We needed some shade for hot summer days so i put together a cheap homemade bow dodger, wasn't meant to be permanent. Made it with 1" pvc stuck into the forward rod hoders and a piece of sailcloth, we trimmed the excess cloth and sewed in a cord on the lower edges to keep tension. Worked pretty good for us. Easy to put up, take down and stow away. Tried it out and it stayed secure while underway.

Got some other projects coming up too. A fresh water washdown system.

So what are some improvements you will make to your boat this winter?

Nice project. We made something similar several years ago (well, wife made it)...one thing we found worked well was to take a bungee from the center of the arch on the dodger and bungee it to the grab rail on the console, great tension in the wind!

Dave

Thanks Dave....the pvc tube flexes forward a little under tension and the bungee cord idea would keep everything taut.

I shortened the length of the pvc tube to lower the overall height until I could see completely over it while standing at the helm.

I had gotten a quote for a custom made bow dodger. It was a lot of money and I thought it might just get in the way. We built the homemade version as a mock up and decided it worked fine.

Just getting out of the sun for short breaks, helped alleviate the effects of being exposed to the sun all day.

looks good, the sun puts a beating on you. my old boat had no ttop and was brutal in the heat of summer. for projects - adding a half dozen rod holders, a 4' magna fillet table, swapping out some lighting, plus a bunch of upholstery work

I am planning on making backing plates whether I use starboard or aluminum is still undecided - for all my rod holders. Sailfish blew it there when they installed the holders with out backing plates. I cleaned up some of the wiring rat nest in the console in preparation for an autopilot if the money gods cooperate. I moved the wash down connection from the center of the transom to under the starboard side gunnel exiting one of the rod holder holes. I added a hose hammock to keep the coiled hose out of the way. I rebuilt/cleaned the wash down pump and the fresh water pump while I was under the aft rod holders.

Other than that I will just wait to see if the ap will be doable. Raymarine ev-100 I have all the networking figured out its just a matter of spending the $$$.

sol...

I am planning on making backing plates whether I use starboard or aluminum is still undecided - for all my rod holders. Sailfish blew it there when they installed the holders with out backing plates.

sol...

Sol.....I used leftover pcs. of Azek or pvc trim 3/4" thick, that we use for exterior trim as backing plates for my rod holders, glued it with 3m 5200 to the underside of my gunwales. I can put some pieces aside for you if you'd like. There are usually some short pieces left on the jobsite after the exterior is done.

New,, Steering box and cables (last fall)
Water pump
Drive shaft bushing
Control and cables
Live well / wash down pump
Finished connecting NEMA
Adding two 12 volt outlets in overhead to keep a charge in spot light and head lights
Fuel gadge not working, may need to replace sending unit :-(

Then,,, break down all the reels ,,, clean,,,, drags
Hope to build 3 rods, 2 spin boat, 1 canal spin

Apologieze to customers for being behind schedule ,,, 😎😎😎 :call::call:

Sol.....I used leftover pcs. of Azek or pvc trim 3/4" thick, that we use for exterior trim as backing plates for my rod holders, glued it with 3m 5200 to the underside of my gunwales. I can put some pieces aside for you if you'd like. There are usually some short pieces left on the jobsite after the exterior is done.

That's very nice of you for the offer, I will have to get home next week and take a look at the underside and see what I'm up against and let you know. I'm stuck in NY until the 20th so maybe by the weekend ill have a plan and I will touch base if I decide to let you know.
Thanks so much
chris

Been working in the boat house all wither. Put a new winch on the trailer. Re-pack the wheel bearing and doing some wiring on one of the read lights.
As far as the boat is concerned, been washing, using FSR and Barkeepers Friend and just received my complete Poli-Glow kit. This week will start on the Poli.
Really nothing to do in the boat. Put in a NEMA 2000 2 years ago. 2 VHF radios, Garmin 546S GPS and Garmin 300C FF. Tighten a few screws and done. New bilge pump and livewell pump last year.

looking to upgrade electonics this year. still deciding what i want.

