I have returned... with a Starcraft this time!

[Watermann]

Oh for the love of gawd! That's a monster buzztail! :faint2:

Glad all I have around my house are lizards and a few horney toads for reptiles.

Glad you found someone to help get that starter replaced :lol:

Next lunch in the boat should be off the trailer and underway!

 

[64osby]

Read through your whole thread over the last few nights. Very nice work.

The work you have done is still a restoration. It may not have all the bling and toys, but you now have a safe, functional and good looking fishing platform.

Congrats and have a great splash.

 

[GoldDuster360]

Looking Good, enjoy in good health!

 

[Decker83]

FIXED! Another buddy came over to show me something he hit with his bush hog next door to my place... pic below.

While here I told him of my travails with the starter and he said "let's just go do this" and we went out and 15 minutes later it was a done deal. Ready to splash! Won't happen for 2 more days at the earliest though. Dangit.

That bad boy in the pic is 5 feet long! I know that if I see one of those I am gonna be so outta the area! :bolt:

Good thing he found it with the bush hog, before it found him.. That's a big one..:jaw:..
Hope the splash goes great for you and the crew..
Looking forward to seeing some pics of the splash, or some vids..

 

[BWR1953]

Boo yah!!!! :rockon:

SPLASHED!!

And the boat was completely dry, other than a few drops over the transom from the monster wake. LOL :biggrin-new: The engine performed perfectly as well. Awesome stuff.

Got 61 pix and videos... here are a few to keep ya'll going while I review and compile the rest. Might take awhile! layful:

 

[BWR1953]

Oh yeah, there was this too!

 

[GA_Boater]

A new entry in the 2015 Splash thread in the stickies. :thumb: BWR.
on that ugly prehistoric thing! LOL

 

[hayko1971]

Congrats on getting on the water! Super job, way to go!

 

[Watermann]

Oh yeah the frugal kingfisher looks functional not to mention nice with water under her once again! WTG... :whoo:

 

[classiccat]

^^^ That's what it's all about right there! Congratulations on the splash!! I really like that layout...very functional fishing platform...with proof in the pudding with that big old gar! :thumb:

 

[BWR1953]

A new entry in the 2015 Splash thread in the stickies. :thumb: BWR.
on that ugly prehistoric thing! LOL

Wow! Thank you so much! I am honored. :joyous:

Yeah, that ugly monster has other kin in that water too. Didn't see any crock-a-gators while fishing yesterday but did spook one to dive while returning to the launch ramp.

Pix from a prior visit at that lake...

Congrats on getting on the water! Super job, way to go!

Thanks! Been 3 months of hot and sweaty work and I'm glad that it was worth it all in the end.

Oh yeah the frugal kingfisher looks functional not to mention nice with water under her once again! WTG... :whoo:

Gotta say that I am one happy camper! The boat worked very well. The Johnson motor was stone reliable.

Here it is running at about 3/4 throttle. Don't mind the dark water, that's tannic staining, not mud. Very common down here with all the vegetation and whatnot.

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ3Oq_ECl9c&feature=youtu.be

^^^ That's what it's all about right there! Congratulations on the splash!! I really like that layout...very functional fishing platform...with proof in the pudding with that big old gar! :thumb:

Thanks! That gar had me worried. It was about 4 feet long and probably 10-12 pounds and not happy at all! I kept waiting for it to make a lunge at my hand and chomp a finger off.

I was lucky and released it without issue but I will be buying a really long pair of pliers or something for future use!

Got some video of that dinosaur looking beastie!

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPhosL9TCz8&feature=youtu.be

 

[BWR1953]

Okay, I will now say that PHASE 1 of this project is officially completed!

Yes, there will be a Phase 2 and a Phase 3 with potentially a Phase 4 if I decide to get a little crazy. Although a Phase 4 would blow the budget for a frugal fixup! Time will tell.

There were a few things that became apparent during the shakedown cruise which need improvement soon. Stuff like rod holders both for storage while underway and some for use while panfishing. Moving the trolling motor battery from the starboard bow location back to the portside stern area. It's a balance thing. The PO gave me a box of stuff which included some old rod holders, so I will likely reuse those and do that fairly soon.

However! I will use the boat pretty much as is until the weather cools off here in the fall. I am not gonna get out there again and bust my buns in the heat and humidity during the peak of hurricane season! So I'll wait until late September or even October. Then I'll begin Phase 2 and proceed from there as time, money and enthusiasm warrant. But I'll be sure to post any updates here as I go along.

Phase 2 - replace transom, add side foam and panels, install stern bench and rear side lockers with foam, install flotation in the center bench and more. Install navigation lights, bilge pump, etc. and so on.

