My 1st* boat. A 1960 Arkansas Traveler 15' UT

[GilK]

Hello,
I just found this group and had to join. I bought my 1st (I bought a 14' tinny 9 months ago as a project boat for $60 but it is a much bigger project than I thought but that'll be another thread once I start working on it) fishing ready boat a couple months ago. It's a 1960 Arkansas Traveler with a 1999 Yamaha 15hp 4 stroke and a 2015 Continental tilt trailer $1900. And the motor is worth that alone, I'm glad i was patient about getting my 1st boat. The title says 14' but she's 14'7" so after some research it appears she's a 15' UT. She is rock solid with no leaks and the engine purrs like a kitten. I live in the central East coast of Florida and I bought her for some Indian River and freshwater fishing. Here are a couple pictures is her.

 

[GilK]

My initial reasoning for getting a tinny was to turn it into a Tiny Boat. But since she's in better shape than I am and 15 years older, I'm debating keeping her as original as possible (going to add the side console for remote steering though). One of the previous owners removed all the foam from the seats for storage (maybe because the foam was shot), so I will be correcting that mistake. Most of the water I fish in I can walk through if need be, and I'm putting in a bilge pump this week, so that isn't an immediate safety concern. I did create some holders for the Bimini top (my first attempt at creating with angle aluminum, picture of one below) and I'm planning on making a shelf for my fish finder this week. I bought a Garmin 4 with mapping capabilities since I'm new to this area for the drop offs and holes around here, not so much for the "fish finding" since I'm fishing in such shallow water. Eventually this will become a mini console for my fire extinguisher, first aid kit and other stuff.
I'm looking forward to talking with people here and maybe meeting/ fishing if someone is close by.

 

[LDUBS]

My initial reasoning for getting a tinny was to turn it into a Tiny Boat. But since she's in better shape than I am and 15 years older, I'm debating keeping her as original as possible (going to add the side console for remote steering though). One of the previous owners removed all the foam from the seats for storage (maybe because the foam was shot), so I will be correcting that mistake. Most of the water I fish in I can walk through if need be, and I'm putting in a bilge pump this week, so that isn't an immediate safety concern. I did create some holders for the Bimini top (my first attempt at creating with angle aluminum, picture of one below) and I'm planning on making a shelf for my fish finder this week. I bought a Garmin 4 with mapping capabilities since I'm new to this area for the drop offs and holes around here, not so much for the "fish finding" since I'm fishing in such shallow water. Eventually this will become a mini console for my fire extinguisher, first aid kit and other stuff.
I'm looking forward to talking with people here and maybe meeting/ fishing if someone is close by.

The bimini top holder is a nice idea. Is it removable?

Mine folds forward just in front of the windshield. But doing that gets in the way of the walk thru and access to a forward hatch and the trolling motor. I've occasionally thought of some kind of bracket to hold it up above the windshield.

 

[GilK]

The bimini top holder is a nice idea. Is it removable?

Mine folds forward just in front of the windshield. But doing that gets in the way of the walk thru and access to a forward hatch and the trolling motor. I've occasionally thought of some kind of bracket to hold it up above the windshield.

No it's not removable. But this is the first version. But I might try to make the next one removable, to make it easier to put a cover on.

Mine sits right in front of the second seat and was a pain to step over. I needed a way for it to be behind me but not on the motor and not blocking a critical part of my view. I got lucky and got the height right the first time.

My final version will be done in 1.5" instead of 1". I might add a track system to be able to move it forward for passenger sun protection. Right now it's just for emergency storm protection since I can't in the back with it up.