Just took care of a few things I wanted to get done..... still deciding on backing plate for rod holders... but in the meantime I changed the way the wash down was fed and I moved the wash down hose completely.
The wash down was fed from the front side of the bait well pump and would grab air and not have steady pressure. So what I did was add a "T" and fed the pump and fed directly to the wash down pump. Will have to wait and see if that helps any. The other thing I did was move where the wash down connection was. Initially it was in the center of the transom in the engine well with no place to really stow the hose and was a pain in the ass to use. so I moved it to under the gunnel into one of the rod holders which never gets used.

Next backing support/plate.
sol...

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh566/solomon32023/20160125_130856_zpsvuq1b3up.jpg

http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh566/solomon32023/20160125_130930_zpsiytroh3e.jpg

looking to upgrade electonics this year. still deciding what i want.

Did u sell and by new boat?

Backing plates are totally overrated. Fender washers underneath are more than adequate in most cases.
Also a scoop strainer on thr livewell/washdown inlet will help keep it primed
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Pulled apart my trailer Powerwinch a couple months ago to give it a refurb, the steel cable was all fraying and crimped - need to buy a new cable and get it re-mounted.

Also, my old transom-mounted transducer on for the Garmin 140 FF snapped off its bracket last season. Figured it's a great excuse to upgrade to a new color unit. Still undecided on which one. Hate to mess with any holes in the transom, especially below the water line, but done right it shouldn't be a problem...

Can't wait for it to warm up enough to pull the tarp off!

Dave

ive got a complete refurb planned prior to selling the boat. its an old aluminum that could use painting inside and out, fix the flooring, maybe new hubs and leaf springs, and even a trim motor fix (or replacement).

by the time I'm done it'll be too nice to sell

We needed some shade for hot summer days so i put together a cheap homemade bow dodger, wasn't meant to be permanent. Made it with 1" pvc stuck into the forward rod hoders and a piece of sailcloth, we trimmed the excess cloth and sewed in a cord on the lower edges to keep tension. Worked pretty good for us. Easy to put up, take down and stow away. Tried it out and it stayed secure while underway.

Got some other projects coming up too. A fresh water washdown system.

So what are some improvements you will make to your boat this winter?
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Nice little cubby you have created. Nice work.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Props reconditioned.
Motors pulled out.
Oil leaks.
Cooling system acid bath.
New trans coolers.
Water pump impellers.
T stats.
Oil changes.
Tranny services.
Stuffing boxes repacked.
Rudders repacked.
Paint bilge.
Glendinning engine syncs.
New 110v Led floods.
Swivel rod holder on the bow.
New Search light on roof.
Install hailer.
New (used) fridge.
Repaint floodzilla housing.
Touch up roof paint.
Bottom paint.
Zincs.
New fish finder gps combo in tower.
New gps down below.
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Winter boat project.

Bought myself a new comfortable lawn chair to watch Leo get the boat ready to launch.
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Did u sell and by new boat?

Hey Gup, we bought a cabin in VT so no new boat. Kind of glad i didnt. the more i though about it the more i realized my boat is perfect for what i do with it. I had a real bad case of boat envy this summer!

Hey Gup, we bought a cabin in VT so no new boat. Kind of glad i didnt. the more i though about it the more i realized my boat is perfect for what i do with it. I had a real bad case of boat envy this summer!

I get the 3 foot bigger itch every spring Jay and then come to my senses :rollem:
I splashed the other day,,,, ready fredy

I get the 3 foot bigger itch every spring Jay and then come to my senses :rollem:
I splashed the other day,,,, ready fredy

Wow Good for you. To early for me!!

just finished , brand new hydraulic steering with a custom fit wheel .
all new zinks
brand new areator
prestarted .any everything on board is ready to go .....just I,m losing the desire before its even here ,

Bassballer ....I ll trade ya / a peaceful weekend in Vermont for my WIfe & GOLdwen Retreiver .......... no problems .one comes in a urn & the othera nice wooded box <><:huh: