Boat Project

[Linesider82]

Last week Thursday and Friday we had snow and rain. I was feeling a bit disconnected not getting in the boat for several days. Took the cover off Saturday morning and evidently where the canvas cover was touching the corners of the hardtop allowed water to come in and filled up my socket wrench kit and made enough of a mess that it took about an hour just to dry everything out. I got to sanding to prep for paint on the dash, grabbed an old poly resin in the basement I use for filling holes in plugs and put a circle of that on a piece of plastic. Went to knead the hardener and the toothpaste like tube exploded blue hardener all over me, the console, the deck. Cleaned that up, put the hardener in (way too much) mixed it and filled the holes I wanted to and it set up in about 3 min.

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At this point I really didn't care if it was a bit bumpy, scuffed it up and taped it off for paint.

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I opted for the quick dry Moller paint, and did 3 coats to the dash area and the upper keeper. It's a bit more grey than black but it serves its purpose of hiding the white drill holes that the panels don't cover.

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36"x14" helm pad. I had this made from Mariners Warehouse down in FLA for a bit of OEM feel. I ordered it online, uploaded a Maritime logo and within minutes of the order going through the owner called me and suggested a different color combination because the logo would show better and he said it cleans up nice after fishing. The custom pad was about $5 cheaper than getting a seadek pad.

[nightfighter]

How thick/tall is that pad?

[Linesider82]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

How thick/tall is that pad?

1" tall, the entire back is a 3m adhesive.

[Linesider82]

My agm batteries came in from impact battery. They had the lowest price (it actually was lower with free shipping than Defender's big "sale")

Also, garmin's GT56uhd-tm transducer I found from the bass tank in stock, called them to make sure. I had one on order since Jan where I got my electronics from and they still couldn't give me a date. Should be here this weekend
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[wdmso]

Originally Posted by Linesider82;

Also, garmin's GT56uhd-tm transducer I found from the bass tank in stock, called them to make sure. I had one on order since Jan where I got my electronics from and they still couldn't give me a date. Should be here this weekend
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Got the same ducer it’s longer than I expected , haven’t played with it a lot did find some tires using the side scan I hadn’t seen before , what’s your take on standard chirp or clear view my old striker had both but they were not any better than traditional view that I could tell
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[Linesider82]

Originally Posted by wdmso

Got the same ducer it’s longer than I expected , haven’t played with it a lot did find some tires using the side scan I hadn’t seen before , what’s your take on standard chirp or clear view my old striker had both but they were not any better than traditional view that I could tell
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Chirp is a range of frequencies which translates to better target separation. Traditional sonar is a single frequency so if you go over a school of bass for instance it would "see" the top and maybe some of the bottom of the school. It would "look" like two schools. With chirp you'll likely see that the school is actually completely thick with fish from top to bottom it'll show the individual fish for the most part.

I cannot wait to install the ducer so I can start figuring everything out.

We put the boat in tonight! I'm so excited. We left the dog home because I didn't know if the CTDeep put the docks in yet. We ran about 30 miles r/t from East Haddam north on the CT river to Portland, I wanted to get to middletown but a rain storm cut us off. The boat with the console had zero change in performance. I thought for sure id lose some top speed but we actually hit the fastest I've ever done, and the hole shot felt just as good.

I'll put up some pics when I get to the computer.
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[Linesider82]

I knew April was aggressive for this project, thankfully we didn't have much rain. The move to get the console in the boat before I was done with wiring etc was good and bad. It was good because the console is in the boat before the construction year really takes off. It was also good because I got to spend the day with my Dad. It was bad because "now" all of my tools and power had to be relocated into the elements and away from my garage lighting. The project is not finished by any means but the important milestone of a sea trial (even if the sea was the CT river) was accomplished. What I learned was that the boat still hops out of the water onto plane out of the hole. Not only did we not lose top end speed, we actually hit 1mph faster than I ever ran it. Also... My eldest son James (6) asked the best question I ever heard, "So are we taking rods or what?" He's wise beyond his age.

At the launch, double ramp, I always try to launch with the wind pushing the boat into the dock, and take out opposite. I see a boat seemingly rushing across the river to the ramp and intermittently pausing. I said to my wife take the kids to the side so we get the correct side, I back up and see this person coming in behind me like I didn't exist but he yelled that he was breaking down. Ran and grabbed his boat before it was going to hit the concrete ramp. If it wasn't after 6pm and not my first put-in I'd have helped the guy get his boat on his trailer. Felt bad and also was curious of the failure but had to tell myself do what you are here to do. My son James said he wanted to help so I showed him how to switch lines, and he did it perfectly. He wanted to hold the lines too but I was unsure with a 10mph south wind and that console if it would pull him in so I had my wife hold & tie off the lines.
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My little guy was fighting wearing his PFD but he was "okay" when I put mine on too.

