Hey girls, it seems that some of the wonderful people on TFF have chipped in and I am going to get a boat for the first time in my life. http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...boa#Post2798096

I am real excited. So it is a 12ft 1964 Arkansas Traveler. So I am going to be hopefully catching a whole lot more fish. I am so overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of TFF folks. Anyway maybe some women will come on this board eventually and live in my area, and want to tag along with me and fish a bit. I imagine it will just be one person at a time, since the boat is 12ft with two seats. But still, if someone comes to my area and wants to fish, it can happen. The boat needs a lot of work, but it should be able to hit the water before too long. I will be using a trolling motor only, but that doesn't bother me. Maybe my daughter will actually fish with me now since I will have a boat. Right now it is parked at Badassbait's house. The tires are gonna have to be replaced before I can take it home. My brother is going to be able to get me a wholesale discount on them. He thinks about 40 bucks a piece. Anyway, if you want to see progress on the boat, you can view that thread and see pics of it and all. Hopefully soon I will be showing you some bigger fish in my pictures that I post, with the help of a boat.

Oh I forgot to say more about my daughter. When last fall rolled around she decided she didn't want to fish anymore. Before that she went fishing a lot with her brother and I. My son is 15. Anyway the last two times she went fishing, she talked on the cell phone the entire time, and didn't really fish. I even baited her line for her, she just held the rod, and talked on the phone. The very last time we were at the spillway, she stayed in the truck and never did fish. I am hoping when she is about 23 or so she will come back to fishing, if not sooner. She used to sit on the chair, or wander around while my son and I worked our rears off trying to find out what the fish wanted. When she saw us finally catching them, she would mosey on down, ask what we were using, and then start catching. A lot of times she would even get a bigger fish than us, as she gleaned from all our hard work. It was funny, and we used to kid her about it. Now she won't even do that. For you ladies who have daughters around this age, and older, when do they come back to fishing? I don't push anymore. I just ask her if she wants to go, she says no, I go. My son will go with my most of the time, but not every time. It is more of an obsession for me, than him. Anyway I hope to hear some good news about this from some of you who have been there. Right now my daughter's friends are more important than family, sadly.

Congratulations on your boat. You will love being on the water. I've had my boat for 11 yrs and it has brought me so much joy.

There are no kinder, caring people than fishermen.

Can't help you with your daughter, I have 2 sons who hunt and fish, even sometimes with their Mom. They are 33 and 35.

Thanks, I cannot wait to get it ready for the water. I agree with you on the statement about anglers! Well maybe somebody else can help then with the question about my daughter. I truly believe she will eventually get back into it. Having the boat may just be the incentive she needs. My son is more than ready to join me out on the water.

If your only going to use a t motor on your boat your going to have to install a stationary "Tiller" on the back of the boat so you can control the direction you want to move in. I'm sure Mike can help you with that as its not a big project at all. Just my 2 cents worth.

kelkay.
congrats on the boat!! that's way cool.

i have two daughters one is 18 and currently at the naval boot camp!
my youngest is 16.

both always liked going out with me on the boat, but neither really liked to fish. they just liked riding around and being with me (yes, they liked going fast too). my youngest always tried, but gave up soon if they didn't bite right away.
perhaps your daughter will do the same. just being with you on the boat is a blessing, it is to me anyway.
eventually she may or may not get into the fishing part. Just enjoy the time out with her as i have with my kiddo's.
now that you have a boat, she won't be able to stay in the truck..lol

good luck and catch alot of fishies. or atleast have fun trying!

steve.

