Got my boat home! Yay!

[yardbird]

[quote="JLester273"]Yeah the reason I have considered one was because my girls liked it on a pontoon we rented. I have seen them where the sides are storage and the center section hinges to one side etc. Thought about doing something like that as there is a place that makes the parts you just buy the "kit" and bolt it on. But I am just trying to decide really how I want to do everything too.[/quote]

Are the sides padded like the center section? If yes, and if the center hinges to the side, I could see where that would be useful. I saw a pontoon picture where the sides (over the pontoons) were open top and the "sundeck" was just the center section. It would only be about 4 feet wide, no? That didn't seem worth it to me. But then, I'm 64 and not likely to clamber up onto a sundeck regardless

[JLester273]

here is the link to the page.
http://www.pontoonfence.com/sundecks.html

Something like this seems like you could just bolt it up to the back. At least on my boat after I extend my flooring

[yardbird]

Well... wiring just about done. I eliminated a bunch of individual runs to the battery and now just have the 10 gauge positive and negative running to the console. Fused the main positive, and each circuit is also individually fused. Still not all neat and tidy inside the console as I'd like it, but at least now all the connections are fresh, none of the lights flicker, and When I actually do some serious rewiring everything I've done is reusable so it wasn't a wasted effort. Might actually have it on the water before the end of the week.

[JLester273]

Awesome. Glad to hear. It. I have some work to do on mine yet.

[yardbird]

Oh I can see work in my future. If I can find a finish that will stand up, I'm going to build a new helm station over the winter (I have a woodworking shop), more rewiring. The decking actually looks like it will be ok for a couple more years at least, but the carpet is loose. Not ripped or worn through anywhere, just... seen better days.

Progress though... I got it registered today. Will go out tomorrow and buy numbers.... somewhere... not sure where yet. Somebody told me Walmart has them. Go figure. The season, at this point is growing short. So my goal will be to get it in the water and slipped. I think we'll know more about what, if anything, we want to DO to it after we use it a few weeks.

I also saw I have to replace an amber side marker on the trailer. But that will be something to add to the list of trailer stuff after the boat is off of it.

And I tried scrambling over that sundeck tonight from inside the boat and trying to get down onto the back of the starboard pontoon. I'm guessing 9 out of 10 times I'd end up bruised and in the water. So.... sundeck definitely being removed until I can come up with a better idea.

[JLester273]

I was thinking of building my own console too before I got the free deal through pontoonstuff.

I love woodworking though admittedly I am still learning a lot. Did it years ago and loved it but then didn't for many years. Hand tool stuff mostly since.

Depending on what you want it to look like there is lots of possibilities as you know. I look forward to seeing what you come up with there.

[yardbird]

Yeah... my wife and I gutted our kitchen for a remodel. I built all the cabinets. And our island is 3 feet by 8 feet topped with walnut (instead of granite or quartz which would have cost a small fortune). I found some 30 year old walnut drying in a barn loft at an estate sale and built the island counter top for about $400.

My boat isn't that big, nor is it fancy. I think if I build a new console it will be about the same size as the current one.

It's funny because at the little marina I plan to put it, the owner talked about putting us next to another pontoon boat. It's a really nice Bennington with like the entire back half having a camper type enclosure. My boat will be like having a slum neighbor by comparison.

[JLester273]

Haha yeah I can't imagine spending the money some people spend on some of these boats. I priced some out after renting the first one. Man I can't even image. I feel lucky to have found one that was decent enough to use in my low price range. I actually get a good number of complements on it as is. I'm truly blessed to have been picked for the rebuild I am doing. So I hope I can do my part and it should be nice when I am done.

I was planning to use it the way it was for a long time. But the PS giveaway changed all that so I get to make it nice. One of the reason I am on here so much is to see everyone's ways of doing things. As a woodworker you know what I mean. Plenty of little things you see and then end up doing something similar on your projects. That is half the fun.



Walnut island top. Wow I bet that is beautiful. Walnut is pretty stuff.

[yardbird]

Yep... I'm doing the same thing as far as looking at other boats. Winning that boat makeover was awesome for you. And yes, woodworking is same kinda deal. Look at what has historically worked in terms of joinery and finishes and design and.... then do it... or put your twist on it.

As far as what people spend... People tend to put their money into the things that make them happy. The amounts being commensurate with what they feel will give them the most enjoyment AND fit into some kind of budget. I'm retired. Comfortably. But I don't have it within the planned budget to spend 30 grand on a boat. We could do it. Cash. But we also want to travel so we're rationing out the money to get the most out of it. I would LOVE a little bigger boat with a lot bigger motor. But.... I turned down a 28 foot cabin cruiser (head, galley, forward stateroom, flybridge...) at an astoundingly good price because the reality of the situation was.... it was probably just more boat than we had in mind. A great deal on the wrong boat doesn't make it the right boat.

[JLester273]

True enough. I just can't justify that kind of money... But I don't mind looking at some of them and dreaming.

[yardbird]

Sun deck off. Stern light reattached. Interestingly, the holes were already there to mount it.

Weather supposed to be bad tomorrow and Friday. Saturday going to a rodeo. I'm thinking Sunday morning it's going in the water. Full tank of gas, registered, insured, rewired where needed... It needs to be wet on the bottom.

[JLester273]

I think I like it better with the sundeck off there.

Yeah you need to get it in the water.

[yardbird]

Yeah... I can reach over the seat and grab the gas tank. It's a little heavy when full (6-gallon tank) but manageable. I can reach the battery. And if I turn the motor to one side I can actually pull start it in case the electric start should malfunction or I kill the battery.

Now..... possibly a dumb question about the bimini top. The rear support, specifically. The bottom of the support has a tab that fits into receiver on the top fence rail. Then you insert a clevis pin. I'm not sure the technical name for the part attached to the fence rail, but... those supports are real finicky to get into place and the clevis pin is almost impossible to get in and out.

When I look at those they have a slight cant to them. They're angled just slightly. They appear to be made that way. The base is absolutely flat on the rail, but the vertical tangs are angled a little. In my case, both are angled outboard. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't swap them so they're angled slightly inboard and see if it gets easier to insert those clevis pins.

AND..... not for this year, but after we're done with it this year... the transom. Currently, it appears to be I think 3 pieces of marine ply sandwiched together and bolted in. Is there a better material to use or a better way to do this? That whole pod looks like it's made to get water in it. Open top, water flows out under the transom (between the wood and the aluminum skin). That pod isn't very long (4 and a half feet). It does have strakes on it. Would there be anything significant to gain in terms of flotation if I drop the pod and have a plate welded into the back? I mean... the entire top is open.

[rbtnt]

If reversing the brackets on your bimini doesn't help, you might look at running a drill bit of the same hole size all the way through so the pin has a straight shot to get through.

[JLester273]

Mine is open on top too. and actually at the bottom The wood on mine is a single piece. I'm not sure if it is original or what. I actually drilled a hole through that and through the aluminum and added a cable to connect both sides just in case my wood transom failed. But when drilling it seemed very solid.