14' Semi-V North West Fishing Machine

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 18 Jul 2013, 02:43

DOBSONFLY » Today, 19:47 wrote:Just about snagged you a goose too!

hahaha yeah they were pretty startled to see us there. Felt kinda bad for bustin' up their party, but hey...top of the food chain right here

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 25 Jul 2013, 02:51

I've been slacking on the updates but the boat has logged some decent time on the water so far.

I finished the paint, and built a custom river anchor and mount/roller on the front. I use about a 25lb anchor with 15' of 5/16" chain to hold the boat in faster current.

The boat runs awesome, and the motor is working better than ever.

Right now the river that I am usually fishing for chinook salmon this time of year is closed, but opens this weekend, so I have been fishing in one of the tributaries which is open and has produced a couple nice chinook for my buddy and I.

I just picked up a 11'6" river fishing rod and a Shimano Calcutta 400B...soooo smooth and the super long rod has incredible action.

My girlfriend also got me a Garmin Echo 500C fish finder for my birthday so I am waiting for that to get shipped.

Storage in the boat is perfect. I can stow everything I need and more and keep the deck as open as possible for fishing.

So far so good, the only thing it's really missing is cup holders. There have been far too many knocked over beers! I have some fold up ones kicking around, I just need to mount them. Planning on a big river camping/fishing trip this weekend so I have a couple things to get ready before then. Still looking for the first fish in the boat!

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 30 Dec 2013, 06:01

Haven't been here in a while!

Some updates:

Took the boat out probably 30-40 times this summer/fall and caught a few dozen salmon. The boat fishes great with 2 people.

Hit a rock underwater on the river at full throttle (river visibility is low and the depth/structure changes every year). Hit so hard that it blew the shifter dog out the side of the gear case. I found a parts motor for $200, and took the time to replace the cylinder head, which had stripped spark plug holes, new head gasket, cleaned all the carbon out of the cylinders, new thermostat, new water jacket gasket, new drive shaft (old one got warped a bit due to the impact). Total for everything was pretty pricey, but now I have an almost complete parts motor I can pillage in the future.

Took the boat out in the ocean about 3 km offshore in some pretty choppy weather. Was hitting some 3-4' swells, and the boat handled surprisingly well. Having a tiller in that situation was an advantage due to the extra control. Caught a couple Salmon and some crabs, so it was worth it!

Installed a Garmin 500C fish finder. Amazing unit and I have nothing bad to say about it.

Added 2 downriggers and mounts which have caught me a 4lb Rainbow trout, and a few Salmon from the ocean. Hope to do more ocean fishing next year.

Took it out this weekend for some steelhead fishing, which should continue to get better throughout the winter, well into March.

Boat is still completely water tight! Not a single leak to report after some hard use for the last 6 months.

Some small qualms about the products I used:

Self etching primer wasn't really the right choice. Should have used a zinc chromate primer, but it would have been very hard to source, and I was fast tracking the build in time for fishing season. Only a few high wear areas and corners have had the paint peel, and it won't be too hard to touch up.

Spar urethane seems to be holding up well on the transom, but the spots that I used stain on have shown some cracking in the varnish. I don't it's bad enough to compromise the wood, but I will add a few more coats in the spring to mitigate any water ingress that could cause premature rot. A good economical choice, but next time I will spend the money on epoxy. I managed to inherit 2 5x10' sheets of a material from work called "Alumapanel", which is a plastic core with thin gauge aluminum on either side and a white powdercoat finish. If only I had this stuff when I was still building the boat! Would have worked well on the floor.

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 02 Jul 2014, 15:23

Couple of highlights from last year...

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 31 Jul 2014, 21:54

Some more updates -

Added a Noco Gen 1 Mini charger with a 110v inlet plug. No more clipping automotive battery charger leads on to my buss bars to charge! This charger will not only save me time, but it's designed to keep the battery healthy. Much better than charging it 2-3 times a season like I did before.

I had a 2hp Yamaha motor which ran great but it was stolen

. It was slightly underpowered for ocean trolling and the internal tank was a PITA. I picked up a 1975 Johnson 4hp for $225 that was sitting for 4 years but started when I bought it. Figured I'd replace the impeller and be on my way...

Unfortunately the drive shaft was frozen in the crank. Took me two days of penetrating oil, tonnes of heat and swearing to break it free. After removing the power head, I had a bunch of gaskets to replace. Long story short, I ended up rebuilding the starter, carb, fuel pump, replaced the fuel lines and plugs, cleaned a ton of carbon from the head and exhaust manifold...etc.

$400 all in and this thing looks and runs like new. I'll take it.

jdmjerrystl · Post by **jdmjerrystl** » 16 Aug 2014, 13:28

alex_c where is the beautiful place you fish at? would love to plan a trip out to wherever and fish in the mountains!

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 23 Aug 2014, 20:43

That would be beautiful BC, Canada. The Vancouver area has it all, lakes, rivers, saltwater... You can pretty much catch salmon 365 days a year here, with the late summer and fall being the best times.

jdmjerrystl · Post by **jdmjerrystl** » 29 Aug 2014, 10:47

I noticed b.c. after I made the post I figured it was a canadian spot, wow gorgeous country up there be nice to take trip and visit that scenery!

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 03 Sep 2014, 23:10

Now is the best time to come here and slay some salmon. If you are planning a trip up here I can recommend some good guides/spots, as well as other activities not related to fishing.

onthewater102 · Post by **onthewater102** » 06 Oct 2014, 08:42

Saw a pic of your sub-floor ribbing structure on the decking - y/n thread & wanted to compliment you on the beautiful work.

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 22 Oct 2014, 03:08

Thank you. The boat isn't very pretty anymore after 2 seasons of hard use, but she still catches fish. Spar urethane hasn't held up too well on the decks or transom, so I am going to re finish them next season I think.

Alex_c · Post by **Alex_c** » 12 May 2017, 05:20

Well, sad news. I sold her last week. It was tough, but I have a 16' welded aluminum centre console sitting in the driveway waiting to get rigged up. Here are some pics of her before she went to her new owner. I'll post some pics of the new one once it's rigged.