Congrats on the boat Kelkay. We have a daughter and she too didn't do a whole lot of fishing in her teens. It's been pretty much since graduation that she has taken a deeper interest in the fishing again. Now she's 26 and has 2 boys and fishing is one of her favorite outdoor sports. We even take them out on the crappie barge here on Lewisville every chance we get. Her and the hubby take them out on Ray Hubbard. I sure wish you and I lived closer to each other cuz I would certainly love to go fishing with you.

look at getting them envolved in a jr bass club, we currently have 5 girls fishing with us at this time in our jr club, as a matter of fact they run the club, one is pres and the other sec/tres....pm me for more info if your interested in clubs in your area

Well after careful consideration we came to the conclusion a trolling motor in the front would be hard to control. Plus a deck would need to be installed to attach it. So it looks like I will get a transom mount tm instead. Late4Lake said I can sell the other one, I have no idea what the one he gave me is worth though. He said he has an almost new transom tm to get to me.

Thanks Steve. She said she would probably go with me on the boat.

Thanks for giving me a bit of hope. Yes I know if we lived closer you and I would do some fishing together, I have no doubt of that. I would love to fish with you sometime too.

I don't think my son would be interested. I know my daughter would not. She is too busy with her little circle of friends to care about much else. You know how they are once they are a senior. She will be 18 before I know it. Seems like I just had her, now she is almost grown.

that's a good start!!

Wow congrats KelKay!!!

As for your daughter I understand where you are coming from. I have a 15 year old little girl who seems very similar to your daughter (who knows, they could be in the same circle of friends!!!haha). She used to fish with me but nowadays she is much more interested in her MySpace account and her cell phone then just about anything else. Sometimes I wonder if it was a mistake that I got her a cell phone!

I think it is just the age that they are at. I am just going to keep my chin up and whenever she is ready to come back to the waters she will know that I will be there.

But hey, you got a boat right?!?!!?

Well I bought it, but cannot use it yet. (with very kind donations that is) The trailer is not usable we just found out ,not without a lot of work. I may end up as cheap to just find a good used boat trailer...I hate to do that...but it may be better in the long run. The other trailer would need a hub kit for both wheels, and they need knew wheels etc... I had planned on picking up the new tires yesterday, when Badassbaits told me the bad news about trying to get the wheels off. (it was sitting for eleven years) Oh well, stuff er..well, it happens. I hope to soon have a fishable boat and trailer...I cannot wait.

I have two daughters, 35 and 31. The youngest never did take to out door activities very much. The oldest would out fish me when we lived on Caddo and were fishing for blue gill. I mean we could be using identical out fits and fish from the same side of the boat and she would beat me every time. When they discovered boys that was the last of the fishing for a while. The oldest one married a fisherman and they live ten minutes from Tawakoni. She loves to fish with her husband now and her daughter (age 8) is just like she used to be at that age.
Don't worry too much if your kids don't share your enthusiasm for fishing. They will come around eventually.

Thanks for your experience on this. Yes, my daughter has discovered boys like you said. She just got another boyfriend. My son is 15, and still likes to fish, just not as much as me. I am hoping she will come back to fishing after her little phase is over...well let's hope so.

here are some pics of kelkay's boat after I washed it, cleaned up pretty good, unfortunately the wheel seems to be a problem, as you can see the threads are stripped on the lug bolts that I could remove, there is quite a bit of rust eventually got them all off one side, but could only remove one on other side before impact socket broke.

Okay you guys can stop looking at Craigslist, and the local papers etc...I am getting a new boat trailer from Northern Tools. (thanks to a wonderful TFF anonymous donor...who wishes to remain anonymous) It will take several days to come in....but I should probably have it in less than two weeks. This is just thrilling and I should be on the water soon. I am not sure if Mike posted the link to it on here, but that is the one I am gonna be getting. Thank you all for your help in this endeavor. I am sure his wife is ready for me to get that boat outta their yard!

YOU GO GIRL... How cool is that? Your own boat! You gotta start somewhere, set your mind to it, and you can make your dreams come true. I have a daughter that just turned 19 last month and it sounds like her and your daughter could be twins. She thinks I have a fishing problem and I always tease her by saying, "Hi, my name is Debbie, and I am a fishaholic". She just laughs. She fished with me when she was younger, but once she started driving, that pretty much ended. I sure wish I lived closer to you so we could fish together sometime. I would love to be able to fish out of a boat just one time instead of walking the banks all the time. I had 2 heart attacks last year and fishing is my stress reliever. Maybe one day, when the weathers nice, I can take a road trip your way and we can catch a few fish together! Congrats again!!

