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Thanks for that link. It's not very different from what I had planned, but I hadn't even considered extending it past the transom. I won't be using an outboard jet, but with the right prop, that would probably work. Good ideas. TexasJim

I've got a 14-foot v-bow tinny, and I bought and modified a jack plate for it, with 6" set-back and 3-1/2" lift. My 15 HP Yammy 4-stroke just didn't work at anything above 1" lift above pad. I asked a local expert tunnel skiff builder what shape a tunnel should be, and for a tin boat, a 5-sided...

Wow! A DIY colonoscopy kit! TexasJim

nlb34: Nice work, and a really well-kept 60 year-old. My 1958 BlueStar 14 looked very similar, but not so pristine. Cadillac formed the chines like my BlueStar, by "hickeying" them in a press brake. Having rounded chines makes the boat almost silent, sneaking thru a marsh flat. I removed my...

What a lot of people don't know about Danforth anchors: The "H" anchors are Hi-Tensile, made from thinner steel, but alloy, and are heat-treated for strength. They dig in really good, and will hold in lots of bottoms. BUT! If you hang a Hi-Tensile Danforth under a tree stump, you may end up...

On a kayaker forum, my signature has: "I'm an 8th Day Adventist: On the 8th Day, God went fishing". Good boat name. My 1958 Blue Star Super Chief is named: "TIN STAR" TexasJim

I did 12,000 miles between Puerto Rico and Venezuela in a 38-foot motor yacht. Anchored 1,000's of times. Like airshot said, different anchors for different bottoms. I had five anchors and needed and used them all. The one anchor that was the most reliable was a Bruce, 15 kg(33 lbs). It was a...

I use the Scotch-Brite-looking 5" discs for my mini-grinder. All plastic, and they're good. I get them at Harbor Freight. Might take two of them. No messy chemicals, no metal left on your tin boat. Wear a dust mask. TexasJim

Paint/Primer: I did what Ray Clark did(nice job, Ray). Scotch-Brite mini-grinder wheels from Harbor Freight. Bare metal. But I did two vinegar washes, then primed with Martin-Senour Zinc Chromate spray primer, from NAPA. I used Tractor Supply Majic spray paint for the color coats. Three years...

If you want a regular PFD to wear, look at the ones made for kayakers. They have flotation high on the back and are made for mobility. I wear my NRS Chinook almost all the time in my skiff. I asked my neighbor once if he wore his PFD all the time in his Whaler? He said, "If the big motor's on...

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I used a square flush-mount seat pedestal base on my foredeck, like AlumaCraft uses. Hillside Castings in Arkansas. I wanted the deck flat for casting, sometimes. They make lots of handy boat jewelry. TexasJim

If you can do it, get a twin, instead of a one-cylinder. For many reasons you'll be happier. TexasJim

Back in the "olden days" of the 60's, we made aluminum dragster bodies with compound curves, by using a heavy-duty bag full of lead shot instead of a hammer. No dents, no high stress points. Like the previous poster said, you could make an external form for the shape. Might be more trouble than...

McFeeley's usually has anything in square drive fasteners. BoltDepot.com also has most things. Good luck. TexasJim

Don't know if you guys boat in saltwater, but a neighbor had a custom aluminum boat made for the marshes, and after four years, the salt that was soaked into his carpeted bunks ate four slots into the bottom! He had to take it back to the builder and have a new bottom installed. My tin boat only...

I've run across 2-cycle golf carts that did that. Start one way for forward, the other way for reverse. It was puzzling, at first. TexasJim

oops!

Force should have been spelled with an "A", instead of an "O". I wouldn't spend a dime on it. My opinion. TexasJim

Like your non-skid. That's what I did on my skiff. Any flotation under the floor? There's a lady nearby that works at a vet hospital, and they get those really thick styro ice chests with meds, and she gives them away. I cut up 12 of those and filled all my available spaces with them. They're...