big easy

Exactly what trap jaw said.Never buy resin at any retail home center,it's all junk.It's poor quality resin to begin with,and all polyester resin has a shelf life.If they don't move it fast enough,it sits on the shelf and deteriorates. The reason you ended up with a mess of clumped up fibers,is because you used fiberglass mat.Mat is composed of random glass fibers,held together by a binder that dissolves when you apply the resin to it. When you try and brush it,you mix up and spread the fibers in a big mess.You need to use a short nap roller to apply mat,as the roller leaves the fibers where they are,and doesn't spread them around. You can use a brush in small areas or tight spaces like corners,but you have to use the brush in a dabbing motion,never like a paint brush.You would have been better off to use a stitch mat like 1708 that has mat on one side and a bias cloth on the other.You can brush that till your fingers fall off with no problem. As for the cold temps,resin will not cure properly with temps in the forties or low fifties.As mentioned,you could do your layup work ,and then apply heat to it to get it to cure.You will need a good flow of heat however,not a hair dryer.If you have a propane heater,like one of the little coleman type ones,you could set it up a few feet away from the work,and let it warm up a large part of the area that you glassed.A better way would be a heated garage,or wait until warmer spring weather. If I can help,send me a pm.I work in the marine fiberglass wholesale business,and have done a lot of glass work.If nothing else,I can tell you what to use,and where to get cloth and resin and other stuff at much better pricing,and far, far, far,better quality then any of the big box hardware and marine supply places.

Is this a Fiberglass boat?I can't see the pic on my computer.If it's a glass boat you can replace the piece with either Marine ply,or a good grade of A/C Fir ply. The only difference between the two is that Marine Plywood is made out of solid veneers,there are no voids in any of them,unlike standard plywood that does allow voids.You will notice if you cut a piece of marine plywood it is solid. There are also more plies in marine,making it stronger.The glue in both is the same. The most important thing is to seal the edges of the plywood with a good coat of Epoxy resin.mix it per directions and brush it on,and let it cure.this will seal the edge and prevent the wood from acting like a sponge,and absorbing water. If you just want to paint it,and do nothing fancy,then I would give it a few coats of a good quality enamel.Cover both sides of the plywood. A better way would be to apply a coat of fiberglass mat or cloth to the surfaces,and then either carpet or paint of your choice. Stay away from the pressure treated plywood that they sell in Home Depot.It's all junk,has only a few plies and is unstable and tends to warp easily.It's made to use in construction where it can be nailed down through it's face to keep it secure.It has no place in a boat. Here's a picture of a cross section of two layers of 3/4"marine plywood glued together with epoxy.The faint black dashes in the line in the middle is to show the glue line.You can see that there are no voids,and that there are more plies.(8 in each)This was from my transom replacement on my restoration.

I've personally run Invaders,Cannons, and Scottys. * The Invaders were manuals with a fast retrieve,but the counters were spring driven and the depth readings had to be constantly adjusted,and the springs would break and fly overboard. * Ran Cannon electrics for years and years,and they held up very well considering how much use and abuse they got.Only had to replace a few switches and pulley boom ends over the years.Hated the cheesy plastic adjusting rings on the telescopic booms,but overall a great rigger for me.I just think the pricing went way to high on them. * On my current boat I have gone with four Scotty electrics with the telescopic booms and dual rod holders.They are(for me anyway)the best bang for the buck.They are very fast,222 feet per min. with a 10lb ball, 203 ft/min 15lb ball, & 185 ft/min with a 20lb ball.They also have a lower amp draw than most others. I also like the tilt up boom,and it has a much better telescopic adjustment feature than the Cannons.The swivel base has 16 positions.I like the simplicity of the bead driven short stop.No high cost printed circuit board to control the short stop,just a simple switch that trips by the bead.It took me a while to get used to the look of them,but now I think they look great. Two things I don't like, are the very cheesy plastic locking lever that keeps the boom in the up position,and the non adjustable dual rod holders.I ended up adapting big Jon spring loaded ones to the rigger. I have put these riggers through the wringer,and they have never failed.Friends who have been running them for years have had no significant problems. I think most of the major brands are of good quality. Personal preference on minor likes and dislikes and what fits your needs best is usually the deciding factor on which is best for you.