You just cannot imagine how thrilled I am. I may not sound like it, but I am. Yes our daughters do sound an awful lot alike don't they? My daughter thinks I've gone off the deep end about fishing, and fly tying. I think down deep she thinks it is cool. I think one of these days she will come back to it. She hopefully will anyway. I have no idea what part of Tx you are from. If you come my way you can sure join me. I don't mind fishing alone, but it sure is nice to have people join me too!! Yes I know how fishing can be a stress reliever. I like to get out and fish for that very same reason. I love the outdoors, always have. I have dealt with issues with my heart for over ten years now...electric problems. So I sure know what you are talking about. Fishing and fly tying are an obsession for me. I don't want to change it though, I see no problem. I can quit anytime I want to....lol...not.

Congrats Kelkay!!!

That is so exciting! I look forward to the first few reports from your first trips out on YOUR boat! Could be a good chance to try out the ol' hula popper ;-). I hope you get a hit right when you are about to take the popper out of the water right next to the boat! That will make you jump but it is worth getting startled!!!

Good luck!!!

LOL Thanks Cindy. I will try just that...hehehe.

Congrats Kelkay, I used to love working up in you neck of the woods. Some of the best white bass fishing I ever did was below the dam at Wright Patman. Tried to talk my wife into moving up there, but I just couldn't drag her away from Houston. I just picked up my first boat 4 weeks ago!

Well congrats on YOUR BOAT TOO. My brother lives over there by Wright Patman. I also have kin in that area I haven't seen in ages. It is a nice area. Houston is nice for a big city. I just don't care for living in a big city. Anyway just cause she doesn't want to move here doesn't mean you cannot come fishing this way now and then!!! Right? So come up here and catch you a few fish...hehehe.

Thanks Kelkay, As much as I enjoyed fishing up in your neck of the woods, it's amazing how many fishing spots open up for you when you have your own boat. You'll soon find that out! I reckon I could spend the rest of my life just exploring the lakes/rivers/coast down here. All that being said, I still plan on heading up there in February to go chase those monster Sabine River whites out of River Ridge. I've been fishing with Jane Gallenbach out of RR for the last 3 years, but this will be the first time I'll be bringing my own boat. Still plan on fishing with Jane one day though. It's awesome fishing out of your own boat! Enjoy!

Kelkay, and new photos of how your boat is coming along.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/2798096/10

Hey CatfishMike! Here are the latest photos I have put up. I got the part that was white sanded down...used a fine grit, then a super fine grit, and primered it with self etching primer. I am still on the outside sanding on the top part that was green...and I have a long way to go. I am just using sandpaper, and it is taking much much longer than I ever dreamed it would. Thanks for asking.

congrats!
I just boat another boat. Boy she is pretty! Girls, gotta love sparkle LOL

So what kind of boat did ya get? I am still sanding on mine.

How is the boat coming now Kelkay. Any new photos on your progress.

This is the last pic I took. I painted the last bit of the boat a couple of days ago. I will have to do some touch ups here and there probably. I will wax some more, using a clay bar first. I am about done. I also cut the styrofoam and glued it, so it is ready for the seats.

Looking good!!! Keep us update.

Looking great Kelkay compared to what you had started with. Keep up the great work.

Click to enlarge pic, and go to the boat album.

Okay the boat is back on the trailer now. I am done with the bottom. The gray is gonna require another coat though. I like these colors. I will have red lettering for the boat numbers. My friend thinks I need red pin striping to go along the rivets on the exterior. What do y'all think? I hate to do that because it will come off and fade over time. Other than that I think it might improve it. I will have some red carpet inside possibly. (I bought a bunch of bumper carpet, and I could put that to good use.) Let me know your opinions. I am glad y'all like it.

