1994 Spectrum 16 Sport Rebuild? - Bouncing ideas around

[LDUBS]

What is that mean looking fish in the last pic?

 

[Lost But Happy]

What is that mean looking fish in the last pic?

Walleye?

 

[LDUBS]

Walleye?

Aw, I should have known because I've probably asked the same question before. We don't have Walleye or Muskie out here. Meanest looking fish I ever caught was probably a Lingcod. Caught a small shark once too while trolling for salmon in SF Bay. Caught a keeper sturgeon years ago in the Delta. Not really mean looking but kind of prehistoric. Good eating though.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Aw, I should have known because I've probably asked the same question before. We don't have Walleye or Muskie out here. Meanest looking fish I ever caught was probably a Lingcod. Caught a small shark once too while trolling for salmon in SF Bay. Caught a keeper sturgeon years ago in the Delta. Not really mean looking but kind of prehistoric. Good eating though.

I was being facetious. I know it's not a walleye, but it sure has teeth like one!

 

[thill]

Yesterday afternoon was better than the morning Lots of grey and spotted trout, besides bluefish, flounder and lizards.

Got one of these this morning:

 

[Lost But Happy]

Yesterday afternoon was better than the morning Lots of grey and spotted trout, besides bluefish, flounder and lizards.

Got one of these this morning:
View attachment 117252

View attachment 117253

WTH is that?!?! LOL

 

[thill]

It's a Lizard fish.
Here is another one:


Here is one we caught today:



It's a Sea Robin

 

[thill]

Did some exploring today.

 

[thill]

Here is the biggest lizard fish of the trip. King of the lizard fish!



A nice little gray trout

a spotted sea trou. (Speck)

A stone crab that grabbed a curly tail jig. He almost lost a claw, but we decided that one wasn’t worth it


We are almost done with our trip. a short trip this morning, check out by 11, and we head for home.

This little boat is a keeper for sure. Surprisingly comfortable, handles rough water well, fishes four people well. Love the windshield! It true really cold, and we were hiding behind it on every run.

Not not bad for something I piddled around with for fun. My
beloved Princecraft is destined for the auction block, now. Kind of sad, but someone is going to get a great open boat.

 

[Stand Up]

I'm glad you're enjoying the fruits of your labour. That is a nice boat for sure. Thanks for posting up.

 

[thill]

I'm glad you're enjoying the fruits of your labour. That is a nice boat forast sure. Thanks for posting up.

It was good to actually go fishing with it. Here is a juvenile grouper:



Very happy with the boat, but still have a lot of work to do on it.

 

[thill]

Back home to reality. Was a great trip. Learned a few lessons...

1. The tank only holds 10 gallons, but the boat runs around all day on 4-6. No need to bring gas unless pulling a skier or something.
2. The rub-rail nav lights are the only way to go. No more light in the way.
3. Carpet is a pain in sandy areas. Bring a carpet vacuum with you on a trip!
4. I love the fish box. Flip fish directly into the box and close the lid until it calms down.
5. I need a better drain system for the fish box. Maybe a hose stuffed in the drain before pulling the plug?
6. The 19P prop works great with 2 people, but not with 4. Need a 17P for that.
7. I LOVE the spot-lock on my nephew's Minn Kota. I might need to upgrade mine, now.
8. This boat handles chop well head-on. At a strong angle, the boat feels very tippy.
9. This boat floats easily in 1' or less of water. We did that a LOT in the place we were, and never touched.
10. I am really glad I swapped trailers. This trailer is more highway stable. And the old trailer fits the Princecraft surprisingly well.
11. We all LOVED the windshield and the flip-up wind guard. It was cold in the mornings.
12. We really liked having two dashboards to put stuff on while fishing. Really convenient
13. The windshield makes mounting a fishfinder troublesome, so I sat it on the dash and it worked great.
14. Fishing-maniac kids bring WAY too much stuff on the boat. Took up most of the floor once they spread out their gear.
15. Having a long-handled net is excellent. I made my own, and others ask me where I bought it.

Overall, I'm very happy with this boat. Can't wait to take it out again.

