pics of this section when i finish the carpeting and seat mount installation.

Then I can pop it into the other mount for fishing. There will be two other mounts up front for fishing partners. It is unlikely that 3 people will ever fish out of this boat at the same time. If i'm fishing alone i will use the mount in the middle bench, (not pictured yet), and if there's 2 of us I will use the middle mount in the rear bench and the one in the very front (also not pictured yet)

This is the seat set up for driving the boat.

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