Looking good. Yes go ahead and pin stripe it. Might as well go all the way with the decorating.
As many hours and as hard as you have worked on that boat I hope you catch a mess of fish and have the time of your life using it.

Thank you Grandpa. I sure hope I catch a mess of fish in it too! I think it is a great little boat. I do not know how much pin stripes cost, but that may deter me...lol.

You paint it what ever color you want to. It is looking good now as it is. Hopefully it will not be to long before you are able to finally get it out on a lake and fish from it for the first time. Would love to see some photos then for sure.

The colors you see above are the colors I chose. I messed up today and tried to paint in the wind. Now I am going to have to fix the botched job. One step forward, two steps back. I will have to sand that part with a fine grit, and repaint it. Luckily it was not a lot of messed up area. The wind decided to gust, and blew the newspaper up on my wet paint. I was HOT. I was so disgusted I left. I can't do any more painting in this stupid wind. Glad you like the job so far. It was way more than I thought it would be. But the end result will sure be worth it.

check at an auto parts store. Should be some decal pinstripping like they put on cars.

thanks for the idea...I saw some of it online really cheap for 50 yards I think it was...but I don't know if I will attempt it or not...do you think it would improve the looks? Remember I will have red lettering.

Hey Kelkay, any updated photo of the boat you have been working on?

I did not take a photo today. I ran the wire through the pvc pipe, added the rest of the brackets, put in the base mount for the stern light, that kind of thing. The trolling motor and batteries are on the boat. I thought I had everything I needed to do the wiring, but found out of course I needed to go back to the store to get more stuff. I will brave the heat again tomorrow, but probably not Thursday...Thursday will be super hot. Hopefully I can get the trolling motor and lights finished tomorrow...I ran the wire for one trolling motor, lights, fish finder, and bilge pump. (I do not have the bilge pump yet, but decided it was best to get it wired for when I do get the money for that) The heat prevented me from working on the boat, today wasn't too bad. My friend let me put the boat in her garage area with a covered top...so I was out of the sun.

http://s373.photobucket.com/albums/oo175/Kelkay59/boat/

Here are all of the boat photos, maybe you missed one. Everytime I take a pic, it goes right to Photobucket, that day.

Great work Kelkay!! You have done a lot since December!

Kelkey,

Looked in my stash, have a brand new bildge pump, still in its wrapper, its yours if we can find a way to get it to you. My Wife has an apppointment next Tues in Tyler with her Dr. possibly there is some place we could drop it for you ? We come in From Hgw 80 at Miniola down to Tyler. let me know.

Thanks Dwight. I did a lot of work up until around the first of June, then the heat got me to stop. We finally had a little cooling off with the rain, so I am back on it.

Hooker, let's take this to pm, I sure appreciate the offer!

kelkey,



CORRECTION, CORRECTION: Just checked that is an areator pump, sorry, "the mind is a terrible thing to waste"

Wow what a drastic change, look like it is going to be a nice boat!

Kelkay,

I was cleaning up the garage this week and found several unopened marine items that I have no need of. Let me know if you need anything for your boat and I will check what I didn't throw out. Some of the items I found will only fit the jet boat we once had.

Dwight

Dwight, I could use a bilge pump, and a little more rope. I also need a tarp. The boat is 14ft long.

thank you, it has been a drastic change alright, and a whole lot of work, but boy is it gonna be great to fish from...hehehe

I bet she could use that aerator, she needs to keep the fish alive for fresh eating right!!!

Kelkay,

I found an Attwood Mini King 500 bilge pump with about 7' of hose. I don't guess it was ever used, the motor still spins.

I also found several surface-mount deck cleats (still in the plastic bags), some battery tie-down straps, poly rope for an anchor, a couple of oars with rowlock's and a couple of paddles.

