Okay So Who's Working On Winter Boat Projects???

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AirForce

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Right now I would be doing my own maintenance if I was physically able to. Gonna have to take both the bass boat & pontoon boat to the shop to have impellers changed. Kinda sucks I now have to depend on someone else to help, but that's life. I really enjoyed doing wiring or other modifications. Hopefully after Wednesday maybe (but I doubt it) be able to do minor stuff. So lets see what you winter project guys are doing or have done so far this winter. Can't get much fishing done (some of us), and others are just ignoring the cold but I haven't seen anyone post any fish caught off the ice either (video's would be great). This will probably be my last post for a little while (if they don't kill me).

Which reminds me, gotta look for a good Mercury outboard service shop in my area (besides that chicken sh*t* place in Hendersonville TN). Might have been where I picked up my motor (for pontoon) and bass boat, but I wouldn't give them a plug nickel of my money after that.
 
As soon as I get my boat back from my daughter's house in Milford, OH, I'll be replacing the carpet and trying to figure out if I have a bad starting battery. But to get the boat back, I have to empty a spot in our garage, but to do that I have to finish my basement shop :(

Maybe by Spring, I'll have to boat back!
 
Last Oct when I pulled my boat out of the water, I noticed water coming out of the boat on the transducer board. Oh well, guess I need to re-caulk it or pull it out, and screw / caulk it back on. Then when I inspected it closer, I noticed that the bolt on the transom, above the board, was loose. This is the manufacter bolt for assembling the transom to the supports that go to the bottom of the boat, the 45 degree supports. So I pull up the deck from the inside, remove the oil reservoir, pull up the boards and low and behold........ every single bolt on my transom was loose, I mean I could move them with my fingers. Which explains why all the water in the boat too. In the before and after pics, you can see the stain marks from the water leaking over time. So I had to undo each and every bolt. And to make matters worse, they were seized and the friggin heads on them are those stupid allen wrench heads, which strip real easy. So thank god for my dremel tool. And 75 bits later. So I replaced all the boats, coated them up and the holes with 3M 5200 and put regular bolts with hex heads on them in case that ever happens again.
 

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Reason they stripped was because whoever bolted that up didn't use the proper locktite which would have prevented the seizing. I saw nothing wrong with the actual heads of those bolts (or was those the replacements?). I've got a multitude of hex heads and those in the picture are referred to as button head allen socket. Whenever using Stainless Steel, you need some antiseize on them so you can get them off at a later time. So no signs of rotting wood I take it? What type of lock washer or locknut was used? (or any at all), Nylon Locknuts is preferred (stainless steel of course)
 
Ya not sure if they used any locktite, but it was odd that every single bolt was loose, and I mean real loose. The heads on that particular type of head are garbabe. I noticed at the show today , that a few manufacters still use them, and no doubt - due to cost. I am sure its cheaper and we all know how boat companies cut corners. I used nylon locknuts and I have throughout the whole boat. Kinda funny, I have replaced nearly every single bolt on that boat with new stainless steel bolts with nylon locknuts. I have depleted Ace hardware in my town and I now have to travel one city over to use what stainless steel they have in their Ace. I am very lucky that I have no rotting at all. Probably due to the fact I pull my hatch on my boat after every trip and its stored in the garage. I checked that wood out and let me tell you, I was really on edge when I popped that cap off - kinda funny how these projects multiply into bigger ones with what we see as a small problem.
 
yep, when wood has no protection it deteriorates pretty darn fast. Now you gotta use silicone on the threads as well if it goes into wood just to get a good seal and hope water doesn't penetrate. Myself, I ordered a BUNCH of stainless from fastenal website few years back but running short on some smaller stuff - but now don't have the physical stamina to do projects on my boats anymore, kinda sucks as I LOVE doing projects of some kind. Pontoon boat would keep me busy every winter (and some summer sometimes). My buddy is gonna help now though since they go with us recently and he gonna end up buying it from me this year or next for less than the motor's worth (Nada low retail is 5 grand) I'm letting ONLY him have it for 3500. Retail suggested retail is 7 grand. Also got a grands worth of new fencing I never got around to putting on it because of my health (2014 was a pure bust for me). Next year I'm paying off my 2013 Pro 175TF then at some point sell it if I don't think I can manage anymore (loading it/unloading it and getting on/off from no dock areas). I know I can't climb into it anymore, legs just won't do it so devised a scheme to take my 2 step stepladder (usually for the kitchen) to get in, reach over and bring it in, fold it, go fishing, then come to the bank, put it out and get out. Trailer has the ladder/rail I added for 400 bucks when I bought the boat. So when that no longer works, that'll be time to sell the boat. Thank GOD that my buddy added handicap rails for the console/front deck and rear deck. It has definitely saved my knees/legs from giving out (so far). Yep, been a real eye opener for me since the last 6 yrs I've gone from doing almost anything to barely doing anything, and until my #14 heart surgery Jan 14, couldn't do anything at all since June of last year. But I got hope I can do far more this year LOL. Making a trip to Texas in April, then IL/MO in May, Joe Wheeler in AL June and Sept and Oct for southern LA saltwater marsh fishing (to cap off my fishing trips).

Now I'll mix in some fishing with my brother in Fayette AL, but we decided to do something different. First I'll have to get a new handicap lift for my truck. Other one is broke (won't lift 400lb chair high enough). Problem is the handicap services got a LOCK on anything handicap, so you have to buy the motors from authorized distributors and a $50 motor is over $500 plus $100 per hr to install (and that's probably 2 hours min), and most of those yahooos don't have a clue if there's a problem (and they are suppose to be certified in the products - yeah right). SO, it'll just be easier to get a new lift for 3500 (only I intend to buy it from somebody else and have it installed myself through my buddy). But thinking of getting the truck side lift model that then covers itself with a camper top to protect everything from the rain. Just a hand controller on my chair if it gets wet and goes bad (and had that happen once when I got caught in a downpour) cost me $700 (again for a $100 controller that costs $30 to make). Yep, handicap anything is a racket, now if the GOVERNMENT would do something about THAT problem.

Wife and I almost pulled the trigger on a 74 grand worth of a Toyota handicap van. We already had one but felt it would be almost worthwhile to have one new rather than used (I bought a 2007 van - cost us about 3 grand in repairs in 3 yrs for the ramp repairs - electric motors/control boards), BUT the only problem with the new design LOL, was that the passenger side seat WOULD NOT RECLINE because they couldn't figure out how to move it one inch to the left (towards center) so that it would clear the fold up ramp. That was a deal breaker (and so glad not to be in debt for 60 grand), they end up wanting to give us 19 grand for our 2007 model (we paid 30 for it), plus another 5 grand for my 2006 Chevrolet Silverado (only has 20,000 miles on it), so nixed the whole deal.

Both my trucks are paid for, wife will have the van paid off in Oct and we said, the heck with that, we can fix ours up if anything breaks and a new lift for my Toyota truck and I'm good to go. Might trade in my 2 trucks at CarMax though for a newer Ford F150 BUT that all depends how I feel in 2016 (when all my bills are paid off this year and boat paid off in 4 months of 2016). In the meantime I'M GONNA FISH MY BUTT OFF every chance I get. Gonna have it in my death thingy that a fully rigged rod is in my pine box coffin so I can go fishing even when I'm dead :cool:
 

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