[Linesider82]

before our launch tonight:

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I installed the batteries, set temporary screws in so the wouldn't bounce or move, and tightened down the wires. I did notice one good thing I did and one error. I installed (2) volt meters. One for the start battery and one for the house, both batteries are the same make and model group 27 AGM marine Northstars. They are 8-10 year batteries if maintained properly, a big upfront cost which made me throw up a bit but the down the road cost is way less than standard lead acid and a higher safety level at least I believe so. The onboard charger I purchased was the mini add a battery plus by blueseas which worked as advertised tonight because while we were running it was charging both batteries, and while the engine was off in the yard I could see some voltage drop on the house battery over the course of several hours while playing with lights and electronics.

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terrible pic but the bottom is my start and top is the house battery voltage after our run, I had the house down to 12.3 or so before we started our first splash. Back to my hookups of the batteries to the volt meters, I hooked up the positive lead of the house battery after the switch and the start battery before. In other words there is a draw on the start battery all the time just because of the meter. So I need to change the location of that lead to the motor feed side of the main switch. In other words, when the main switch is off, so should the meter be off. I will need to disconnect & pull out the batteries anyways to get the transducer wire pulled and connected, so I'll do that all at the same time, and hopefully secure and connect my ethernet cable from the radar to the chartplotter in one shot.

[Linesider82]

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[Linesider82]

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[Linesider82]

my current phone takes terrible pics but you get the idea.

the spreaders are stupid bright, I may try to figure out a dimmer to tone down the rear spreaders. Or just leave it alone to communicate with the Aliens from "Close Encounters" do-do-do-do-doooo.

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The lumitec arubas for courtesy lights I really liked because they have a translucent housing which will provide light in a fish box / cooler area without spilling light over the beams but providing light to move around the deck.
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That's it for now. I'll get a video up once everything is truly complete.

[Guppy]

Awesome build and even better happy kids.... great job

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Linesider82

my current phone takes terrible pics but you get the idea.

the spreaders are stupid bright, I may try to figure out a dimmer to tone down the rear spreaders. Or just leave it alone to communicate with the Aliens from "Close Encounters" do-do-do-do-doooo.

Attachment 67918

The lumitec arubas for courtesy lights I really liked because they have a translucent housing which will provide light in a fish box / cooler area without spilling light over the beams but providing light to move around the deck.
Attachment 67919
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That's it for now. I'll get a video up once everything is truly complete.

Beautiful. I NEED to buy another boat.

[fishgolf]

So that is a great and epic story that should be archived and referenced for years! Great job and thanks for the play by play. Hope you have great luck fishing and spending time with the family.

[Linesider82]

Originally Posted by fishgolf

So that is a great and epic story that should be archived and referenced for years! Great job and thanks for the play by play. Hope you have great luck fishing and spending time with the family.

Thanks fishgolf glad you enjoyed the process. I did. My son James can't wait.
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[Linesider82]

Originally Posted by piemma

Beautiful. I NEED to buy another boat.

Thanks Paul
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[wdmso]

Looks great and I like how the blue lights aren’t to intense most blue I see on most boats are blinding. As for the spreader lights you can never be too bright . Or have to much light if and when you need it
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[Linesider82]

Thanks guys.

While I was out on the water I noticed when I was w.o.t. my hand accidentally pressed the SOS button located lower right on the tabbed Garmin main menu. Anyone mess around with theirs enough to know if it can be disabled, locked, removed or the menu bar relocated to the top of the screen?
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[wdmso]

quick question those can cozies I was looking at them do they really not fall over ?

[Linesider82]

Originally Posted by wdmso

quick question those can cozies I was looking at them do they really not fall over ?

They're awesome. I've had them to 70 mph towing without them moving/tipping. And in some rough seas w/o issue.

I could see it happen if a surface was already wet everywhere they might slide. But I haven't had it happen from 80 degree to 25 degree air temps.
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[Linesider82]

Looking for recommendations on hard top rod holders.

https://krypt-t-tops.com/products/do...MaAkvOEALw_wcB

Anyone have that one?
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[Linesider82]

Didn't hear the mail come and walked outside and noticed my transducer sitting on the steps. Had an hour before my son's baseball game and installed the transducer. I had downloaded the install guide first along with the mounting template. IMO it wasn't very accurate in regards to the height relationship of the actual mount. So instead of 3mm below the bottom of the boat I'm probably 8mm ... Hopefully it doesn't result in a rooster tail. Another note, if using a transom saver as opposed to drilling into the hull for mounting, I would recommend using a smaller drill bit than a 5/32" that the directions call for. The transom saver material is soft and I would have preferred a tighter fitment of the mounting screws along with a marine adhesive/sealant.

