Joining the 'real' boat crowd

[gim]

The compartments in that thing are awesome Ken.  Its really cool that you customized all those tackle compartments to the sizes of your own personal tackle.  Most of the stuff you did to this is so far beyond me from a mechanical or construction stand point, but I found the whole process to be very interesting.

 

I look forward to the video of it on the water.  Making sure everything runs as it should and operates properly first is a good idea.

[MN Fisher]

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Making sure everything runs as it should and operates properly first is a good idea.

Ya, that's why the first trip is going to be restricted to Phelps Bay. It's small enough that the shore is never too far away, and it's relatively busy so getting help isn't hard either.

[volzfan59]

Ken, Just watched the video while eating lunch. I've said it over and over, but your work is amazing. You stretched those dollars about as much as you could without them tearing apart. 

Thank you for taking us along.

Steve 

[Big Hands]

Transporter

[TnRiver46]

Good deal, I’m glad you’ve got time to remodel mine now. You’ll need to bring your own tools 

 

 

 

 

 

 

just kidding, looking good! 

[MN Fisher]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Good deal, I’m glad you’ve got time to remodel mine now. You’ll need to bring your own tools

You'd have to haul it up here, Russ...got a semi-disabled wife I also have to help care for, so out-of-state trips are off the books.

 

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

just kidding, looking good! 

There's a couple minor things I have to 'fix', but otherwise it performed wonderfully - even with a too long shaft (the outboard is a long shaft, the boat wants a short shaft - adjustable jack plate is on the wish list), she hit 18 mph according to GPS...quite a difference from the 2.8 mph I could max the canoe out at.

[gim]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Good deal, I’m glad you’ve got time to remodel mine now.

I don’t know if yours is able to be remodeled at this point. I think it’s time just blow it up and start all over in your case…

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, gimruis said:

I don’t know if yours is able to be remodeled at this point. I think it’s time just blow it up and start all over in your case…

I’ve tried, it can’t be blown up. They made em tough in ‘57

[MN Fisher]

There - that shows up better...have to let the sheriff's read it at a distance.

[Deephaven]

How's the boat?  I know most of us are dying for updates.

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

How's the boat?  I know most of us are dying for updates.

So far so good - haven't been out lately because of the too hot weather. I've got a couple minor tweaks to do...plan on doing those today...then Friday is the next planned outing.

 

One thing I didn't notice when I got the motor...the prop was banged up, so a new prop has been installed. Also putting another keel roller on more forward for added support...that's part of today's work.

[GaryH]

On 6/26/2022 at 5:11 PM, MN Fisher said:

And here's the full overview

 

Ken that is outstanding work. You sir are a true craftsman. ??? Great job.

[MN Fisher]

Item #1 for this year checked off.

 

With a long-shaft motor on a short-shaft transom, wasn't moving as it should - so budget jackplate to raise the motor up the 5" it needs to put the anti-cavitation plate the proper distance below the keel.

[Way north bass guy]

5 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Item #1 for this year checked off.

 

With a long-shaft motor on a short-shaft transom, wasn't moving as it should - so budget jackplate to raise the motor up the 5" it needs to put the anti-cavitation plate the proper distance below the keel.

Careful you don’t get her chine walking too much now ?. 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Way north bass guy said:

Careful you don’t get her chine walking too much now ?. 

I don't think it'll run fast enough to do that...besides, max speed on most lakes in the area is 40mph...

[Way north bass guy]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

I don't think it'll run fast enough to do that...besides, max speed on most lakes in the area is 40mph...

Yeah I was just goofing. Should make a huge difference for you though, both with speed as well as giving you a bit more clearance in shallow water. All round a good addition. 

[GaryH]

20 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Item #1 for this year checked off.

 

With a long-shaft motor on a short-shaft transom, wasn't moving as it should - so budget jackplate to raise the motor up the 5" it needs to put the anti-cavitation plate the proper distance below the keel.

Another good job.?

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, GaryH said:

Another good job.?

The fun part was modifying the jackplate. The pieces came rectangular without the angle cut off, but that would have blocked both the bilge drain and the livewell inlet/outlet.

 

So - chop saw to the rescue, grind the burrs off, then stone polish the corners and flat to make it look good again.

[MN Fisher]

Just some finishing work left as open-water isn't too far off

 

First up...named the boat. As not only a bass fisherman but also a trekkie for over 50 years, my decision was 'logical'.

[volzfan59]

Hey Ken, When you get your outboard back on, would you post a pic of the motor sitting on the jackplate? Pretty please?

[MN Fisher]

21 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

Hey Ken, When you get your outboard back on, would you post a pic of the motor sitting on the jackplate? Pretty please?

Soon as the aluminum plate I ordered gets in....the clamp on motor wants at least 1.5" of thickness to clamp to...the jack-plate is only 1/2" thick

 

So, I need to bolt a plate to the jack-plate to 'thicken' it enough so that the clamps on the motor can tighten down to hold it.

[volzfan59]

Thanks @MN Fisher

[airshot]

Hopefully your using plywood to make it thicker for rhe motor to clamp on!!!!  Unfortunately have witnessed clampon motors going for a swim if not biting into some wood to keep them in place!!

[MN Fisher]

And we're ready for the water - 2 days after Tonka was declared ice-free.

Things done this past winter

1: Install jack-plate to raise the motor to where it should be - long-shaft motor on short-shaft transom.

2: Moved forward camera to mid-ships and installed on pole - this should (hopefully) give a good look at what I'm doing and makes it easier to 'show off' catches. Installed 3rd USB power socket just behind the base.

3: Replaced 'floppy-arm' mount for tablet (which my Navionics runs on) with Ram mount.

4: Replaced short arm on sonar Ram mount with longer arm to make it easier to look at while I'm standing in the bow.

5: (not visible) Re-routed plumbing for livewell - fill and empty now run through different hoses, but the drain/fill still runs through the same fitting with the valve still used to close off the empty.

6: Mounted 3 rope-cleats (Bow, Stern-port, Stern-starboard)

7: To the Stern-port cleat, secured a snap-hook carabiner that the newly purchased stake-out pole (laying along port side behind rod-locker hatch) will go through...allows me to shallow anchor without the mushroom anchor and rope...though will still have that for deep-water anchoring.

8: Replaced upper transom bolts with eye-bolts...transom tie down now with those instead of cross-the-gunwale strap.

[MN Fisher]

And the cover that the wife got me for my birthday last fall fits perfectly.