I also have a Minn Kota Maxxum 36volt, 101#, 42" trolling motor with the mount and foot control and a MotorGuide gator mount less the trolling motor.

Dwight

Dwight, I could use the bilge pump, and cleats. The oars would be too much money to send. I already have a trolling motor. I will send you a pm. I have one boat paddle at this time. I really appreciate the offer!!

These guys are very nice! I cannot wait to see the finished product.

PM sent Kelkay...

Kelly, do you have any new photos?

No, I do not have any new photos. I asked a friend to help when he had time, to let me know, still haven't heard from him. Then somebody else offered to help. (I thought this weekend.) I called him today, and he hasn't called back. So I am hoping tomorrow I will get it finished.

How much do you have left to do?

the only thing left to do is label wires, attach the last piece of pvc to the bow, and wire up the bilge pump, fish finder, and lights..I tried to get the light to plug in right, but I had trouble with it...I was afraid to push it in any more, for fear of breaking it...someone will have to look at that...hopefully the volunteer will be able to help me tomorrow

I bet you are getting excited about the finishing touches and then the maiden voyage...

yes, but this last bit is killing me, I just knew I'd already have it in the water by now...if it was something I could do myself, it would of already been done...the wiring is too complicated for me to do on my own, I already tried...so once I get the last bit of help...I am gonna be one happy lady

Just another update. I thought a guy was going to help over the weekend, he said that would be a good time to work on the wiring. I called him, and left messages, and he never got back to me. I do not know if he is okay, or he decided to go out of town, or what. I went over to the boat yesterday, and the tree the boat was parked under at my friend's house let off some kind of black sooty mold all over the boat. So I spend all afternoon trying to clean it. I tried regular dishwashing soap, and water...that didn't work, even when I scrubbed it. Then I tried a bleach water mixture, that didn't work. Finally I got the idea to use baking soda, and a sponge..with a bit of water and soap, and that did better. I ran out of time and did not get it cleaned up 100%. Her tree also put a whole bunch of leaves in it. I got that all out though. I am going to have to get a tarp so this doesn't get all inside the boat again. It is pouring rain today, so I cannot go finish the clean up, and attach that last piece of pvc to the bow. It will require a drill...and I cannot be doing that out in the rain. So when this blows over, I will be going back out there. I am giving up on that volunteer. So I have more who recently offered to help, and I will be contacting them. I am more than ready to get this done, so my son and I can fish asap, out of the boat.

Sad how some folks are already and willing to help but when it gets down to it they back out. I know you will find someone who is willing and capable of helping you finish it up. Keep your chin up. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel or as it maybe a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Thanks for your words of encouragement. I am trying to keep positive about this, but it is tough. It will get done though.

Kelkay, A suggestion, I get used vynl signs from a sign company in Dallas, they are 23'x40', heavy grade vynl, but very pliable, one side has the printed sign, the other is white, where I got mine (Free) they stiulate that the white side must always be the exposed side, I cut mine into 4 pieces (Each plenty big fo your boat,) I got some grommets from Tractor Supply (clothing material stores have them) affix the grommets and ties and wolla you have a cover that will never wear out. You might inquire at some of the outdoor advertising companys there in Tyler.

I never thought about vinyl signs. That would be better than tarp you think? I need to keep the inside clean and free from leaves.

My leaves blow out on the way to the lake.

kelkey,

Vastly better then a tarp, stronger and better to shed the weather, I built a frame (Simple), out of old pvc that set inside the boat to shed the water and other stuff

do you have a picture of what you are talking about?

kelkay, just went to photobucket and looked at your boat.
Awesome job.

Kelkay,

Sold that boat, along with the cover and pvc braces.

To explain: make two posts of 1/2" pvc, about 24" tall, connect these with a longer piece of pvc, in your case about 12' long, the connectors on the posts should be 90 deg, elbows, this system should stand in the long part of your boat, allowing the vynal cover to drap over it like a tent.

thanks, I am trying to imagine that

Thanks, I sure do appreciate it. I put many an hour on that boat fixing her up...that is FOR SURE.

