Another rookie...

[nomowork]

Installed a new axle today as the tires would always be loose on the axle after adjusting bearings. There is a noticeable firmness in how the wheels spin now.

I hooked up the new gas can to the motor, squeezed the primer bulb and after a few very long pulls, it fired up! It idled rough for awhile until I got the hang of the tiller but she spits water and shifts great! I let it run for about 30 minutes then drained the lower unit gear oil. It looked like brand new! I expect the same from the 4 hp Johnson that came with the boat too!

Mounted nav lights, battery box and bimini top and will complete the wiring tomorrow! Test run next week! One step closer to more trout hunting in the Sierras and possibly Bridgeport.

 

[roblj65]

Nice find :wink: And great work too :lol:

 

[fender66]

All those improvements and no pictures? Shame1 [-X :LOL2:

 

[nomowork]

All those improvements and no pictures? Shame1 [-X :LOL2:

Not quite done, but will try to post pictures.

 

[nomowork]

Okay, still no pictures as I forgot the camera in the truck today while on our maiden dunking at Bonelli Regional Park. The old 1973 motor sputtered to life and actually ran very well on the first lap of the lake. It died intermittently while cruising around but restarted okay, so I tried the oars between stops and did fairly well for someone who really sucks at rowing. Must have been a slow day for the lake patrol as they came buy to offer some assistance while I was rowing. This lake is really small so we declined the offer and just kept on chugging. It was actually a lot easier to row into the docks than play with the forward reverse thing.

After awhile, we tried the trolling motor (MK 30 lb. thrust model) which was on my older fiberglass boat. It fried the 15 amp inline fuse to the battery, so I'm assuming 15 amp fuses are too weak for the motor.

 

[nomowork]

Just returned from the Eastern Sierras today and have a few pictures. The new Honda four stroke turned out to be a real blessing as when we were on Grant lake, the winds picked up really strong and we had to plow through the swells to get back to the launch ramp! My GF caught the first fish off of the boat, a 2 3/4 pound trout at June Lake which may make the Western Outdoors magazine via the Big Rock resort where we launched out of. We had a great time!

The front seat is coming out this weekend. My GF doesn't like it as it hinders the use of the front bench.

The new four stroke is really quiet and doesn't lay down a smoke screen on the water!

 

[sirbeigealot]

That's a real nice rig you got there Nomowork...
What was the seat issue in front?

 

[nomowork]

What was the seat issue in front?

My GF sits up front and handles the anchor which sits in a canvas bag with the rope in the hole at the bow. While sitting in the seat facing forward, there isn't enough room for her legs and it's hard for her to turn around so it's coming out today. Once we rented an aluminum boat similar to this one and she just stretched out on the front bench and was comfortable enough.

 

[sirbeigealot]

What was the seat issue in front?

My GF sits up front and handles the anchor which sits in a canvas bag with the rope in the hole at the bow. While sitting in the seat facing forward, there isn't enough room for her legs and it's hard for her to turn around so it's coming out today. Once we rented an aluminum boat similar to this one and she just stretched out on the front bench and was comfortable enough.

I was thinking the same thing...my wife was handling the anchor, and I dont know if she could do it with the seat up there.
I'm starting to wonder about having seats at all.
When we went out last week we both felt that we needed some type of seating for back support, but in these small boats they seem like they get in the way quite a bit.
Also not sure where to place a seat on the rear bench, either centered or offset.
If I go offset I can imagine the boat being tilted to one side while stopped.

 

[nomowork]

I was thinking the same thing...my wife was handling the anchor, and I dont know if she could do it with the seat up there.
I'm starting to wonder about having seats at all.
When we went out last week we both felt that we needed some type of seating for back support, but in these small boats they seem like they get in the way quite a bit.
Also not sure where to place a seat on the rear bench, either centered or offset.
If I go offset I can imagine the boat being tilted to one side while stopped.

I guess it depends on how long you'll be out there and what is comfortable for you.

In our small boats, we tend to stay out about 3-4 hours at the most, so some comfort is a must for me (old age thing). I removed the front seat today but left the middle seat just in case. I didn't put a seat on the bench near the tiller because the bimini top rests on that seat when not in use. I just put one our float cushions on in while driving and that was good enough for me. I keep telling my GF just wait till you get to my age! :lol:

With me sitting on the driver's bench, my boat didn't tilt to the starboard side. It may be because I have the three gallon fuel tank and the trolling motor on the rear port side. I also have the battery box just behind the center bench on the wooden floor. We use that for a make shift table for bait and stuff.

 

[sirbeigealot]

I was thinking the same thing...my wife was handling the anchor, and I dont know if she could do it with the seat up there.
I'm starting to wonder about having seats at all.
When we went out last week we both felt that we needed some type of seating for back support, but in these small boats they seem like they get in the way quite a bit.
Also not sure where to place a seat on the rear bench, either centered or offset.
If I go offset I can imagine the boat being tilted to one side while stopped.

I guess it depends on how long you'll be out there and what is comfortable for you.

In our small boats, we tend to stay out about 3-4 hours at the most, so some comfort is a must for me (old age thing). I removed the front seat today but left the middle seat just in case. I didn't put a seat on the bench near the tiller because the bimini top rests on that seat when not in use. I just put one our float cushions on in while driving and that was good enough for me. I keep telling my GF just wait till you get to my age! :lol:

With me sitting on the driver's bench, my boat didn't tilt to the starboard side. It may be because I have the three gallon fuel tank and the trolling motor on the rear port side. I also have the battery box just behind the center bench on the wooden floor. We use that for a make shift table for bait and stuff.

I was sitting on a cushion...then two cushions...then I layed a cushion on one side of the bench and tried to lay down...then my wife yelled at me.
So we need a few seats somewhere on the boat, maybe placement will make more sense once I get the taller bimini back this Thursday.