Nussy
Well-known member
Wow now you need the boat since your moving from Ice Fishing territory!!!
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'88 16ft V mod. muskiecraft
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danmyersmn
Well-known member
Nussy said:
Yeah I know, but I have a month to help my wife get the house in shape for selling. You haven't seen my garage!!! Then I am moving to a location with no garage. I guess its time to try some shore fishing of the Atlantic
jasper60103
Well-known member
danmyersmn said:
I certainly enjoyed following your mod and learned a lot from it. I know moving is a big job. Give us an update when you get a chance. Take care.
danmyersmn
Well-known member
Boat is still stuck in storage. I am close to my move. Leaving in 10 days. I have been thinking about how I am going to refit my boat for my new fishing. I won't have huge boxes of huge muskie/pike lures to deal with so I think the storage areas will just be stuck lockers/openings to toss stuff into. I am not to concerned with what to do with them at this point. Maybe I will pull them out and give my self more floor space.
I have decided I am going to rethink my motor options. I was going to put a 80# 24v. Autopilot troller on the bow. This is an ideal tool for muskie fishing because you point the bow of the boat down the shoreline in about 10' of water and troll it while your casting each side. I don't know if I am going to need this type of motor for fishing around Charleston. Maybe? I have read about drifting with the tide or trolling back against the tide. I think either way you are more involved with the trolling motor and not going 30-40min straight runs where it would be nice if the troller would do the work for you.
Either way, my priority now is a new outboard. My current motor can be a bear to start sometimes. 20-30 pulls. After it is good and warm it starts right up so I have never worried about it since I am always fishing lakes. Switching to River fishing and I want something I feel a little more secure with. I am going to look into a 20-30hp electric start tiller. I am hoping to find one for a decent price.
After that I will probably look at a 50# bow mount troller. I might be open to going back to 12v since I don't know how much I will use it. It's going to be all new and a learning curve on how you fish tides and/or brackish water. Should be fun though!
I have decided I am going to rethink my motor options. I was going to put a 80# 24v. Autopilot troller on the bow. This is an ideal tool for muskie fishing because you point the bow of the boat down the shoreline in about 10' of water and troll it while your casting each side. I don't know if I am going to need this type of motor for fishing around Charleston. Maybe? I have read about drifting with the tide or trolling back against the tide. I think either way you are more involved with the trolling motor and not going 30-40min straight runs where it would be nice if the troller would do the work for you.
Either way, my priority now is a new outboard. My current motor can be a bear to start sometimes. 20-30 pulls. After it is good and warm it starts right up so I have never worried about it since I am always fishing lakes. Switching to River fishing and I want something I feel a little more secure with. I am going to look into a 20-30hp electric start tiller. I am hoping to find one for a decent price.
After that I will probably look at a 50# bow mount troller. I might be open to going back to 12v since I don't know how much I will use it. It's going to be all new and a learning curve on how you fish tides and/or brackish water. Should be fun though!
danmyersmn
Well-known member
so it begins again. I finally have the boat out of storage and into my garage. Painted the interior and am ready to finish up the plumbing, then electrical, then decking.
One Legged Josh
Well-known member
danmyersmn said:
Looking forward to watching you finish your build! Have you been doing any fishing?
danmyersmn
Well-known member
I have gone off shore and caught Mahi a few times and I have surf fished the beach a number of times but I haven't dropped a line in any freshwater down here yet. I plan to soon though.
I am going with the "high speed" build now since I put this entire project on hold 1/2 way through the winter and now I just want to get it finished enough to be out fishing. I have the front casting deck cut and the bottom side and edges coated in Thompson water seal. I will finish coating the topside tonight then that goes on hold while I wait for a livewell pump to be shipped down from my bro in MN. Once that arrives the plumbing and lights on the front deck will be finished and I will work my way back the floor.
I am using 3/4" exterior plywood for the decking and my plans for the below deck rod holder have been put on hold, I am going with a single flat piece of deck with no hatch. That may change in the future, but as I said, now I want to get it done on the water. I won't shortcut things i think i require, but items like a radio, rod storage, lights, etc. can be put on later in steps.
No pics of the front deck, I got rained on and had to shove everything back into my garage for the night.
