do it yourself tricks

[YoungFisher678]

I know that some things have been covered in other discussions but I am always looking for new, cheap and innovative ideas for making my boat better. I thought everyone could share any tips for improving their tourney rigs. It is always good to hear of new ideas that work for others. Thanks.

[Rob Mak]

after i busted my transducer off fromn the trolling moter for the 3rd time. i went to the hardware store got me 2' of 1/4-20 threaded rod. and 3 aircraft nuts-the ones with the white plastic insert in it-and 2- 2'' hose clamps. i bent the rod 4" from one end not a 90 degree but a nice easy bend. clamp on the rod to the tm shaft one clamp at the power head. on up near the top 4-8" down from the end. then on the end of the bent part of the rod. put on a nut thread down about 3" then add one side of the holes on the transducer mount . than another nut-the nut should be between the mount holes-then the other transducer hole.then the last nut.
move till the transducer is about 1"from the outside of the power head. tighten not real tight.

anit knocked this off in 3 years.

zooker

[BassNva]

always carry a can of WD-40 and a phillips screwdriver.

i broke the lens on my anchor light.got a jar from pork trailers and taped it on with electrical tape.no-one noticed it yet,that was about 3 yrs ago.

[Rob Mak]

i used a baby food jar for the same thing on my duck boat. it was the only jar of that size i could find.


zooker

[YoungFisher678]

dang zooker, these are definately intersting solutions! I just ordered a cooks go to tackle organiser for instilatio and also installed the water temp guage made from an indoor/outdoor themometer. Lowes now has one with a outside probe that can be submerged to ten feet.

[oldfisherman]

got this one off the site. went to wal mart got a inside /outside digtal therometer. glued the probe to the transom. works great.I also took some 4 in pvc for my boat cover support. take the seats out of boat. put the the rods or post support in cut two section that are about 1in higher than your console is, on the end if the two section glue a 90degree eblow. these slip over the seat post. cut the other piece to lenght slip it in the elbows . get a trap from lowes or somplace like that but it over the support and secure it to the trailer with bungee cords. works grerat for winter storge as it is slope and the snow and ice will not stick to it and if you keep it tight it with not sag and cause puddles to form from the rain water. whole set up cost abot 25 dollars to make .

[Rob Mak]

my boat may sit inside all the time but it is still covered because of a critter called a boring bee they drill an almost perfect 3/8" hole in any thing made for pine.they leave a depoist of saw dust/bee wax combo that you do NOT want in your boat.

zooker

[BassNva]

i fish alone alot so i came up with an easy way to get the boat off the trailer.got about 30' of rope,put a hook on each end.clip one end on the eye on the boat,the other end on the safety strap hook on the trailer.back in,bump the boat off,pull forward till the trailer is out of the water.unhook from the trailer and done.tie it up and go park.
another thing i did was went from P205-14 tires to P185's.makes it easier when you have a shallow ramp.

[macgyver]

[quote author=bassintom link=board=Boats;num=1100286837;start=0#7 date=11/16/04 at 22:10:13]i fish alone alot so i came up with an easy way to get the boat off the trailer.got about 30' of rope,put a hook on each end.clip one end on the eye on the boat,the other end on the safety strap hook on the trailer.back in,bump the boat off,pull forward till the trailer is out of the water.unhook from the trailer and done.tie it up and go park.[/quote]

I do the exact same thing, except one end stays tied to my boat, the other go around my winch

another thing i did was went from P205-14 tires to P185's.makes it easier when you have a shallow ramp.

Great idea, I haven't had much problem with mine since it's so light, but a good one to remember for my runabout boat, and my next Bass Rig

I also put rod holders mounted in my aluminum boat along the sides. It make a huge difference in space and ease of tranporting them(I have a 4 rod holder on each side, and still need more room for more rods and reels ;D) I also built some black light mounts for a couple of black lights for night fishing, they work pretty well, and cost about $2 bucks a piece to make with some spare wood.