Phase 3 - install a bigger motor along with cables, etc. and other whatnot.

Phase 4 - TBD

 

[BWR1953]

FRUGALITY

That was the name of the game for this project. And here's the bottom line:

As the project sits right now, we have just over $900 out of pocket TOTAL for the whole deal! And the current market value of the boat is easily over $2,000 in this area. :rockon:

Working boat, good trailer with new lights and bearing buddies and all the other accessories included, PLUS the cost of refurbishment including Gluvit and foam, etc.is in that overall cost too!

The boat, trailer and all the goodies that came with it had a purchase price of $1100.

After I sold off that old motor, tank, cables and other stuff that came with the boat, I had surplus cash to reinvest into the project, helping to defray costs. At the time of purchase, I did a quick calculation of all the goodies included in the deal and realized that the asking price was very low. That's what galvanized me to proceed with the deal even though I knew that the transom would need replacing and that there were probably some leaks in the hull.

And I also knew of the vast resources of the folks here on iboats and that I'd be ahead of the game if I was physically able to complete the job. Thank you all! :joyous:

So far, so good!

 

[BWR1953]

I still have a bunch of pix, video and stuff to post about the shakedown cruise but it's gonna take a couple days for me to complete that task and get it uploaded.

More good news! My wife got a job today! She starts next week. More money means another boat project, right? LOL! :lol:

 

[Watermann]

The little Johnny doesn't do too bad, looked like it pushed you close to plane speed.

We'll be here when you come lurking back with the phases. Have fun and making some memories out of the water is what it's all about.

 

[BWR1953]

The little Johnny doesn't do too bad, looked like it pushed you close to plane speed.

We'll be here when you come lurking back with the phases. Have fun and making some memories out of the water is what it's all about.

Yep, the Johnson did pretty well. At 3/4 throttle it was pushing us along nicely and as I eased it slowly to full throttle a couple of times it got into that semi-planing realm. Most of the time I kept it to 1/2 throttle or less. I liked cruising along slowly and the boat transom was unfazed by the motor, so that was good news. Although I can't help but wonder how it would have done if my wife had been at the helm while I kept my big carcass more amidships.

I'm still here checking things every day, several times a day. Ah gots da cain't hep its! :lol:

 

[BWR1953]

Didn't get any video work done today because I cut the grass and ran into more tractor issues. Tired old tin is tired old tin I guess.

But here are more pix of the boat on the water during the shakedown cruise.

A beautiful day to be on the lake!


My baby loves her new boat.


A true fishing machine.


The boy was thrilled with the trip. He just asked me if we can go out again tomorrow! (Sadly, nope.)


Cruising along at about 1/2 throttle or a little less. Nice!


"Was that a gator??"


Anhinga... a better angler than me!


The wind died, the lake became calm as glass and we just enjoyed it all.


"Is that a swordfish?" :lol:


Explored a little of the backwater but didn't go too far. Wanted to get to know that outboard a bit better first. Checked on Google earth yesterday and I will definitely motor back into those hinterlands next time! Some really bassy looking spots back in there.


Nothing better than a fishing rod on a nice lake with a great little boat.


My baby caught the first fish from the boat! And she ate it for dinner tonight too. :lol:


On our next trip, with a full tank of fuel, we'll explore the entire lake. Nice! :joyous:

 

[Decker83]

Great splash.. Enjoyed all the pic's and vids..
Looks like you all were having a great time..

 

[BWR1953]

Great splash.. Enjoyed all the pic's and vids..
Looks like you all were having a great time..

Thank you, sir! The boy and I had a great time. It was nice for me to get back on the water in a boat. Hadn't done that for some 6 years or so.

My wife had a good time too... BUT!

She confided in me just an hour or so ago that she didn't feel very comfortable or safe in the little Kingfisher! She said we need to get a bigger boat! :laugh:

It was quite a surprising revelation for me since she's Filipino and I knew that she grew up on and around the water and her family owned several boats.

Found out this evening that she was used to the traditional "pump" boats in the Philippines. They come in all sizes, have outriggers and don't have much side to side motion. And that motion was unexpected for her with the Kingfisher. She was worried when we were moving around in the boat. I explained that she'll get used to that but she still seems a bit dubious.

I think we need to go out on the water a lot more so that she can adjust to our boat. Just waiting for the battery charger that I ordered to get here in a couple days so we can try again... weather permitting, of course!

And you can bet that I'm already exploring options for a bigger Starcraft!

Some Filipino pump boats in the pix below.

 

[jbcurt00]

Admrial approved 2ft-itis, awesome. Maybe even 4ft or 6ft+ itis....Change in length will make the boat feel substantially larger

Good luck the charger and weather.