I am going with the "high speed" build now since I put this entire project on hold 1/2 way through the winter and now I just want to get it finished enough to be out fishing. I have the front casting deck cut and the bottom side and edges coated in Thompson water seal. I will finish coating the topside tonight then that goes on hold while I wait for a livewell pump to be shipped down from my bro in MN. Once that arrives the plumbing and lights on the front deck will be finished and I will work my way back the floor.
I am using 3/4" exterior plywood for the decking and my plans for the below deck rod holder have been put on hold, I am going with a single flat piece of deck with no hatch. That may change in the future, but as I said, now I want to get it done on the water. I won't shortcut things i think i require, but items like a radio, rod storage, lights, etc. can be put on later in steps.
No pics of the front deck, I got rained on and had to shove everything back into my garage for the night.
LonLB
Well-known member
I know you said you put the in floor rod holders on hold but I would LOVE to see what you had in mind....I can't quite picture it, even with the pictures you posted.
Are the reels resting right on the floor?
How will you deck over it, and still be able to get them out??
Nice build! I'm looking to pick up a Starcraft and do a similar Musky boat mod.
Are the reels resting right on the floor?
How will you deck over it, and still be able to get them out??
Nice build! I'm looking to pick up a Starcraft and do a similar Musky boat mod.
89Suburban
Well-known member
Outsyanding thread, and great work! 
benjineer
Well-known member
That's a fine platform to work with. Hope you can go get some salt on that thing soon! Winter is the best time for inshore trout.
danmyersmn
Well-known member
I had been wanting to get back and post an update and someone resurrected my thread so here it is
I have been using the snot out of the rig and I am very happy with the outcome. I still have some work to do, but other then changing the rear seat mount and installing a bow trolling motor I am mostly just going to abuse it until it falls apart.
I ended up using a piece of clear acrylic from Lowes to mount the eletronics. I was going to do something a bit "nicer" but when I wanted to finish up the rig I was just wasting fishing time. Winter had long been gone and I was right in the middle of South Carolina summer. It was fishing time. My battery is charged by feeding through the 12v accessory plug. I use the same plug to run a solar charger when I am out on the water. I don't know how much it actually helps, but I have it so why not. GPS is wired into the Humminbird giving me the ability to set waypoints and trails.
So, my very first fishing trip out produced two things. First, a buddy caught his first redfish. I had no luck catching one this day but I did manage to find the joys of trying to get out of the mud as the tide goes out.
So by the next trip I had added a pin anchor and a push pole.
The front seat can be moved to a second mount on the front deck and that is where the front person always fishes from. I plan to switch to the same setup for the rear seat so I can raise that one up. It is currently mounted to the rear deck. The plan is to add a bow mount trolling motor with a foot control that can reach the rear seat. I like to drift the rivers with the tide and I want to do it sitting in the back seat casting into areas I haven't drifted yet with my bow pointing against the incoming/outgoing tide.
Livewell is a pretty standard setup. I have a pump brining water in from the transom and and overflow out the side. I also have a second pump that recirculates. This two fill tubes on the one side.
I decided it was easier just to install a second set of plumbing instead of messing with various valve setups.
It works great for keeping minnows and shrimp alive and its located in a decent location for using a cast net to catch bait.
Before I launched the rig for the first time I flooded it in my driveway. Good thing I did, i had a huge leak. As it turned out the drive from MN to SC vibrated the rig enough that the 3M 5200 detached between the transom and the transducer mounting board.
I took the board off cleaned up as much 5200 as i needed. Filled all the old transducer holes with JB Weld and attached the board again with SS screws and more JB Weld. Easy fix.
The paint has held up as well as I would of liked. It does scratch off where I run over rocks and oyster beds but I wasn't expecting a bullet proof application. Just something a bit more appealing the the faded smurf blue I started with. I would not hesitate to use the same paint again next time.
I also installed a bunch of Bluewater LED's. I bought them about this time last year when Bluewater first had a $25 gift certificate for $20 deal. I bought a bunch of gift certificates then a few weeks later they had another crazy deal of 15% off or something. I bought a huge amount of lights. I had originally planned to use them for late night muskie and walleye fishing. I haven't had any use for them down here but I am planning some shark fishing trips in Bull Bay in an overnight camping outing next year and they should come in very handy then.
Running lights are wired but not installed. I toss them under the front floor board and plan to mount them when the trolling motor goes in.
