G3 1548 "My take on a classic"

[fool4fish1226]

Nice set-up - I love my anchor pins one of my best investments.

 

[theyyounggun]

Here's you a stupid question on your Yeti the the pad says yeti on it but is it the yeti brand or a different brand?

 

[DearJon]

Here's you a stupid question on your Yeti the the pad says yeti on it but is it the yeti brand or a different brand?

Yes sir, it is the Yeti brand. It was on back order for a few weeks, and they called and offered me the light blue, or seafoam green color instead. Obviously, on this boat I had to have the gray. Worth the wait though.

 

[DearJon]

When I first got the boat, it was rigged up for flounder gigging. It had flood lights on the bow that were in the way. I removed everything from the bow, including the navigation lights, so I'd have a clean space to mount my trolling motor. Well, I never got around to putting any lights back on it until now. I wanted to replace all the old incandescent lighting with newer, brighter L.E.D.'s. When you are running off of a 12 volt system, amp draw is definitely a concern. I got these lights from Ozonium.com. They are super bright, draw 1/10th the amperage of a standard 906 bulb, and don't get hot. The website says they are water proof, but I sealed them with clear silicone just in case. Everything was wired to a three-way switch on the console, and I put an in-line fuse next to the battery. Can't be too careful.

 

[DaveInGA]

Your boat is looking fantastic. Light weight, effective and simple. I really like the LED approach you're using and using them in my build. I'm going to see if I can find LED lights for my Nav lights as well.

The https://www.oznium.com/ website has tons of listings. Which lights are those you have and did the rear light come from there as well?

 

[DearJon]

Your boat is looking fantastic. Light weight, effective and simple. I really like the LED approach you're using and using them in my build. I'm going to see if I can find LED lights for my Nav lights as well.

The https://www.oznium.com/ website has tons of listings. Which lights are those you have and did the rear light come from there as well?

Yes, all lights on the boat came from Ozonium. I'm very happy with them. Fast shipping, reasonable prices...what's not to like? Like I said above, even if it says "water proof", seal it anyways. Better safe than sorry.

 

[gator1gear]

LOVE the boat! Wanna see more pics of that Pontiac in the background too :mrgreen:

 

[DearJon]

LOVE the boat! Wanna see more pics of that Pontiac in the background too :mrgreen:

Thanks gator1gear. Yeah, there's just something about Tin Boats, and all-steel cars that satisfies the soul.

 

[DearJon]

My little Honda finally gave up the ghost last week. She was a 1994 35 hp four stroke, and a **** good little motor, but I think she saw one too many seasons of salt water use. I have only had her for the past two years, and have religiously flushed and rinsed her after each outing. I started getting some hesitation, and then hesitation turned into what seemed like misfiring. Power was way down from what it had been. I immediately thought carburetors, but alas that wasn't it. Even after a thorough cleaning, the problem persisted. An inspection of the spark plugs revealed rust on the #3 plug. I inserted the blow off nozzle from my air compressor into the #3 spark plug hole, and gave it some air. Quite a bit of water blew out onto my hand. I knew I had real trouble at this point. The real fun came when I went to check the oil, which I had just changed a week earlier, and something resembling chocolate milk came shooting out of the dipstick tube under pressure. Sigh. She's done for. I know it could be as simple as a head gasket replacement, but there are a myriad of other little issues here and there. So rather than put more money into an old motor......

I decided to re-power!

I bought a 2012 Yamaha F40. She is sweet, and purrs like a kitten. I also added a digital tach, and new 703 controls. My new prop hasn't come in yet, but strangely enough, the prop off the Honda fit perfectly. I used it today, and got the first two hours of the break-in procedure done. I am loving this new motor. No more carbs!

 

[gillhunter]

The boat looks great!! Congrats on the Yamaha! They are great motors, had one on my last tin. Don't envy anyone that has to maintain a boat in saltwater :LOL2:

 

[DearJon]

Well, I've gotten about 5 hours of break in done and am really pleased with the new motor so far. I did have a couple of issues though. When I first ran the boat, it would raise the bow too high before it would plane out. I added a Stingray hydrofoil, and the problem is solved. It is a much nicer boat to operate now. I had one on my Honda, and it worked really well too. I was running my old prop on the new motor to get the break in procedures started, and until my new prop arrived. It had quite a few dings in it, but no structural damage. It is a Michigan prop in 13" pitch, and the motor reached 5700-5800 rpm's with it at WOT. Top speed with that prop was 33 mph. The new prop came in the other day, and I installed it right away. It is a Solas Amita in 14" pitch. I had high hopes for the new prop, but alas it actually performed worse than the old, beat up Michigan prop. The motor would only reach 4700 rpm's with the new prop, and top speed was 29.5 mph. The manufacturer recommendation is an operating range between 5000-6000 rpm's, so I ordered another prop in 13" pitch. Hopefully this one is the ticket. It should come tomorrow. I'll keep ya'll posted on the results. If it works out well, then I'll most likely order an identical stainless steel prop for the motor, and then keep the aluminum one for a spare,

 

[DearJon]

Hello all,

I figured I'd take a break from building, and post some fishin' pics. Here they are....enjoy :mrgreen:

 

[bigwave]

Very nice new power.....if you don't mind, what does a new one of those cost?

 

[theyyounggun]

It looks good! I would of started crying installing the hydrofoil...

 

[DearJon]

Very nice new power.....if you don't mind, what does a new one of those cost?

Thanks. The motor ran about $5,200. Controls, gauges, and other items required for rigging totaled close to a $1,000. Not cheap, but I fish a lot, so I plan on getting my money's worth.

 

[DearJon]

I've been trying to do some last minute additions just to make the boat more user friendly. Whenever I needed to fill up on fuel, I would have to pull out the bladder from under the bow to access the filler cap. It's easy to pull out the bladder when it's empty, but trying to put it back under the bow with 80 lbs. of fuel in it is a pain in the neck (and back). I originally thought that fill ups would be pretty infrequent, so I would just deal with the inconvenience once a month. After filling up in 95 degree heat the other day, I vowed never to do that again. I was completely soaked with sweat. I decided to install a hatch that I got through Tempress. Now it's a breeze to fill up at the local marina. With ethanol-free fuel of course...

I also added a couple of large cup holders that accommodate the Koozie too. I got really tired of spilling my beverages. They are dark gray, match the boat well, and seem pretty sturdily made.

 

[hollywooddippa]

Great work!!! Looks like a pretty versital boat!!

 

[DearJon]

I ordered a "Splash" cover for the new motor, and it finally came in last week. I had a chance to use it on the water the other day, and I'm very pleased so far. The cover seems to be well made, and fits very tightly. It has vents built in, so it is designed to stay on at all times, even when running, or trailering.

I also installed a bow mounted trim switch. This is a feature I had noticed on many of the larger, nicer boats and I wanted one too. Now, I don't have to leave the bow to raise the motor. It was only about $30, and was an easy 3 wire hook up.

 

[hunterguy86]

Looking good!

Can you go into a little more detail on the bow mounted trim switch. I'd like to do that same mod.

 

[Brock T]

Do you ever fish around Bogue Field? I was stationed there during my enlistment. We had pretty good luck with the reds!

Semper Fi