Lizards

[Rob Mak]

talking tires i used to run the narrow trailer tires on my boats but now i just buy 175-70-14 regular car tires. they last twice as long. plus they are cheaper and make the boat more stable on the road.


zooker

[macgyver]

Another do it your self thing is to build a 3rd removeable seat. I bought some treated plywood 1/2" cut it in 2 and screws them together. Then I got some carpet at Lowes to match my existing carpet, mounted a base, and swivel to it, and then the seat(all can be found at Wallyworld or other sporting goods store). I then can place it in the boat, for when I need three seats(needed them several times so far) and just lift it out when not being used. I'm guessing beteen the plywood, seat, base and swivel it was about $50 total. Plus if I ever need an extra seat at home on the porch, I got one

Man I've done so much do it yourself stuff, I forget about all the stuff you can do with a little imagination 8)

Lizards

[fredhatch]

My imagination just started. Boat will be outta the water for a few weeks. Gonna lengthen the front platform and add 2 dry storage compartments and relocate the livewell to the center and make it larger (hopefully to hold more fish). Also relocating my TM battery to the rear of the boat, hopefully this will offset the weight of the larger livewell. Also heard a great idea about runnin PVC pipe under the deck for rod storage, dont know if I can pull that off due to lack of room, but may give it a look. Also, anyone familiar w/ expanding foam, thinking about using some for xtra flotation and sound deadening on the aluminum. If all goes well and I figure out the whole digital camera to computer thing Ill be postin some before and after pix. 8)

[YoungFisher678]

Sounds like some great ideas, back to tires I run a standard 205/75/14 radial on my stratos. Psi up to 80, pulls pretty good.

[Rob Mak]

wmaybin
i went to the street radial after the first time i pulled the jon boat through some slushy roads. and bout slid the boat in to a tree. besides i put about 10k miles on my jon boat a year. hauling it to the coast 400 miles one way, at 70-80mph. the narrow tires just would not hold up and have had a bunch of tread seperation . but i have had no problems since i went to the regular car tire. on either one of my boat trailers.


zooker

[catfishtonyd]

That cooks "Go-To" system is a neat trick. I didn't use mine the way they're designed, because my boat doesn't have any compartment lids. I just screwed them to the side of the boat, and use them to hang baits that I either plan to use during the day, or to hang the ones I take off. Same thing with the hook rings that come with it. I hang the bags of worms that I plan to use during the day. They're out of the way, and always right where I know they are.

That Wally World indoor/outdoor thermoter works great. Don't let it get wet though. They're not designed for outside. Mine eventually dried out and went back to working. (Fishing on a rainey day.)

My boat has big open areas under the bench seats. I found some "sterlite" plastic boxes at Wally World that fit perfectly under the seats. Instand dry storage. CHEAP 2.95 each.

A 5 gal bucket is a great thing to have in a boat. It can be used for everything from an emergency live well pump, to an portable head. Beats the heck out of going ashore, especially if there are a lot of "no legged" critters or something of that nature around. It can also be used to hold up one side of your cover if you have a single console boat with a rod locker on the other side.

[BassNva]

i carry a small bucket and some plastic bags that fit into it(the bags from wally world or shop rite work good).just make sure theres no holes in them.then after the the deed is done,tie up the bag and toss it into the bilge(just don't forget it's there when you get home ).
another tip is wear 2 pairs of socks in case you run out of TP


you'll thank me for this tip someday ;D

[Makitcnt4u]

can someone explain to me indepth about how to mount an indoor/outdoor thermometer to my transom for water temperature? Do I just have the screen that tells the temperature lying on the seat or is there a way to mount it?

[catfishtonyd]

Depends on what kind of thermometer you have. Most that are made for use on a boat have a probe on a wire that runs to the display unit. You mount the probe somewhere on the boat, over the transome, or on the foot of the trolling motor are good places. Then you run the wire to where you want the display unit mounted. Or you do it in reverse if you want to.

If you want water temp, you got to get the probe into the water. I used to use a wall thermometer tied on a string that I had tied to a cleat on my boat. Toss the thermometer over the side, let it set, pull it back in when you wanted to know the temp. Then toss it back in again..

Just a funny story. At one time we had these neat thermometers at work that would read almost instantly. They were great. Stick the probe in the water and VOLA. You knew the water temp. The problem was they they read in degrees "C". Since I'm metric illiterate, I made up a conversion chart to carry with me. It worked. Wish I still had that one. After a while you get used to thinking in "C".