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[NorthernBasser]

On 9/8/2024 at 5:13 PM, Motoboss said:

Well as posted Here and documented throughout this thread I have finally finished the Sportspal canoe project.  It started November 11th of 2023 when I bought it off Facebook for really, really cheap. I started work and quickly had it stripped and ready for paint,,,,,thennnn.
 

My Wife was diagnosed with Cancer and our priorities changed, immensely! She has undergone several surgeries and six chemotherapy rounds and is now in remission, thank you very much! This is the first post or mention of this here and not looking for this to turn into “the conversation” but just as a reason on why it has taken me a year to get this done.

I thank you all and appreciate your sympathies and concern and only ask for Prayers if you can.

 

Anyway, here it is and tomorrow is the maiden voyage and we’re looking forward to an exciting Fall fishing season.

Wish me luck 😆

 

 

 

 

 

That looks awesome!

 

And I'm so happy to hear your wife is in remission. Great news!

20 hours ago, boostr said:

Upgraded from my 07 Stratos 176XT to this 25' Vexus AVX 1980 with a 25' Zuke Stealth, and Garmin electronics... Got a 12 Ultra 2 at the console, and will be adding 2 10 Ultras that have been sitting in their box for about a year on the bow attached to a BBT hood offset mount. Took it out yesterday for the first time after sitting in my garage for a month. What a massive upgrade in size and storage. The knew v2 front decks are massive, there is so much space at the very front of the deck. We had no problem moving around with three people. Sucks I couldnt do a full send on the motor because of the break in period. Over all we're happy with it.

 

 

Very nice!

[Don Harris]

This is my 1986 Stratos 179V. It is powered by a Mariner 150 Magnum. It is a two owner boat (before me). Both prior owners kept it in the garage and took very good care of it. It is the cleanest 38 year old boat I have ever seen. I love it!

[GaryH]

3 hours ago, Don Harris said:

This is my 1986 Stratos 179V. It is powered by a Mariner 150 Magnum. It is a two owner boat (before me). Both prior owners kept it in the garage and took very good care of it. It is the cleanest 38 year old boat I have ever seen. I love it!

Looking good

[Skunked again]

9 hours ago, Don Harris said:

This is my 1986 Stratos 179V. It is powered by a Mariner 150 Magnum. It is a two owner boat (before me). Both prior owners kept it in the garage and took very good care of it. It is the cleanest 38 year old boat I have ever seen. I love it!

Love the lines of those boats, and the sound of that class engine! 

[TheSwearingAngler]

I finally got around to rigging up some wheels so I can drag it into more places fully rigged. All I have left to do (that I can think of)is upgrade to a lighter battery and maybe add lights for night fishing.

 

 

[Motoboss]

On 10/14/2024 at 9:38 AM, TheSwearingAngler said:

I finally got around to rigging up some wheels so I can drag it into more places fully rigged. All I have left to do (that I can think of)is upgrade to a lighter battery and maybe add lights for night fishing.

 

 

Awesome, another SportsPal! What model is yours? Looks to be a square stern, maybe 11/12 foot?

[TheSwearingAngler]

1 hour ago, Motoboss said:

Awesome, another SportsPal! What model is yours? Looks to be a square stern, maybe 11/12 foot?

1970 C1P 11 foot double pointed… I got it from another BR member the beginning of last season and have been slowly restoring/modifying it. 
 

It flips people out when I’m standing up trolling motor at 50%  power fishing a bank.

[Motoboss]

I hear you! I sold my Old Town AP and got my 1994 13-S because it was more stable, wider and way more comfortable to stand in, not to mention thousands cheaper.

I just added a 55# thrust trolling motor which is an improvement over the AP 45# and the room to move around or bring extra gear far surpasses the AP space availability.
Just got a trailer (a 1956 Tee-Nee getting powered coated) which will be great for tournament events.

Really pleased with mine too.

 

 

[flatcreek]

[Swamp Girl]

Newest canoe and my fourth current canoe. Here are my four:

 

A Bell Rockstar, which is aptly named. It's solo, Kevlar, thin, tippy, and fast. It's the canoe I use when car topping and carrying a canoe through the woods or wheeling it over a meadow.