I skipped the carpet because I wash the entire rig down after every trip out. It is hard to see but all the decking has a 1/8" edge around it that it is not flush against the boat. The water just runs straight below the deck and out the back. I painted the entire interior with Rustoleum Industrial and I almost fell out of the boat trying to learn to throw a cast net so I put another layer and covered it all in a coating of sand. It works great now. I was concerned in previous posts about fishing barefoot and a textured surface. I fish on this surface barefoot all the time. It works well.
And final results...first up my first redfish.
I also use the boat to transport all my surf fishing gear to an island. I can approach the island from the backside and stay out of the surf and ocean waves. I anchor and cart all my gear to the other side of the island. It is supposed to be a great area to catch huge redfish. My kids love to run around and be kids and I end up catching nothing but "Car batteries" So named cause thats what they feel like trying to reel in.
I have been using the snot out of the rig and I am very happy with the outcome. I still have some work to do, but other then changing the rear seat mount and installing a bow trolling motor I am mostly just going to abuse it until it falls apart.
I ended up using a piece of clear acrylic from Lowes to mount the eletronics. I was going to do something a bit "nicer" but when I wanted to finish up the rig I was just wasting fishing time. Winter had long been gone and I was right in the middle of South Carolina summer. It was fishing time. My battery is charged by feeding through the 12v accessory plug. I use the same plug to run a solar charger when I am out on the water. I don't know how much it actually helps, but I have it so why not. GPS is wired into the Humminbird giving me the ability to set waypoints and trails.
So, my very first fishing trip out produced two things. First, a buddy caught his first redfish. I had no luck catching one this day but I did manage to find the joys of trying to get out of the mud as the tide goes out.
So by the next trip I had added a pin anchor and a push pole.
The front seat can be moved to a second mount on the front deck and that is where the front person always fishes from. I plan to switch to the same setup for the rear seat so I can raise that one up. It is currently mounted to the rear deck. The plan is to add a bow mount trolling motor with a foot control that can reach the rear seat. I like to drift the rivers with the tide and I want to do it sitting in the back seat casting into areas I haven't drifted yet with my bow pointing against the incoming/outgoing tide.
Livewell is a pretty standard setup. I have a pump brining water in from the transom and and overflow out the side. I also have a second pump that recirculates. This two fill tubes on the one side.
I decided it was easier just to install a second set of plumbing instead of messing with various valve setups.
It works great for keeping minnows and shrimp alive and its located in a decent location for using a cast net to catch bait.
Before I launched the rig for the first time I flooded it in my driveway. Good thing I did, i had a huge leak. As it turned out the drive from MN to SC vibrated the rig enough that the 3M 5200 detached between the transom and the transducer mounting board.
I took the board off cleaned up as much 5200 as i needed. Filled all the old transducer holes with JB Weld and attached the board again with SS screws and more JB Weld. Easy fix.
The paint has held up as well as I would of liked. It does scratch off where I run over rocks and oyster beds but I wasn't expecting a bullet proof application. Just something a bit more appealing the the faded smurf blue I started with. I would not hesitate to use the same paint again next time.
I also installed a bunch of Bluewater LED's. I bought them about this time last year when Bluewater first had a $25 gift certificate for $20 deal. I bought a bunch of gift certificates then a few weeks later they had another crazy deal of 15% off or something. I bought a huge amount of lights. I had originally planned to use them for late night muskie and walleye fishing. I haven't had any use for them down here but I am planning some shark fishing trips in Bull Bay in an overnight camping outing next year and they should come in very handy then.
Running lights are wired but not installed. I toss them under the front floor board and plan to mount them when the trolling motor goes in.
I skipped the carpet because I wash the entire rig down after every trip out. It is hard to see but all the decking has a 1/8" edge around it that it is not flush against the boat. The water just runs straight below the deck and out the back. I painted the entire interior with Rustoleum Industrial and I almost fell out of the boat trying to learn to throw a cast net so I put another layer and covered it all in a coating of sand. It works great now. I was concerned in previous posts about fishing barefoot and a textured surface. I fish on this surface barefoot all the time. It works well.
And final results...first up my first redfish.
