New Boat (questions coming)
 

As I mentioned in the other thread, we pulled the trigger on a Hydra-Sports 212cc last week and have already been able to enjoy it twice thanks to the beautiful holiday weekend weather.

Here are a couple pictures (wife and kid are VERY happy)

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Fantastic!
Your first mate looks like he's liking it...
Congrats, be safe
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Awesome!!! Extra Safety!@!!

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy!

That's great, enjoy it!
Are you trailering or slipping it?
What does it have for power?

Ian, good luck, be safe and, if you haven't already, invest in a pair of suspender PFD. Especially if you fish alone.

Trailer, but I'm looking for other options as it's a bit wider than I expected and isn't a treat to be trailering so often.

It's got a 2000 Johnson 150 OceanPro (I know, its old... but super reliable)
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First question is one I've tried a lot to google, but I'm having trouble because I think the equipment is too old.

The boat has a Lowrance sounder in the gauge cluster (you can kind of see it in the upper left of the above pictures. But it just blinks when power is on. I traced the wire down into the hull and there are only two transducer-like things sticking out of the hull anywhere on the boat. One is the speed gauge off the transom and the other is the thing pictures in the attached photo.

Does anyone know where one might find more information about this setup?

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That's a raw water pick-up, must be a wash down station with a pump and switch.

congrats!

No washdown, maybe for the live well?

So if that's not a transducer, any idea where that might be? Are the depth only units typically hidden and shooting through the hull rather than hanging off the transom?
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Transducer may be missing,,, are there signs of it missing on the transom...
3 screw holes down low ....
In the picture, the transom is to the left, yes?
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In the picture of the raw water pickup, it's to the right. I'm squatting behind the boat to take that picture.

There are no signs of a transducer ever having been installed... I'm going to pull on the wire that goes down into the hull from the gauge in the center console, if it has resistance, I'll look into this more, otherwise I'll look to replace the part.
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Another question: this boat desperately needs replacement cushions. Anyone know the best route to get those made without ruining the bank account? I had one guy give me a rough estimate of 2300, which seems incredibly high.
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Well, found the transducer. It was in the void below the engine mount with the lovewell pump and stern bilge, covered in silicone and just floating there. I tried to get all the silicone off and embedded the unit in duct seal and say it on the bottom of the compartment hoping that was the hull.

We'll see how it works on the water tomorrow.
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I have used these guys and they have always been reasonable.
http://www.caitos.com/

cushions are expensive. No real good way around it. That said, I sold my cushions on a GradyWhite site quickly, so maybe find a site related to your make and check classifieds. In the meantime, given wife and infant, get a couple bean bag chairs. they are awesome and can be used fore and aft.

beanbag chairs :hihi::hihi::hihi::hihi::hihi::hihi::hihi::hihi:
https://www.e-searider.com/

https://www.ocean-tamer.com/ sold at West marine... or you can search THT in marine parts forum... I found my second there for $50 congrats and good luck!
sol...

Very nice looking ride! Fishing machine. Congratulations!

I had a 1995 2150 W/A Cuddy Vector hull. Bought it in 2002 and sold in 2010. I would buy it back in a second. VERY solid boat. I cut holes in the gunwhale to mount downriggers and kept the cut outs to show perspective buyers the layering.

Remember to always choose safety first. If this is your first boat I highly recommend getting a copy of Chapman's. Great book about how to be safe on the water. Good luck with her! Does she have a name?

Beanbags are for lovers👍🏿
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Thanks for the tips guys, I'm a little worried about the space with the bean bags on board... Is that a legitimate concern?
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Paul, called them today and they were MUCH closer to what I would have expected to be paying. Thanks for the information!
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Glad it worked out. Those guys have always far with me.

Still working on the name. I am a developer and a fisherman and my wife is a mother and a nurse.

Her wholesome cute ideas clash very much with my technology sportsman sense of humor. :)

So continues the conflict of marriage
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Where do you guys store these on smaller boats? Net on the top of the t-top
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Yes you can put them up top when you want the room to move around and fish or whatever.... you can make a bungee net pretty cheap to strap them down if you want other than that you will be hard pressed to get someone out of them when being used.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAMqZA27iA0

sol...

ps. if you go this route just be sure to secure them when you trailer... lost one last weekend on the way back from the ramp... bummer...

Thanks man! This is awesome because I just sent the canvas in to be replaced and this kind of project was item #1 when it came back. Was gonna buy one online but I always prefer the DIY.
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So here's an update on the progress with the boat (with more detail than any of you probably care to read) but the summary is: Things add up quick!

Now that I've had the boat for about a month, I'm noticing the "little things" that made it seem like such a good deal.

Things like the caulking around the base of the console leaking like its not caulked, mildew all over the inside fabric lining the walls of the center console, little electronic items not working in various locations, the gel coat looking powder white rather than shiny and waxed, etc.

Most of these things were things I knew about, but I don't think I anticipated the cost of fixing them all. None of it has been a "I wish I hadn't bought the boat" though... I compare it to when I bought my house... we knew what we wanted in a house and couldn't find it. So we bought a house that needed new bathrooms, a new kitchen, etc. rather than paying for what someone else wanted and ripping it out anyways.

So I've started the "build it back up" phase of this boat.

Got the bow nav light working and replaced with an LED rather than the broken incan. that was in there.

Pulled the stained and mildewy canvas off the t top and sent it in to be duplicated in Navy Sunbrella.

Bought a sun shade for the bow of the boat when we're floating as a family... This one can be easily underappreciated, but it has single handedly made my wife (who wanted a CC anyways) love the fact that we went Center Console, rather than something with a cabin.

Finally got the cushions out to the upholstery shop to be replaced, including making a 2 piece cushion for the bow.

Got some LED spreader lights for off the back of the T-Top, if anyone has use for 12v halogen lights, let me know, I have a pair (one needs a bulb) and they're yours for free.

Left on the "to-do list":

Buy a fish finder/chartplotter
Go over the whole boat with a polisher to try to revive this gel coat and then wax the hell out of it
Figure out why the OB wont spin up over 4400 RPMs (compression is fine, seems to either be power pack or carbs)
Go over all the parts of the boat that have been screwed in to fiberglass and re-seal the seams. (This one will probably spawn its own thread because it needs pictures to properly explain.)
Run wiring up through the t-top rather than zip-tying all the wires to the outside of the frame. Has anyone done this before? Am I better off just keeping it zip tied rather than drilling into the frame of the top and risking one of the welded joint not being open?

Oh, and does anyone have a suggestion for a replacement VHF antenna? I inadvertently broke mine while pulling it off the top to re-route the coax

I have an old one you are welcome to it. I only replaced it it because it was to long for my use you will have to put an end on it easy to do if you want it let me know I'll be home in RI on this coming Wednesday.
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Chris
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