I went over to do the bracket today. The pvc pipe comes in at an angle, so it is going to be a bugger to get the bracket on...I tried to use a drill today to put two holes in for the fasteners...there is only about a half inch lip to attach it to. The drill bit wore down, and would not go through. I just couldn't believe it. So when I came back home, I picked up another drill bit. This one better do the job. I was not a happy camper. Anyway, here are two pics I took today while there. The second picture the flash was too bright, sorry about that. At least you can see what was done pretty much. You can see the pipe at the bow, and where it must attach. The boat is much cleaner now than previously, but still not finished. I will have to re-wax the thing. I bet I took off all the wax trying to get that black stuff off of it.

Those photos look great!!!

Thank you Dwight! I have the wiring all labeled too. I color coded them for the bilge pump, lights, and fish finder. I attached one black, and one red wire with a different color of electrical tape. This will help when I get somebody to help me finish the wiring. I wrapped all of the ends of the bundles of wires...so hopefully the wires stay together, and will not lose the color code I gave them. This should make the wiring a breeze. (for those gifted in wiring stuff, which I am NOT) I also set the anchor up front. It is next to the spare battery...located in the bow, ahead of the front seat. I was afraid of having too much weight in the rear of the boat. So I put that battery up front for the time being. :-)

So when is the maiden voyage?

Well I thought it was gonna be the past two days. Just that bracket is all that is stopping me from taking it out. If I go down the road with that pvc unsecured it will scratch my paint up. My son says he has plans tomorrow. Since I have never launched a boat by myself, I thought it would be good to have an extra set of hands for the first time or two I take the boat out. I bought that new bit, so I will try to attach it probably tomorrow. I will have to have some help adjusting that bracket though. I might can talk my 18 year old daughter into going with me tomorrow...at least to get the boat in the water, and check for leaks. I hate to try to load it up by myself for the first time, but I will if I must. My son said he would go Sunday. So I may wait till then. I am determined to get out THIS weekend.

You could run 2~leads of 6 gauge wire (welding wire from TSC,Lowes,etc) from the front battery to the rear battery and wire it in Parallel (positive to positive and negative to negative).

kelkay,

Good luck, bet she floats fine,very good looking job you've done there, you should be VERY proud. Are you gonna name her ?

btw, Not sure of what the bracket thing is, but you spoke of comeing in at an angle, is it possible to use heat and reshape it ?

Yes, that is a good idea. I want to see how much a problem weight would be first. I am not sure of the final position of the spare battery yet. I think up front is perfect...I do have that 6 gauge extra wire I had already set up for the bow mount trolling motor...for when I eventually HOPE to get a small casting deck. I also eventually hope to get a motor, so I will need another battery, and that would be good to have in the back as well...next to the other one. I appreciate the comment on running it parallel Dwight.

Well I am not sure about heating that bracket. It would be a last resort thing for me. I am hoping that the drill will help pull it in once I get that bolt going in that lip. It is very narrow, so that is the main concern. Just looking at it you think you could just attach the bracket and the pipe would go in straight. But it just couldn't be THAT EASY....I should of known. My son did turn that metal bracket quite a bit...but he won't be with me today. It is like Rosanne Rosanna-Dana used to say "it's always something"...

As Roseanne said, "Well it just goes to show you, it's always something......."

LOL..yes, she was my favorite SNL character back in the day...and you nailed it...I forgot to add the first part. (it has been a long time since I have seen her in that show...and she used to crack me up!)

This is a little off topic, but it was funny at the time Kelly...

