I wouldn't want to do it for anyone else, but it was well worth the effort to do it for myself. If I had to go back and do it again, I sure would. Has been the perfect fishing boat for me, I've changed very little since the build it's worked out so well. :mrgreen:
Six years since I built Frankenjon, motor was an old Seadoo Rotax from a 1993. It's been showing it's age from the beginning with occasional fouled plugs and some sluggish throttle response now and then. I decided it was time to freshen things up. So new motor in, pump serviced, new fuel lines...
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I built another waterproof quad recently, it's a freestyle variation that I can fly acro with. I'll have to take it out with me next time I go fishing.
I was out a couple weeks ago, first fishing trip of the year. Frankenjon was ready, and so was I...
Got some fishing in this week, Frankenjon is still haulin' the catch home without issue. To date, I have not had to fix anything other than replace the battery last year. Love this boat!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akSazFtaTjM
If you do make plans to make the trip, you'd want to come when the river stage is 6' or less for best scenery. All there is now near 12', are flooded banks and fast currents. Now if it would just stop raining....... :(
https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=jax&gage=dctg1&refresh=true
Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that! I'm glad you are still here to tell your story and that you were able to recoup some of your investment from the deals that fell through. I will keep your continuing recovery in my prayers! Keep your chin up and enjoy that Aluma-Jet until the day comes you are...
Have plenty of paint brushes on hand, or lacquer thinner to clean them out, and have all your fiberglass cloth pieces cut to size and ready to use. Use a tad less hardener than the instructions recommend, with it being warm this will give you some extra time to work with the resin. Also...
That combination with PL will provide a reliable seal, but it will not prevent the joint from flexing. It needs to be reinforced with fiberglass to keep that union from being able to flex, the last thing you want is stress cracks developing in the aluminum.... that causes boats to sink. After...
I opted to use the Loctite PL S-30 Polyurethane sealant over the 3M 5200 because it holds it shape much better when dispensed from the tube. 3M 5200 is too "runny" for my liking, and I didn't want to have it drip out of the seam before it could cure. I was also not comfortable with the amount of...
Thanks, the boat has be running great. Haven't had any problems other than a broken steering cable from drifting backward into a submerged stump, even then it wasn't any problem to "surf" the 13 miles back at 25mph. I average around 20-40 miles a week when weather is good. I've been very pleased...