Get the Teleflex TFXTREME cables.These are the easiest to move cables on the market.I've used them on my last two kickers,(T8 Yamaha)and they are worth the few extra bucks.I also use the same ones on the I/O. They are silky smooth,and you can make much tighter bends with them and get far smoother action over the standard type cables.Most marine supply houses carry them. Currentlly,I'm running them in 18' lengths on my T8 Yamaha on my 23' seacraft. I had to make some pretty tight radius bends,but they perform perfectly. http://www.teleflexmarine.com/document/ ... 5_1071.pdf

How's the salmon and laker fishing been this year on Champlain?I remember you said it had been off a year or so ago.We'd like to maybe make a trip up your way this season.I was wondering how the lamprey situation is going. I'm sure your aware of the Thomas Speedy Shiner's, or the Acme flash King spoons.They are the identical blank as the Can Am.(I think we spoke about this a while back,so pardon my reply if we did.) I have loads of them and all of us who fish landlocks and trout in New England use them.Forget Mooselook,they were bought out by a Canadian co.and are extremely over priced. Kittery trading post in Maine has a big selection of them. The flash Kings and Speedy Shiner spoons are identical,and come in a lot more colors.We catch tons of landlocks on them on Champlain,Winnipauskie,Quabbin,Rangeley etc. Also,Gate 8 bait shop on the Quabbin resevoir in Pelham Ma. has most of the colors of both.He opens in the spring.If you send me a Pm,I can give you his phone#Maybe he'd be willing to ship them.He's probably got the best selection of colors of them. Here's a few links. http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/produ ... odid/12270 http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklestore/ ... iteID=2136 http://www.thomaslures.com/Binder1.pdf http://www.buytackle.com/product_view.cfm?id=26317

I guess it's time for the Striper fishermen to start looking for a replacement for Eels.I think Berkley Gulp eels will become hot sellers. We used to fish the Connecticut river when we were kids from Mass to Conn,and it would be nothing to catch twenty eels in a short period.We'd be fishing for channel cats,but if you were using night crawlers the eels would the biggest catch. We switched to shrimp and live shiners,and for whatever reason,the eels left them alone.Maybe I should start fishing for eels again and bring them up to Olcott,and dump em in the creek.

Another fly maker.Who woulda thunk.Everyone is getting into the fly business. 99% of the flies we run,we tie ourselves.As for the ones we buy,Atommik and Big Weennie are the two we buy from.Both of these guys are great to deal with. I Buy the material from Atommik,and tie up the patterns that work the best.They are so easy to make that I keep the material on hand so that if a certain color is working good I can make a fly up in five minutes. And! once you start to tie them yourself,it becomes addictive.I must have at least two hundred on board,and my buddy has equally as many.It's funny though,I still run only about five or six colors.

I can tell you that from all the saltwater boats that my friend owns and many others that he has completely restored,and sold material for,that leaks and corrosion on aluminum tanks in salt water boats is extremely common. It's extremely common to get tiny holes in areas of corrosion in the aluminum.The corrosion leads to leaks that are so small that they are hard to see.The leak can be so tiny,that they only weep a minute amount of fuel. It won't be that way for long,and it only takes a trace of fuel to cause you to get a free rocket powered amusement park ride when you turn the ignition key. I recently restored a 30 yr old boat,and when we removed the aluninum tank,we found a lot of pitting where the aluminum was eroded about half way through.I pressured tested it,and fortunately it was ok,but if I hadn't removed it and not cleaned off the corrosion, failure was probably only a couple years away. If you can't find any leaks in any of the hoses,than it's time to pull the tank and either pressure test it,or examine it extremely well. If it's a leaker(even tiny)don't attempt to try and fix it.replace it,you'll be much better off,and remain alive. With my tank,I was able to remove all the corrosion,and clean and dry it,then gave it a coating of epoxy barrier coat.Now that it's only in fresh water it should remain solid. The corrosion starts when the tank remains constantly wet or damp because air can never get to it.Being where they are under the deck it's the reason it happens,and saltwater is much worse on aluminum. If you replace it,make sure it's elevated off the bottom enough so that water will not stay in contact with the tank. Here's a good technical article on how to replace a tank,lots of do's and don'ts http://marinesurvey.com/yacht/fueltank.htm

I came across this on the hull truth.Maybe it will help you.According to these guys they are a solid well built boat,but the 25 has a low deadrise,not the best choice for a comfortable ride in the steep close together chop on lake O. The pricing seems very low,when you compare them to lots of other brands. I moved up to a 23 degree deadrise hull,and the difference in ride over a low degree deadrise when you're in the nasty stuff is astoundingly different. Check out the replies to the question on Maycraft on this board. http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-for ... -boat.html

I use two small (5 watt each I think)solar chargers while I'm away from the boat.They seem to do the job very well,as the batteries are always up to power after I've been away for a while. I usually take the month of June off from the lake,and return to fish it from the 2nd week of July until the end of August,so the longest the batteries sit unused is about six weeks.I remove the batteries in the winter. I leave the chargers on the cooler on the swim platform which gets good sun,and I attach them with bungees.The chargers also have a diode in them to protect the batts from discharging.I'm satisfied with them.The engine always turns over quick when I return to the boat after a spell.They're easy to store and take up very little space. I bought mine at a automotive swap meet at a fairgrounds for 10.00 bucks each.Check out Harbor Freight,they may have some cheapies.

