2013 Aluma Gator 2060 - new schtuff

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

smackdaddy53 » Today, 12:41 am[/url]"]

Nice looking boat but isn't kind of a novice move to hing the cover in the rear?

Per the stress crank, how is that corner tied into the rest of the boat? Is it supported underneath or just floating?

You make some pretty rude posts man. Does it make you feel better to be an internet bully?

Jamie is one of the most knowledgeable and helpful members on tinboats.net. I don't see anything rude about what he is saying, if anything...you're the rude one.

 

[Quackrstackr]

Looking at the build pics, that looks to be probably the weakest joint in the entire boat. Also looking at the crack pic, it doesn't really appear to be a crack but rather he didn't weld out to the corner where the bend is and the paint has cracked and popped because there's some movement there. It looks like there is no weld until about one full length equivalent to the missing paint past that point.

 

[smackdaddy53]

How novice of me...

 

[lovedr79]

Novice or not his boat is much more badass than mine. We learn from making mistakes. I think its great he posted his mistake as a reminder to the rest of us to not over look even the small things when setting out with our rigs.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Was there a reason for wanting the hood to open that way? I'm sure accessing the engine is easier.

 

[Ranchero50]

smackdaddy53 » 08 Jul 2013, 00:41[/url]"]

Nice looking boat but isn't kind of a novice move to hing the cover in the rear?

Per the stress crank, how is that corner tied into the rest of the boat? Is it supported underneath or just floating?

You make some pretty rude posts man. Does it make you feel better to be an internet bully?

Ha, I'm not an internet bully, just an internet pessimist. Life has treated me well because I always try to figure out the best way to do things not necessarily the easiest.

This boat goes 50+ mph on water. Vibration and speed is hard on latches so I'd expect the latch to fail and the lid to pop up eventually and if it would require me to remember to latch it every time I move it's certainly going to fly up more than once. As a boat manufacturer they should know better than to rely on the end user to latch the darned thing all the time. The cover should have been designed to hold itself down by it's weight at the very least and be designed so wind wouldn't get under the lip to lift it up. To build a poorly designed cover and expect the end user to latch it every time is indeed a novice move on the builder part.

On the boat I designed and built the covers do not pop open on their own and I didn't need latches to hold them either.

Per the stress crack, if the corner joint isn't supported correctly it'll flex and pop. Again as a designer and builder you need to figure on these things and build to prevent them. Is the crack simply from the user weight on the joint or is it induced from hull flex? Lots of dynamics to figure out and plan for. Shoddy manufacturing should be the last reason for a failure, especially where it should have been a simple weld.

 

[catmansteve]

I agree with Ranchero that the hood was a poor design on the builder's part. I understand hinging it from the rear to allow easier access to the engine compartment from inside the boat, but the fact that it has to be manually latched every time is just silly in a boat of this caliber/price. A self-latching lid like on a truck toolbox/car door/etc. would have made a whole lot more sense. Still an awesome boat, but maybe Gator should put a little more thought into the little things.

 

[bulldog]

SPACECOWBOY » 05 Jul 2013, 20:09[/url]"]Bulldog where the hell is that at on the deck?

It is on the rear of the front deck. Below is a picture. The crack is to the top right of the speaker where the front deck meets the rod locker. I believe the aluminum to be cracked and it not just to be a crack in the spray in bed liner. It looks like it have some sort of oxidation forming in the crack. I'm not about to start stripping the bed liner to check it. If it is not a crack in the aluminum then I'll have a nice messy hole in the bed liner.

 

[bulldog]

Here is a picture that shows the side of where the deck is cracked. It has a solid weld along the top where the rod locker meets the front deck as well as 2 6" welds down the side. It appears to be strongly supported so I'm at a loss.

 

[bulldog]

Ranchero50 » 07 Jul 2013, 15:30[/url]"]Nice looking boat but isn't kind of a novice move to hing the cover in the rear?

Per the stress crank, how is that corner tied into the rest of the boat? Is it supported underneath or just floating?

I'm not too sure of any other way for them to hinge it. If it was an auto locking cover that would be awesome. Like I said before they went over the lock 3 different times to make sure I heard them. It was my fault it happened. I like how it is hinged from the back just in case I need to get to the motor at any time while on the water. Also there is storage in the engine bay as well.

 

[bulldog]

I put a Humminbird 998c SI unit on the boat mounted to a RAM mount. I have not gotten out to use it too much but from what I have used it for it is pretty awesome. I opted to not get the HD model as it was about $600 more. The only difference in the HD or the model I got is that you can see the HD in direct sunlight better. That is not worth $600 to me. I'll just turn the boat around.