 

An Old Town Charles River: tandem, heavy, and stable. Kept at my pond.

 

The NEXT canoe, which is half kayak/half canoe. Also to be kept at my pond.

 

A long, heavy canoe behind my shed. Don't know the maker nor model because it's too heavy for me to lift. A gift.

 

Yeah, I have a fleet. 

 

 

 

 

[Motoboss]

4 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Newest canoe and my fourth current canoe. Here are my four:

 

A Bell Rockstar, which is aptly named. It's solo, Kevlar, thin, tippy, and fast. It's the canoe I use when car topping and carrying a canoe through the woods or wheeling it over a meadow.

 

An Old Town Charles River: tandem, heavy, and stable. Kept at my pond.

 

The NEXT canoe, which is half kayak/half canoe. Also to be kept at my pond.

 

A long, heavy canoe behind my shed. Don't know the maker nor model because it's too heavy for me to lift. A gift.

 

Yeah, I have a fleet. 

 

 

 

 

You’re going to have to build a marina before long 😆
 

Nice to have options!

[TheSwearingAngler]

7 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Newest canoe and my fourth current canoe. Here are my four:

 

A Bell Rockstar, which is aptly named. It's solo, Kevlar, thin, tippy, and fast. It's the canoe I use when car topping and carrying a canoe through the woods or wheeling it over a meadow.

 

An Old Town Charles River: tandem, heavy, and stable. Kept at my pond.

 

The NEXT canoe, which is half kayak/half canoe. Also to be kept at my pond.

 

A long, heavy canoe behind my shed. Don't know the maker nor model because it's too heavy for me to lift. A gift.

 

Yeah, I have a fleet. 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful canoe… I bet she takes you to your new PB.

[Cuivre]

Here's my G3 HP180 when I was bringing her down from quad cities where she lived before I bought her.  (Still had the old reg numbers on her).

 

 

 

[The Rooster]

Mine is a 2022 Paddle King Lo Pro Angler. Small little pontoon, 13’3” in length with a 11x7 deck. It’s not nearly as small feeling as it seems when describing it. Has a 20HP Tohatsu outboard. I have customized and modified it quite a bit, particularly with the electrical system.
 

 

Also working on building out my kayak. It is a Pelican Rally 100XP. Bought it in late September and had it out three times before it got too cold to go. I’ve added quite a few mods and accessories to it since then so I can’t wait for spring to get back on it!
 

[12poundbass]

@The Rooster Paddle King is made 20 minutes away from me. As a kid I used to sell marine plywood to them when I was working at a local lumber yard. 

[Skunked again]

9 hours ago, The Rooster said:

Mine is a 2022 Paddle King Lo Pro Angler. Small little pontoon, 13’3” in length with a 11x7 deck. It’s not nearly as small feeling as it seems when describing it. Has a 20HP Tohatsu outboard. I have customized and modified it quite a bit, particularly with the electrical system.
 

 

Also working on building out my kayak. It is a Pelican Rally 100XP. Bought it in late September and had it out three times before it got too cold to go. I’ve added quite a few mods and accessories to it since then so I can’t wait for spring to get back on it!
 

A few more pics and details about the pontoon please! What have you done to it?

[The Rooster]

On 1/4/2025 at 8:47 AM, Skunked again said:

A few more pics and details about the pontoon please! What have you done to it?

Ok. First, we ordered it from the dealer, but we had it customized somewhat. They all come with one bench that has a livewell inside it. We left that out because we wanted an open floor plan. My wife uses a zero gravity recliner in that spot instead. Also had 5 seat bases installed to give me options on seat placement. 