Sad that your taxes are so bad.The lunatics running our country now, are working hard to do the same here. Man,them are some beautiful Atlantic salmon you guys catch.I only wish that we could catch Atlantic's like that here.It's a nice website,looks like you have some awesome fishing.Now if only I could read Norwegian. That's an interesting roller trailer that comes up in the pictures,I'm assuming it's made in your country,it gave me some ideas for mine.

I run the T8 Yamaha on my 23' Seacraft (glass boat, 5500 lbs.)and love it.It pushes the boat at all salmon speeds with no problem.You won't be sorry going with the T8. I have the electric start with power tilt model,and have it mounted on a fixed bracket.The Power tilt is great,just a push of a button,either at the motor or at the control box raises the engine up out of the water when under power with the outdrive. I also have it connected to the out drive by an EZ-Steer rod and it works very good. You could go with the Yamaha remote control box,or go with a remote throttle control unit like Troll Master or Control King.I have mine hooked up to the Yamaha remote box,and it works pretty well but I think I'm going to disconnect the throttle cable from it and go with a Troll Master for the throttle,as it's easier to fine tune the troll speed. In my experience With the Yamaha control,I find it's sometimes tricky to get that sweet spot for the perfect troll speed.I will leave the elec start,shift cable,and the trim switch hooked up though,because it's nice to be able to control all those features from the helm. The high thrust Yamaha's are awesome motors,they run like a watch,are extremely quiet,and sip fuel.I ran the T9.9 on my previous boat,and it never missed a beat,even after 12 years of use.

I put a pair of 55 watt marine halogen flood lights on my tower to light up the deck.They work great and light up the deck like daylight.A plus is that you can get replacement bulbs in the automotive dept. of walmart,or at any auto parts store.They are very reasonably priced,about $30.00 for the pair,with the switch and wiring. I used a larger gauge wire as I thought the wire supplied was a bit undersized.I used them a lot last season and had no problems. http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse. ... 21593.html

Congrats on the find. When I mounted the arch on my boat,I used aluminum backer plates on the back side of the gunwale.I had some 1/8"flat stock and cut it into circles a bit larger than the plated on the arch. I thru bolted it with flat head stainless machine bolts.The holes on the arch mounts were countersunk,so the flat heads fit nicely in them and made a very professional look. It makes for a very solid mount.I can hang off it (and I weigh 250)with no flex at all in the arch or gunwale.

I don't see the three rod rule hurting the fishery at all,especially if the creel limits are kept at the same numbers as they currently are. Take a look at all the technology that has come to fishing over the years,yet we still have excellent fishing. Do you remember fishing before fishfinders were available?,remember when there were no down riggers?,remember when there were no planer boards,or fish scents,or GPS,or speed and temp instruments, etc. Well I do.I remember having to troll with lead core and wire,and not knowing how deep we were,I remember when the green box flasher from Lowrance first came out. All this Technology like sonar, fish finders,downriggers,etc. helped us to catch more fish,yet the fishing didn't suffer.We were able to have better fishing without decimating the fish population.This was because of better fisheries management.To this day after all the help from the gadgets that were invented to improve the catch rate,the fishing in many bodies of water has actually improved. Has Been,can I ask how you would have reacted to the invention of the Fish finder,or Downrigger etc.at that period?Would you have called your politicians asking them not to allow this stuff,for fear it would ruin the fishery? Allowing three rods is not going to ruin the fishing,it will however allow those of us who love and care for the sport just as much as you do,to be able to try a few different presentations. I would like to think that Most of us who take this sport seriously,have the common sense and the intelligence to know how to protect our fishery,by the proper use of catch and release methods,and by not exceeding creel limits. I get the impression that you think you care more about the sport,or know more about it than the rest of us do.I would venture to say that most of us Know and care as much about the future of fishing as you,and want to preserve it for future generations to enjoy. If three rods per person helps me make a novice fisherman get hooked on the sport,and to become another future angler who loves all there is about the sport then I'm all for it.

