First trip out with Phase 1 Complete!

[FishNutz]

Howdy -

I picked up this little boat last September and I've been playing around with it since then trying to get it set up to fish until I can get started on Phase 2. This is it just after digging it out from where it had been sitting for the last 16 years next to my neighbors chicken shed. (And being stung by the hornets that were angry about the move.)

Finding this site has given me someplace to go for advice and information about Tin Boats that just doesn't seem to exist anywhere ekse and I appriciate all the effort that has been put into that.

Here's a few pics of my VERY uneventful, but productive Sturgeon / Steelhead trip while everyone was watching the SuperBowl:

Beached on Sauvie's Island (OR) on the Columbia River across from the mouth of the Lewis River (WA)

My Buddy Jack

I know it's not a boat, but sand shrimp stuffed squid was on the menu

The center seat has a "cooler" built in...Made from 2" High Density Foam Board.
This seemed to work perfect on my last boat so I incorperated it into this one as well.

I put a 3 gallon fuel tank, drift sock and an extra gallon under the front seat.

It gets sort of busy back here with the limited space....
The Honda is a 1997 9.9 with the throttle limiting screw removed.
There's an on-board charger, access to all 5 Scotty rod holder bases, oar, builge pump, 40# troller, depth finder, cup holders, new seat, pliers and hook file as well as all my boxes full of fishing tricks within reach.

The Columbia River can get pretty ugly sometimes, but it was like a lake Sunday....
That little 9.9 works GREAT!
Best boat improvement purchase by far!

Phase 2 is still up in the air while I figure out exactly what I want to do, but I think a new paint job and maybe some of the cool seating improvements I've been seeing on this site may be in order.

Thanks -

FishNutz
(Dave)

 

[gillhunter]

Looks pretty fine right now to me! Nice job. Simple and clean. =D>

 

[timebak]

Nice work! Also glad to see your buddy was with you. Mine have to supervise and inspect everything I do, and they're great boat buddies too. I also like your squid/shrimp lunch offering. Looks dang near good enough to slap on the grill. :lol:

What is the material you made your seat tops/lids out of? Also, I like your idea of using cork as a damper to keep the noise to a minimum when closing the lids.

So that 9.9 planes out that rig nicely? Been helping another friend with his boat. He has a very tired and OLD 8 hp Merc that's just a bit small for his jon. Been thinking a fresher 9.9, or max of 15 would do his rig a world of good, besides help it.

 

[FishNutz]

Thanks Folks -

timebak -

The pickled squid/fresh sand shrimp (I forgot about the nightcrawlers I stuffed in there too) is usually pretty good eats...
(If you're a Sturgeon.) I would imagine a catfish would like it too.
I'm afraid it ruins anything it touches....My fingers still smell a bit and I was wearing gloves!
I also squirt a little bit of scent on it...It's called "Butt Juice" of all things. It smells as nasty as the name implies :-&

Jack (the name for a small Salmon) has been a great boat fixing / fishing buddy. He loves getting loose on the islands and digging in the sand to keep me entertained until the fish bite.

The stuff that looks like cork is actually left over strips of the 1/2" rubber mat that I put on the rear deck. It's left over from a flooring project in a weight room and I wish I had some more for the front. I used it as a pad for the trolling motor and anchor mount as well. Great stuff!

The seats are just some sort of plywood that my neighbor made a long time ago, but never installed.
They were primed and ready to go except for cutting in the hatches and reinforcing the angle that they were to bolt to.

My paint didn't stick too good so that will be part of Phase 2 when I may rework some things and repaint (touch-up) the inside.

The 9.9 and the 15 Honda were bacically the same motor in 1997 except for a throttle limiting screw and the jets....
I'm pretty happy with the way it's working at 13.8 or whatever it is after the screw is removed, so I probably won't be messing with any jets until time for some carb. work. It went up some white water likt it was a real boat and then hauled butt on the big water. I finally have a motor that I can count on!

gillhunter -

That's a great looking build you did! =D>
Some very nice work there.

 

[tnriverluver]

Looks like a nice fishable rig like it is now. Good job and I love the seat storage compartments. I assume this boat has no foam flotation built in.

 

[nick4203]

i am curious on the built in cooler you have in yours im trying to figure out how im gunna do one in my lil 12 footer

could you indulge a little bit on what you did

 

[FishNutz]

Looks like a nice fishable rig like it is now. Good job and I love the seat storage compartments. I assume this boat has no foam flotation built in.

It had a bunch of old broken stuff in in when I got it but that was all removed...There's quite a bit shoved into any voids I could find under the seats and with the cooler made from it, I would guess there to be about 4' X 6' X 2" of high density foam board so far....
I'm looking at some of the front decking and rear floatation set ups that others on this forum have done to get ideas for more. Some places I go to on some of these rivers would be really bad if there wasn't enough there to float the boat. It would suck to get pushed up under a log jam just because I didn't have enough foam!

 

[FishNutz]

i am curious on the built in cooler you have in yours im trying to figure out how im gunna do one in my lil 12 footer

could you indulge a little bit on what you did

I basically just put a layer of that rubber matt on the metal boat bottom to keep the moisture off and allow for some air flow within the grooves / chines or whatever they are and then cut the foam board to fit....I filled the voids on the sides with as many foam scraps as would fit for more floatation and used metal tape (HVAC Outdoor Grade) to put it all together.
It's 36" long inside and deep enough to stand up a beer can....The limit on steelhead is usually only 3, but I think I could fit a few more and some ice in there if needed.
The lid part is just glued on with some spray glue. I was going to thru-bolt it with some big washers, but it seems to be holding up really well so far. When the seat gets padded, it will add even more insulation.
I also used some 2"wide weatherstripping tape around the edges to try to keep it sealed a little better from rain infiltration as well as keeping the cold IN the box.

I did this to my last boat and it actually lowered the temperature of a salmon from the 67 degree internal temp to 42 degrees by the time got home about 5 hours later on a 90+ degree day with PLENTY of cold beverages to keep us quinched. :wink:

Here's the same idea in my other boat:

 

[nick4203]

does it leak or did you run the rubber all the way to the top? and how would you drain it ?

i been thinking i need to get a plastic container to fit in to a foam box built in to the bench seat which would pull out. im not too sure yet been thinking about it for awhile its definitely mandatory tho

 

[FishNutz]

does it leak or did you run the rubber all the way to the top? and how would you drain it ?

i been thinking i need to get a plastic container to fit in to a foam box built in to the bench seat which would pull out. im not too sure yet been thinking about it for awhile its definitely mandatory tho

I don't put "Ice" in it so there's no water to hold and nothing to leak...

A "Live well" isn't really what I was going for as much as an "Ice Box".

My fish get bonked, bled, put into a bag and then into the box to chill...
I just use those 6-pack plactic blue ice things to keep it cold inside.
It averages about 38-45 in the summer and it keeps the Rockeys on the CL can in the "Super Cold" range all day. :beer:
When I get home, I just put the "ice" blocks back in the freezer for next time, fillet my fish and put the carcasses back in the bag for a trip back to feed the river system and then fire up the grill! \/

The worst that can happen is a little rain leaking in, but that gets wiped out and all is good.

 

[nick4203]

didnt think about the those blue ice pack deals good idea