 

[thill]

 

[Lost But Happy]

1. I LOVE the spot-lock on my nephew's Minn Kota. I might need to upgrade mine, now.

Glad to hear it was a success!!

I first used spot lock on a boat I rented last year and it is truly a game-changer. No more foolin around with an anchor, keeps ya right on the spot you want and if the spot turns off, just hit a button and go. Love it!!

 

[Stand Up]

Back home to reality. Was a great trip. Learned a few lessons...

1. The tank only holds 10 gallons, but the boat runs around all day on 4-6. No need to bring gas unless pulling a skier or something.
2. The rub-rail nav lights are the only way to go. No more light in the way.
3. Carpet is a pain in sandy areas. Bring a carpet vacuum with you on a trip!
4. I love the fish box. Flip fish directly into the box and close the lid until it calms down.
5. I need a better drain system for the fish box. Maybe a hose stuffed in the drain before pulling the plug?
6. The 19P prop works great with 2 people, but not with 4. Need a 17P for that.
7. I LOVE the spot-lock on my nephew's Minn Kota. I might need to upgrade mine, now.
8. This boat handles chop well head-on. At a strong angle, the boat feels very tippy.
9. This boat floats easily in 1' or less of water. We did that a LOT in the place we were, and never touched.
10. I am really glad I swapped trailers. This trailer is more highway stable. And the old trailer fits the Princecraft surprisingly well.
11. We all LOVED the windshield and the flip-up wind guard. It was cold in the mornings.
12. We really liked having two dashboards to put stuff on while fishing. Really convenient
13. The windshield makes mounting a fishfinder troublesome, so I sat it on the dash and it worked great.
14. Fishing-maniac kids bring WAY too much stuff on the boat. Took up most of the floor once they spread out their gear.
15. Having a long-handled net is excellent. I made my own, and others ask me where I bought it.

Overall, I'm very happy with this boat. Can't wait to take it out again.

Great report. I'm glad you're enjoying this contraption now. One day, maybe I'll get a steering wheel boat. Nice!

 

[thill]

Thanks!

Yes, we enjoyed the trip a lot, but I have a slightly annoying fuel starvation issue. I plan to rebuild the fuel pump, as it's probably original from the 90's.

Also, some goo may have gotten into the filters, so I plan to change the water separator and clean out the fuel system. Pretty sure with those two things she'll be all good again.

On the trip, the 19P aluminum prop worked well for me alone, but it took a very long time to plane with 4 guys on the boat. I found an old 17P stainless prop that I'll try next. It's a little beat up, but I can always weld and clean it up, if an issue.

Curious of how the 17P will run. Might over-rev when alone, but we'll see...

 

[thill]

Great report. I'm glad you're enjoying this contraption now. One day, maybe I'll get a steering wheel boat. Nice!

Search on Craigslist and Facebook. I've found numerous side consoles, usually for $100 or less, including steering wheel and cable. They are small and don't really take up any space if you sit on a cooler and stash your fishing bag under the console. Here is one I recently did:




Once you put a wheel in, you will never want to sit in the back of the boat hanging onto a tiller on anything but the smallest boats. You can SEE much better, the boat balances and rides much better, and your back will appreciate not being twisted around while underway.

 

[Stand Up]

Search on Craigslist and Facebook. I've found numerous side consoles, usually for $100 or less, including steering wheel and cable. They are small and don't really take up any space if you sit on a cooler and stash your fishing bag under the console. Here is one I recently did:

View attachment 117895

View attachment 117897
Once you put a wheel in, you will never want to sit in the back of the boat hanging onto a tiller on anything but the smallest boats. You can SEE much better, the boat balances and rides much better, and your back will appreciate not being twisted around while underway.

Nice and simple. I like it. Fishing 101

 

[airshot]

However....gotta have a back on that seat!! This ole boy doesn't sit on coolers any more, my butt and back aren't as young as they used to be.. seats aren't that expensive....

 

[thill]

I'll give you several swing back seats. I find that they get in the way, but some people like them. If you need the support, don't try to be tough. It's not worth it!