I had the Top Gun Material on my last boat,used it for the top,aft curtain and the travel tonneau cover.It was a strong as nails,and held up extremely well. I went with the Sunbrella Seamark,only because I like the softer feel,and they had the color I needed.Both Top Gun and the Seamark Sunbrella Seamark are superior fabrics.

Let's see, all this in one season spent in New York state. * I just sent my"OUT OF STATE CHECK" to A local NY shop for more than $600.00 for winterizing and shrinking my"OUT OF STATE BOAT". * I will spend $70.00 for my "OUT OF STATE LICENSE",and friends will spend considerably more on sportsman out of state ones. * I will spend maybe $500.00 of my"OUT OF STATE MONEY" in local NY tackle shops(the little guys) for spoons,divers,line,etc. * I will spend at least another $1000.00 of my "OUT OF STATE MONEY" in local NY resturants,and for lodging,dock fees etc. * I will spend at least a minimum of $800.00 of my"OUT OF STATE MONEY" for fuel in the boat and vehicle,all in NY stores. * I'll probably spend another $500.00 to $800.00 of my "OUT OF STATE MONEY" on misc.repairs,incidentals,etc in NY stores I have written as many Senators,Congressmen as most anyone else,in NY explaining that although I am from out of state I believe that a three rod rule would be beneficial in bringing more money and fishermen to the state of NY. I have made loads of friends in the Olcott area over the last twenty years of fishing lake Ontario,and almost feel like a resident of the state.I have along with my friends from out of state,spent thousands of dollars per year,and thousands upon thousands over the last twenty supporting the small independent Ny businesses that depend on fishing related revenue. I'm almost willing to say that I might possibly spend more money per year as an out of stater than some residents do,and my money all goes to the little guy,not the big box tackle shops. I have been very active with emails and letters to Politicians in most of the great lakes states voicing my concern over the Asian carp fiasco that could ruin the fishing as we know it in all the great lakes. Maybe if that happens,I'll just take all my "OUT OF STATE MONEY",and spend it in the salt water areas of my own state,instead of New York. The point is, that out of staters spend a huge amount of money in the state of NY and to have a three rod rule for residents only who may spend less that we do is ridiculous.

Done, #3

I had all new canvas work done on my 23 Seacraft last year,and had all the work done with Seamark Sunbrella.It's sunbrella with a coating of acrylic on the backside of the material. It is the best stuff that I have used and I've had several boats with regular Sunbrella,Top Gun,and others. It is extremely durable and completely waterproof,yet very flexible.It is very heavy however,but after using it,I would never use anything else. The regular Sunbrella is nice,and very light weight,But the Seamark Sunbrella is almost as soft,and it's much more durable.I would strongly recommended it. If you want to see what it looks like,you can take a look at my boat in the spring at the Boat Doctors in Olcott.I may have a very small piece of it kicking around the house,and could stick it in an envelope and send it to you. Here's a couple pics of the boat Try this http://www.haartz.com/en/Products/Marin ... _cloth.asp or this http://www.perfectfit.com/17624/154114/ ... la-60.html or this http://www.scalisemarine.com/Seamark.htm

I agree,get the entire lake,as I said mine covers the great lakes and the maritimes.I called Jeppesen,and they went over it all with me,and actually told me the bigger charts contain more detail.I told them that I fish the western end of lake O,and wanted as much detail as possible,and this is the chart they recommended. They're easy people to deal with over the phone,and are very helpful in explaining which chart will suit you best.I think it was $199.00 for the chart card. ** If your unit is a 620 plus, you can use the large card,(+)which covers Both lake Erie and Ontario,and some other areas** **If your unit is just a 620 You would need the small NT cards,and you may need a couple to cover the whole lake.** The NT cards(small) will fit either unit,but you'll need a couple,so if you have the 620 Plus it makes sense to get the large area card as the detail is the same,but you would get the whole of Ontario and Erie with the same detail as the smaller NT cards,and you would only need the one card.It would also save you a few bucks. Raytheon/Raymarine made a 620 and a 620 Plus. If it's not labeled as such,you can tell when you turn the unit on ,if it says Raymarine on the screen,then it's the 620 plus,and you can use the + large area card.If it says Raytheon then it's the 620 and takes the Nt Card. Again,either unit will accept the NT card. This is the way it was explained to me by a friend who worked at Jeppesen,and has a 620 in his boat.

