More boat mods

Bass-Boat Revisited

an update from 2000 thru 2005

I believe at least 3 years went by that the front Deck (that I never use, as a captain's place is at the helm) had been wobbling, buckling and been a source of general concern for any friends or family that used it. To that end, as the selfless benefactor of good will to all who know me, I undertook to remedy the problem.

I scrounged through the barn (that magical bottomless pit of materials and destination for storage) until I found a 4ft by 4ft sheet of 3/4" pressure treated plywood. The sign from the early 1990's was perfect. It was cut to rough size and eventually made to fit.

The underside was re-enforced to offer even more stability to the fore mounted angler.

The outdoor grade carpet roll that is pictured beside the deck unfortunately was not a direct match to the other carpet already in the boat. But it is of no consequence as it has been 3 years since it was installed and stood up well.

Carpeted and installed...

This has been the standard config of the boat since 2002... That summer I killed a Merc 20HP hitting a log full speed (destroying the lower unit, if you want to buy a good motor (less lower unit) or want to sell a lower unit (less motor) ...)

The Johnson 18HP is from 1959 or 1960, and was too tough on the lakes to continue using. The motor would leave a slick in it's wake that was nauseating if you paused in any one spot for any length of time.

Eventually I came to realize that by staying in motion was just spreading the oil/gas mixture over a greater area, so last year (2004) the boat was restricted to electric power only.

I greatly miss the 20HP Merc, but the economics and environmental impact of the electric are a fair trade-off.

After a cold wet spring, on the first sunny day, I panicked at the thought of the boat looking so rough.

I sanded the worst of the flaking paint off the hull only to realize that I would barely get it smooth, and resolved to completely strip the hull before 2015, or there-abouts.

After 3 (three) coats of a heavy oil based exterior grade "Rust-Paint" I was out of paint and it was done as far as I'm concerned.

A few other minor repairs were done and the "Bass-Slayer" is now in a heightened state of preparedness.

Though I've been out fishing 3 times and have yet to get a bite, while my wife caught a fish this year on her first cast (I think it's the pedestal seat at the front.)

Back to General Workshop Projects