I also use the boat to transport all my surf fishing gear to an island. I can approach the island from the backside and stay out of the surf and ocean waves. I anchor and cart all my gear to the other side of the island. It is supposed to be a great area to catch huge redfish. My kids love to run around and be kids and I end up catching nothing but "Car batteries" So named cause thats what they feel like trying to reel in.
LonLB
Well-known member
I know your not using it anymore, but how were you planning to use the under floor rod storage?
danmyersmn
Well-known member
These two images should give you a clear picture of how the front and pack portion of the rod holders would work. They are still in place and if I ever want to use them I could just finish the access hatch to have access to them. As you can see from the picture I have enough room under the decking that I can have a baitcaster or a spinner hanging and they are not contacting the floor. I have the luck of having a really deep boat.
If if you at this picture you can see the area the hatch was going to be. Basically on the floor where the yellow float is sitting. I was going to make a flush hatch that would pull up and out of the way to grab the rods out. Have you have ever seen a ski boat where they have the teak hatch that pulls up to get ski's out? Same idea. With the hatch open then the rod could be slid forward further into the front tube and this would allow the rod handle to come out of the back tube and then slide up and out of the compartment backwards-sort of. Good scientific explanation eh? :mrgreen:
If if you at this picture you can see the area the hatch was going to be. Basically on the floor where the yellow float is sitting. I was going to make a flush hatch that would pull up and out of the way to grab the rods out. Have you have ever seen a ski boat where they have the teak hatch that pulls up to get ski's out? Same idea. With the hatch open then the rod could be slid forward further into the front tube and this would allow the rod handle to come out of the back tube and then slide up and out of the compartment backwards-sort of. Good scientific explanation eh? :mrgreen:
LonLB
Well-known member
Ah so it wasn't necessarily a hinged hatch cover, but something you removed to get the rods out.....Is that right.
I might look at doing something similar.
I might look at doing something similar.
benjineer
Well-known member
I like your boat. That's about what I'm shooting for. Wish mine were that deep. What did you use for the livewell liner?
89Suburban
Well-known member
Is that bow light LED also? I LOVE the extension cord reel used for anchor rope idea, awesome! Good job man!
Good job man!danmyersmn
Well-known member
danmyersmn
Well-known member
89Suburban said:Is that bow light LED also? I LOVE the extension cord reel used for anchor rope idea, awesome!
Yes, I picked up the Bow light off a clearance shelf somewhere along the way. Cord reel works great. We don't have enough room to have anchor ropes laying all over the place in our rigs.
LonLB
Well-known member
I had one other question.
Where did you buy all of the aluminum angle?
How much $$ do you think you had in just the aluminum?
I may have to copy your paint job. I wanted to go with rusto because of the availability and price, and when looking at their colors, I think you picked the best color combo.
Where did you buy all of the aluminum angle?
How much $$ do you think you had in just the aluminum?
I may have to copy your paint job. I wanted to go with rusto because of the availability and price, and when looking at their colors, I think you picked the best color combo.
LonLB
Well-known member
danmyersmn said:A few days back I started filling holes in my hull. I have lots of them from the previous owner and his love for attaching stuff.
So....drill out pop rivits and clean up the metal.
Add Acetylene and Aluminium brazing rods.
Plug the holes. Notice I got too hot with the Acetylene and started to burn the hull. I suppose that's the down side of using free gas. My fishing partner is a master plumber and had this tank. I was out of MAPP gas and didn't want to use propane so i opted for the Acetylene. It will clean up though so it's not an issue that I feel needs further attention. I added material with the rod to fill from both sides of the hull.
The repairs are cleaned up using an 80grit flap wheel and I gave them a skim coat of JB Weld on both sides to fill any pin holes and block sanded it with 400 grit. This is enough of a repair for what I need. The repairs are likely to still be noticed under the paint when I am done. Even if they are. I am not planning on filling every scratch or banging back every dent. This is a 10 footer fishing machine not a brand new show stopper so its more about function.
I filled 10 holes. I still have 5 I believe on this side then I can go to the other side. The transom has 6 holes in it from various trolling motors but I have a different plan for repairing those. Now I need to put everything back together and prep the boat for this weekend.
This might be a dumb question, but where might I look to have the brazing work done locally?
I don't want to just add rivets and the boat I'm buying has a VHF radio antennae, and grab rails that are coming off, to just name a couple things.
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