I run a C-Map chart on my Northstar GPS.It is a large chart covering the great lakes and the maritimes.Very good detail.Ill take a look at it when I get home and send you a Pm with the card number. If you go on http://www.jeppesen.com/personal-soluti ... marine.jsp you can see what charts will fit your unit. I really like the format shows all the depths,details buoys etc,along with county and country lines. "I DON'T think you can run Navionics in your unit,as it is a different software program". All these electronic charts are taken from standard marine paper charts anyway,so they are all pretty much the same as far as the navigation aspect goes.Each company tweaks them a bit and adds some different stuff to them.a lot of it is personal choice.

Thanks Tom. Payment sent by Pay Pal OOPS I forgot an Xtra large size please.

62 years Here. Where did the years go.still act 30.Grew up a hot rodder as a kid.Three 55 chevy's that I put 327's in(one with six single barrel stromberg carbs) A 62 Impala dual quad 409,and a 63 Ford Galaxy with a bored and stroked out 390.Lot's of other fun cars. Why the hell didn't I keep all of them,I could have retired a long time ago.I go crazy when I watch the Barret -Jackson auctions Got into boats at 23 years old,and that sickness is just as bad.That's it no more boats or fishing tackle.(well,maybe a little more tackle).Scratch that I just bought a radar,but that's it no more. My kids will have fun getting rid of all the stuff after I'm gone.

I had a Yamaha kicker on my 22 Trophy hardtop,and mounted it on the starboard side.I did this because it was a remote control electric start with shift and throttle controls,and I had the control box up front next to my I/O controls. It's much easier to run the control cables and the power cable up under the gunwale on the same side as the kicker. this way you don't have to run them across the back of the transom from the port side. I did the same with my new boat and it works great. If you're mounting it on an adjustable bracket,make sure it clears the water when you bring it up.Also important is to have the prop deep enough.A little to deep is better than not deep enough.it's only a kicker,so it won't affect anything performance wise anyway,and the prop will get a better bite. I balance out the weight when trolling by shifting the cooler to one side or another,although the kicker hardly affects the weight distribution of my boat.It's barely noticeable.It was much more of an issue with the Trophy,but it's not a major problem.You can move people and/or tacle around to compensate for it. I also use an EZ-Steer from the outdrive to the kicker,it works perfectly. Here's a few pictures,the first is on my previous boat (Trophy),and the second is on my new boat (Seacraft)The pictures are a little deceiving on the Seacraft red boat.It looks like the kicker is lower than it really is,but the anti cavitation plte is only abot an inch below the bottom of the hull. Hope this helps. 22' 1987 TROPHY 23' SeaCraft Tsunami

I've bought material from Atommik,Purple Taco,Stanleys stinger,4C,Big Weenie,and a few others.All of them were easy to deal with.I highly recommend Atommik and Big Weenie. Both of these guys are great to deal with,they ship extremely fast,and their quality is great.The others are good as well.Years ago,I bought stuff from Curt at Purple Taco,then he closed up,but now is back in business,I'll have to give him a try. Making flies is a piece of cake,and fun to do.I haven't bought a fly in at least five years,as I tie all my own.I have at least 200 on the boat,and my buddy probably has as many. I use the scotch tape method,and they last as long as the Mylar does.Ive had lots of flies that were chewed to death from Salmon and they remained perfectly intact. The Michigan angler site that Stinger mentioned is a good place to start,and has good basic instructions.I don't use the heads,instead i use a 3/16 id tubing which let's me slide the skirt over a pre made leader. This way,I only have to slide the skirt off and slide a new one on,when I want to change.I keep about 6 different leader and bead patterns,and just change the skirts. Once you get the hang of it,you'll tweak the way do them that works best for you. Here,s a few pics of some that I make up.A warning though,once you start,it's easy to go crazy,and tie all kinds of different colors.It can become a sickness,every bit as bad as collecting tons of spoons. Have Fun THESE ARE SOME OF MY EARLY ONES BEFORE I STARTED USING THE LARGER TUBING THIS IS ONE WITH THE LARGER TUBING. I CALL IT THE GOBY,UNFORTUNATELY IT NEVER CAUGHT A FISH THIS PICTURE SHOWS HOW THE KNOT SLIDES EASILY THROUGH THE TUBING I USE DOG TOENAIL CLIPPERS TO CUT THE TUBING,IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM. *** THIS IS TO SHOW THE CLIPPER IN USE,THE FLY IS A SCRAP JUNK ONE***