After baseball my other mail call of the day arrived which was the garmin RJ45 cable ends (ethernet) this cable is for my radar data which I cut because there was about 50'. There's a good youtube video on how to cut and install the cable end and since there are 2 configurations I had saved the end I cut to match the color order to the original end. The order is also printed in the box you get with these ends. The other reason you might need this info is pairing two displays. I made one about 16" long to run between my 1243 and the 942. The set of 2 garmin RJ45 ends and an 8pin crimper is about $28.

Anyways those 2 installs finished all of my wiring to 100% complete.

I tried the radar in the driveway but have no real sense of if it worked correctly. I wish a car drove by while I was checking it out.

Here's a quick video of my console
https://youtu.be/FgytD-xBfgo
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[wdmso]

Not sure if your running the 943 and which dome I am running a 18in fantom and I have a heading sensor , I needed to do a calibration test so the radar overlay matched the chart. The manual said do a 1 1/2 circle keeping the boat level in either direction best I could get was 87% , then I matched my compass heading with my GPS on NSEW all were plus or minus 1 degree. I think this is recommended even with out the heading sensor
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[Guppy]

Originally Posted by wdmso

Not sure if your running the 943 and which dome I am running a 18in fantom and I have a heading sensor , I needed to do a calibration test so the radar overlay matched the chart. The manual said do a 1 1/2 circle keeping the boat level in either direction best I could get was 87% , then I matched my compass heading with my GPS on NSEW all were plus or minus 1 degree. I think this is recommended even with out the heading sensor
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I haven’t had time to do more than just turn it on.... :-(

[Linesider82]

Originally Posted by Guppy

I haven’t had time to do more than just turn it on.... :-(

Same here I finished the boat just in time for construction season to break loose haha. Now I can fill it with topsoil, move it to the backyard and plant tomatoes in it LOL
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[Linesider82]

I finally had a weekend day without work or baseball, so we hit the CT river yesterday morning at 3AM. There was a ton of sticks and logs which made the dark run to get to where we wanted to be for daybreak a tedious exercise. I managed to not see one about 30" long by the width of a half dollar.... Which really isn't a big deal however it got stuck between the OB and the stern. At a 20 mph plane it was pulling a significant amount water into the boat over the stern. So after finding that we had much better time because our first encounter with the water was "where's all this water from" and had no idea the stick was the culprit.

Got my buddy Jon on his best bass to date at 24# and my buddy Evan on his best Northern Pike at 35 inches. Caught a bunch of schoolies too and the show on the water was fun to watch with bass blitzing herring into the air only to get picked off by bald eagles.

I'll put up a pic or two when I get to the computer.
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[Linesider82]

Before heading out yesterday, Saturday I had to come up with a makeshift rod storage thing because I am waiting on a rocket launcher and mount to be made. So I used my old plastic ones which I can't use now due to the overhang of the hardtop, just screwed them into a milk crate and strapped it down.
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[Guppy]

Originally Posted by Linesider82

Before heading out yesterday, Saturday I had to come up with a makeshift rod storage thing because I am waiting on a rocket launcher and mount to be made. So I used my old plastic ones which I can't use now due to the overhang of the hardtop, just screwed them into a milk crate and strapped it down.
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What a Day!
All the work you put into that boat and have a day like that !!
You earned it for sure,,, hell of a good story.... congrats

[Linesider82]

Originally Posted by Guppy

What a Day!
All the work you put into that boat and have a day like that !!
You earned it for sure,,, hell of a good story.... congrats

Thanks Gup
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[Linesider82]

After a few sea trials I have concluded that everything is good where it is so I set the console in with new SS hardware and marine adhesive, adjusted the leaning post and set that as well.

Since adding courtesy lights to the leaning post I hid/protected the wire by routing out a channel on the backside of a helm pad before peeling the 3m backing.

Ordered a Black Oak 6" LED combo spot / spreader for the bow which mounted perfectly just behind the bumper rail, and wired that in.

The last thing to do is have a mount made of 1.5 or 2 inch stainless tube to accept a rocket launcher for rod storage on the hardtop.
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