Yes the graph is held on by 6 zip ties. I did not have any stainless bolts. It will be bolted on very soon.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Cool flooring. Never seen a floor like that. What do you call that?

 

[bulldog]

Perforated aluminum. I wanted to be able to power wash the boat out after each trip to keep it looking nice and clean. All the grit and grime from the decks goes on to the floor and falls through the little, approx. 3/16", holes and then gets washed out of the drain plug holes. I am told it will not get hot either even in direct sunlight. I like it a lot.

 

[Ranchero50]

I just realized I could blow up the pictures to larger sizes, derp. The crack looks like it's just a spot where the weld was too hot and thinned out the metal. The weld is a valley about 2x the length of the crack with some porosity. The joint looks well supported so I wouldn't expect it to migrate beyond the poorly welded spot. I'd just try to fill the 'crack' with some color matched paint and maybe some Alex caulk if it needs built up.

For you latches, here's the setup that Lincoln used on my LS to latch the rear seat. It's a pull cable setup that you open from the trunk, works pretty slick and shouldn't be too difficult to fab up.

https://i.ebayimg.com/t/2000-2001-2002-LINCOLN-LS-REAR-SEATS-LOCK-LATCH-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$(KGrHqVHJCEFBk+e6-gbBQiY)UyGPg~~60_57.JPG

I'm not a big fan of the hood latch pin sticking up through the floor where someone might step on it during a moment of excitement.

 

[bulldog]

Ranchero50 » Today, 14:40[/url]"]I just realized I could blow up the pictures to larger sizes, derp. The crack looks like it's just a spot where the weld was too hot and thinned out the metal. The weld is a valley about 2x the length of the crack with some porosity. The joint looks well supported so I wouldn't expect it to migrate beyond the poorly welded spot. I'd just try to fill the 'crack' with some color matched paint and maybe some Alex caulk if it needs built up.

For you latches, here's the setup that Lincoln used on my LS to latch the rear seat. It's a pull cable setup that you open from the trunk, works pretty slick and shouldn't be too difficult to fab up.

https://i.ebayimg.com/t/2000-2001-2002-LINCOLN-LS-REAR-SEATS-LOCK-LATCH-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/$(KGrHqVHJCEFBk+e6-gbBQiY)UyGPg~~60_57.JPG

I'm not a big fan of the hood latch pin sticking up through the floor where someone might step on it during a moment of excitement.

Thanks bud. Appreciate it.

 

[Seth]

Bulldog, how did you mount the transducer so that the pump didn't interfere with the side imaging view? I've heard most guys who run inboards had to run dual side imaging trasducers (one on each side of the pump) and connect to the graph with an AS SILR Y splitter cable to get a clean side image picture on their unit.

 

[bulldog]

Seth » Today, 11:58[/url]"]Bulldog, how did you mount the transducer so that the pump didn't interfere with the side imaging view? I've heard most guys who run inboards had to run dual side imaging trasducers (one on each side of the pump) and connect to the graph with an AS SILR Y splitter cable to get a clean side image picture on their unit.

I mounted it just like you would any other transducer on the transom. The side imaging reads perfectly up to about 8 mph then it just gets fuzzier as you increase speed as it is made for slower speeds. The transducer sticks about 1/4" below the bottom so I'm sure I will hit something with it at some point but it is hinged at the top of the mount so it will kick up and not rip off. It does not seem to throw any water or anything like that either. I'll let you know more the more I get to use it.

 

[bulldog]

Rotated the pic.

 

[lowe1648]

I've been leaving the plastic gears out of my transducers after breaking 3 last year. Kicks up a lot easier and stays adjusted right on my boat but I run about half the speed you do.

 

[bulldog]

lowe1648 » Yesterday, 14:02[/url]"]I've been leaving the plastic gears out of my transducers after breaking 3 last year. Kicks up a lot easier and stays adjusted right on my boat but I run about half the speed you do.

I have thought to do something like that as the transducer is $200+ to replace. It is made to kick up but it has to be a heck of a hit to do so as it is really tight. I believe if I hit something hard enough to kick it up the transducer, it will be damaged.

The boat runs 55+ mph but I average 35-40 normally. With premium gas prices like they are it gets expensive quick. It is cool to top it out every once in a while but I enjoy cruising along and seeing everything. I went out yesterday evening with a couple buddies and within 3 hours we saw 3 bald eagles, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spot bass, channel cats, drum, suckers, vultures, the biggest flock of crows I have ever seen, ducks, great blue herring, a massive wood pecker, a bunch of deer, a beaver and a Riverpro. We probably saw 50 different species of trees as well. Nature at its finest.

This is a pic of a 18" 3+ lb largemouth my buddy caught. This is the biggest bass I have ever personally seen pulled out if the Meramec. I think I was more excited than he was.