For example, she was talking about eating a hamburger in a restaurant and how she felt something hard in it. And she spit it out and it was white and looked like a toenail. She said, "I thought I was gonna die. I mean, what was a toenail doing in my hamburger?" Then she went to the restroom and on the way to the restroom she saw Princess Lee Radziwill who she described as the "classy lady that no one knows where she's the princess of." But what the Princess didn't know was she had a tiny piece of toilet paper hanging off her shoe, and she was walking around and the toilet paper wouldn't fall off. "I thought I was gonna be sick. So I says to her, 'Hey Princess Lee—what are ya tryin' to do, make me sick?' " So Jane Curtin asked her what this had to do with anything. Roseanne said, "Well it just goes to show you, it's always something, you either got a toenail in your hamburger or toilet paper clinging to your shoe."

another fan I see...hehehe...join the club...I thought she was it in my younger days

Need a pic with Capt Kelkay in the boat now.

What we need are some up-close photos of the bracket & pipe so we can come up with a solution. Did you get to take her out this weekend Kelly?

Well folks the day finally arrived. My son and I took the boat out this afternoon. The boat does not leak that I can tell. We got the bracket to hold, but it is a temporary fix. I was told about another type of pvc clamp/bracket...but I have not seen one like my friend described. So I will look for one later. The pipe is fairly secure now, and we were able to get it out on the lake. The trolling motor scooted up around fast enough. I brought the fly rod, but only saw two fish. They were following the fly, but did not even hit it. The main thing was we finally got the boat out. I know there is a huge sigh of relief all the way around. My son and I enjoyed getting it out for the test run today. I am going to have to get some flags for the trailer, cause when I tried to back it up to get the boat back on it...I couldn't see the trailer at all. Not out of the rear view, or side view mirrors. That was scary. My son and I worked it out though. It was a tense moment, and panic for me. I have never launched, or loaded a boat before today. So this was a learning experience for the both of us. We were absolutely thrilled this day finally arrived. I still don't have the wiring connected, but at least the boat made the first voyage of many for us. Thank you all who helped me out in any way with this. I cannot imagine how many days of memories my son and I will have with this boat. It has been a long hard road, but the day has finally come, and we were able to enjoy the heck out of having a boat of our own.

yes I got the boat out today...I will take a pic of the way we have it connected...I was just dead set on getting to the lake, come hell or high water today...so I didn't think of taking a pic of the bracket.

Revo, as far as a pic of me in the boat...I will think about that...

Here is the new transom, for those who never saw it. (and seats)
vs the old transom

now for the newer pic to see the difference

Okay Revoman here is a pic of me.

Glad for you. I know you'll enjoy the boat.

That is a very nice boat. Can't believe how u fixed it up

thanks everyone :-)

What a great transformation!!!!

Very nice! Oh, and the boat looks good too!
Great job K! Shoot me a pic of the bracket when you can.

thank ya...I just got back from a fly fishing event...I forgot to take a pic of the bracket...I got a tarp the other day and covered the boat. I do need to back back and finish cleaning the inside, and waxing it. I got stung by a bee on Saturday. I am allergic to bees. I am gonna have to stay out of the sun for a day or two. It is red with hives and swelling, from my pinky finger to above my elbow. If it is worse tomorrow, I will have to go to the doctor.

Lookin good, now lets see some fish in that boat.

Hope you survived Kelly! When you get a photo of the bracket, it would be faster if you e-mail me directly as I check it daily.
You've got me thinking about redoing an aluminum boat now!

I hope to see some fish too, and soon. I have to check the weather, but might be able to go tomorrow. My arm is better, but still have hives on it. I got skunked at Toledo Bend. But then I read later that that is when they were spraying herbicide to try to kill the Giant Salvania that weekend. Maybe that shut them down. I did not take the boat there, I was fishing from the bank. Anyway, that is the place I got stung. The redness actually went up half way into my upper arm, and I couldn't bend my elbow right. I will have to remember to bring some stuff with me the next time I go out to that place next year, or if I go to a remote area.