After I got it, I installed an electric horn in the console, a Lowrance Hook 5 fish finder, and a complete electrical system with a complex array of relays to make the lights work how I wanted them to, and with a fuse bank and lots of switches and lights on the dash. I added a 12v port, USB ports in two locations, a voltmeter, interior lights all around, four front facing fog lights mounted between the rails, replaced the corner cup holder/rod holders with one of my own design so it holds up to 8 rods total. I built those using polyethylene cutting boards for durability and no rot. Also used more of those cutting boards inside the rear storage area to mount the electrical fuse panel. Also added a 50A breaker and 6 gauge wire for a 54 pound Watersnake trolling motor. Built a mount for the motor from extra thick 1” cutting boards and some stainless steel shelf brackets for added support. Added a socket for a stern light on the rear deck so I don’t have to raise the bimini for a light at night. Added clips on the inside wall to hold two emergency paddles. Built a fire extinguisher holder from gray PVC pipe to mount it on the floor between the console and rail so it is more accessible but also mostly hidden. Modified the way the stern light plugs up and disconnects so it is a socket instead of just a dangling wire. Replaced the exterior graphics to something more pleasing to us. We went with neon green themes to accent the blue color. My wife didn’t like the small puffy lettering of the original logo so we took inspiration from the small oval logo on the front gate and had a much larger one designed at a local shop. 
 

There may be more but I can’t think of any right now. Oh yeah, a peel and stick ruler about 24” long on the gate for measuring fish. Also two Railblaza Rod Holder II holders on the front deck for trolling baits. Also added stainless springs to the bimini straps to withstand strong gusts of wind and bouncing on the waves. This really helps! Also added rubber bump padding on the bimini frame at all the contact points when it is folded down to prevent wear. Also fabbed a new gate latch from black cutting board. The stock latch didn’t even survive the trip home due to wind pressure on the gate. The new one is going on 4 years old and still like new. Wow, I just keep thinking of things and have to edit this post to add them.

 

Day one of ownership. Towed home with a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. It towed it really well, but I traded it off for a 2023 Nissan Frontier shortly after. 

 

20HP Tohatsu outboard. 

 

Boat at night.

 

Trolling motor mount, and my first fish caught in the boat.

 

 

 

[The Rooster]

A few more photos…

This shows the new graphics on the side we had made. Also my awesome Nissan Frontier! Love that truck!

Dad fishing from the boat. The new rod rack, corner table with dual cup and bait holders, and fog lights mounted on them are visible.

Me and Reese, my little dachshund who loves to go fishing. Another view of the rod holders, corner table and fog lights setup. Rods are secured with bungee, just press them in. 

 

Reese sniffing a fish! Also shown are the fish finder and horn grill that I mounted in the console. This shows the paddles on the walls, and the interior of the boat somewhat also. Dad’s tackle bag is where that bench would have been if we’d gotten it. I’m glad we didn’t. Also the fire extinguisher is just barely visible on the lower left. I fabbed a mount from a 4” PVC coupler and a 4” cap and mounted it on the floor. Extinguisher fits snug in it but can be easily pulled out. Fish finder is on  a swivel so it can rotate.

[The Rooster]

Better shot of the measuring tape and foglights.

Railblaza Rod Holder II on front deck, one on each side. I keep them turned up for a convenient place to stick a rod while I release a fish. Adjust them horizontal to troll baits.

 

Fire Extinguisher mount is visible on the lower left.

 

Reese fooled around and fell in the water! But he’s ok. He sunned himself on the wide open deck and dried out.

[Skunked again]

That is fabulous sir!! I truly applaud you!!

That boat is setup perfectly.

[Motoboss]

@The Rooster Awesome setup, and I love fishing pups!

[billm6767]

I fish mainly in the Susquehanna river so I need something that handles skinny, rock filled water.  My boat is a 2015 Crestliner 17 foot with an 80 horse Mercury Jet.  This was the picture from the dealership where it came from last year.

[Alan Land]

I just got this, picked it up the other day, too cold to fish! LOL 94 Champion 186 with a 95 Mercury 175 EFI. She needs some love, but I plan on taking it out as soon as weather lets me. 

[gim]

43 minutes ago, Alan Land said:

94 Champion 186 with a 95 Mercury 175 EFI.

 

Honestly looks like a pretty decent boat/motor given that its 30 years old.

[GaryH]

@Alan Land congrats on your new ride. Looking good.