I survived. I was at my friend's where I have to boat right now...but I will try to remember to take a pic of it. Where I store the boat my daughter's car is blocking that area. Her car broke down some time ago, and I cannot get the boat over where it can be safely stored. I want it where it will be easier to see, than be stolen if I park it on the other side. I have yet to finish the inside cleaning of the boat, and another wax job. But I did get a tarp on it, and that will help keep it cleaner. I used a 10 by 16 ft tarp, and that worked pretty good actually.

Planning to go this afternoon. Hope I catch a few this time.

I'm waiting for the trout stocking schedule to come out. TPWD says the middle of Nov. it will be published, but it's not there yet.
Want to try some of my own ugly flies. I know hatchery trout hit most anything small, but it will still feel pretty good to catch a fish on something I tied.

It is all new to me, this tying of the feathers. Still will give me a thrill.

I caught a nice bass and lost it at the boat, but I also caught a decent catfish. We weren't out there too long, but at least we got the boat out again. I forgot to take a pic of that bracket though. We may go fishing again tomorrow. I had to take my daughter to do some long test, and by the time we got the bait, and went to the lake, it was getting almost four o'clock. Oh well...it was still fun, even if not nearly as long as I wanted. I will be glad when my daughter gets her car fixed. Then I can fish longer.

Here is the first fish pulled in. So this is the official first catch while using the boat!

Looking good there girl. Nice looking boy too... Got to keep those little ones interested.

Thank ya MsBass... you know I have my hands full with a red headed boy like that...lol. My girl started college this year ,and still has no desire to fish. She came to the lake yesterday with us, she had no choice really. She walked my son's dog...while we fished in the boat. It was a great late afternoon.

Happy Birthday Kelly! I'm still waitin' on a picture of that bracket. Did you figure out a fix or just forget about it? Let me know.

My father has been in critical condition since this was taken, I have not messed with the boat, or been fishing since he was hospitalized. (two times now) I did manage to take a pic of the boat's bracket that I was talking about previously. You can shoot me a pm on what you think about it.

Kelkay,

Been following your thread - great work on the boat!

Just a couple of thoughts.....one is that a large "Adel Clamp" or cushion clamp might work well - they only attach on one side (where you already have an accessible hole) and should be plenty strong - hydraulic shops / Grainger / nut & bolt house ought to have one and they are pretty inexpensive - couple of bucks or so.

Another thought is to simply attach the PVC directly - if you drilled say a 1/2" hole in the bottom of the PVC and a 1/4" hole in the top you could run a small nut/bolt or self tap screw right into the metal above the tube?

Also don't forget the option to use a heavy duty cable tie - Lowes or Home Depot should have some seriously strong ones in the electrical section.

Again great work and hope everything works out well with your father.

That first solution sounds good, I will have to check on that when things get better around here. Thank you for the well wishes for my father, I certainly appreciate that. He is extremely ill, and it has taken quite a toll on my family.

Hey Kelly--what a nice job you've done--truly a labor of love. Have been keeping tabs on your posts and the progress of your project---you've done a fine job and I know you look forward to many hours of sheer pleasure on the water.

Sorry to hear about your dads illness,we wish him the best and a complete recovery.

Mario

Thank you Mario. Your kind words brought a smile to my face.

Your more than welcome. !!

WOW, I remember when it looked like beat up old boat.

Looks great.

You have done a great job & should be very proud.

I'm glad you finally got to fish out of it.

Thank you Late4Lake! I am happy with the way it looks, and everything about it. The trailer needs some modifications to it, to make it easier to load back up from the water. My son and I have had a hard time trying to get it back on the trailer. (there is no way one person could load it themselves I don't think..the way it is now) I think it needs more rollers, and a board on each side near the front to help pull it in, but the back wants to turn once you start to pull it up out of the water...so I will be looking into that when I can, and feel like it.

Kelkay....you do nice work!

Good Job! Congrats and catch plenty of fish!!

Thanks guys, I appreciate it! :-)