The well traveled 1979 Starcraft 18' V5 SS

[laurentide]

I have basically the same Minn Kota on my bow. It's totally awesome and I'll never own a boat without one now. I can get into less than a foot of water with it and haven't touched my anchor since I installed it. Plenty of power for our boats, too. I have my batteries and on board charger in the big middle berth hatch, and it definitely improved the ride with an extra 80#'s up there. Edit: more like 150 #'s including the TM itself.

 

[GA_Boater]

I see it is Hecho En Mexico. Did you pay the "extra" fee?

That's the same cable as the one I threw up there, except it has the newer style part number. Couldn't find one with a visible connector and you found the best price, too.

 

[Watermann]

I'm hoping we had our last snow storm here and I can retire my snow blower for the season, was 42 f here today and the snow is melting off with a good forecast for more of the same.

I've been breaking the bank ordering parts for the impeding spring warm up and resto blitz. Terrova motor, wefco rub rail, seats, bimini and aluminum angle from a local source half the price of the big box. I have to build up a back raised deck with the angle and some tube AL.

Not much going on but getting the livewell ready for install. Tempress 13 x 30 hatch and liner the with spray nozzle and fitting for the over flow drain tube fitted. Costly to use the Tempress stuff but it's a one time expense as these hatches are built extremely well. I think I've decided to go ahead and order another set of these for an in deck cooler, way easier than trying to fit one like I did the SN. Just wrap the liner with some insulating blanket material and call it a cooler..

 

[Watermann]

I've been researching electronics in particular fish finders and think I've found something I really like and for the price it has a ton of features to mark off the list of wants. The Ray Marine Dragonfly Pro 7. They even have an app that syncs your smart phone of tablet to the unit and the CHIRP tech is amazing with one transducer shooting the bottom in detail like a side scan sonar and another transducer designed for just the fish targeting. The only negative I've read about is the size of the transducer, it's 2' W x 8" L in order to house all the high tech features.

 

[Pusher]

Better than having one a 1/3 the size that doesn't work I imagine Besides, who wants to squint at a small screen to see if it's a fish or a gnat on the screen!

 

[No-AH]

Been jockeying the tempress line up of live wells' idea for the rear casting deck, you just may have helped me pull the trigger on that one Wm. I was looking at their complete kits. Nice Raymarine btw! Haven't researched that brand before....thinking it was too costly....so ordered a 9"Hummingbird helix on a brown truck heading my way. I assume the trnsdcr is a bottom application or transom mount type?

 

[Watermann]

I shopped all the parts, 2 thru the hull fittings for the drain in the liner and out the boat, spray head, drain tube, hatch liner and hatch.

I've been giving the H9's the eye too, I need to decide soon. The RM ducer is a transom mount yes.

 

[No-AH]

I've no concerns drilling through transom for the intake for the pump/s as there is no intake fitting now. 5200 aplenty should calm the nerves....
I really like the app feature on the RM whereas the H9 is a bluetooth sender[ which is a free option t'ill April i believe] and the RM is a couple Benjamins less...huh go figure....

 

[Brackett221]

One thing to remember WM is I think a Helix9 can hook up with your new trolling motor(since they are the same company) for use of lake maps ect. If that is an option that interest you. For me it is a huge selling point because I troll for walleye(yes we have walleye in NC) and it can remember the path i just trolled and will retrace it forwards or backwards. This means it drives while I fish!!! Just my 2cts.

 

[Watermann]

One thing to remember WM is I think a Helix9 can hook up with your new trolling motor(since they are the same company) for use of lake maps ect. If that is an option that interest you. For me it is a huge selling point because I troll for walleye(yes we have walleye in NC) and it can remember the path i just trolled and will retrace it forwards or backwards. This means it drives while I fish!!! Just my 2cts.

That is something to consider Brackett. I too fish for walleye and I can see that feature would come in handy. Is that the ipilot feature that does the BT connection from the unit to the TM? Not sure my model of Terrova has that.

 

[Watermann]

All done drilling holes in the transom, man I hate that :lol: Big ole hole for the livewell drain, 1-3/8" hole saw bit, a hole for the pitot and 2 screws for the clamshell cover. Even though I don't like to, I think I'm going to route the transducer cable up and over, especially if it comes with a pre-wired plug then I'll have to. Dang I just thought of it, I'll need to drill some holes for the ducer cable hold downs.

Got the smiley face plug on the controls all sorted out with some powered up testing and found that it is keyed power, ground and tach sender. All wired in now to the gauges that need keyed power and I gave them the same ground as the keyed power will be using. That will makes things way easy when the time comes to mount the motor and controls.

If anyone knows what the wire color is going to the controls for the motor kill for a 1979 Merc, I need to add a safety kill switch to the old setup. Black/Yellow wire?

 

[skyfisher]

That is something to consider Brackett. I too fish for walleye and I can see that feature would come in handy. Is that the ipilot feature that does the BT connection from the unit to the TM? Not sure my model of Terrova has that.

I believe you can get the feature added if you do not have it but it requires a new head. My feeling is they are going to start phasing out the Terrova in the next year as they did with the V2. My depth sounder is also going to be dictated by my bow mount motor hope to find a good sale this year those top hummers do not come cheap. That white building down the road in Wenatchee had a couple Terrova head upgrades last fall for a good price.

 

[Watermann]

The big brown truck delivered a big brown package today that was heavy

Mock up time..

 

[BWR1953]

Niiiiice! :encouragement:

 

[Tnstratofam]

Yeah! Double Niiiiice!

 

[No-AH]

Yaaa baby.....sweeet. I too had a visit from the brown truck with big pkgs ystrd....sooooooo motivating with spring around the bend, eh!

 

[Watermann]

Got some rear casting deck frame building materials on hand. Made in the good ole USA.

2"x2"x1/8" angle and 1"x1/8" tubing.

 

[Watermann]

Wefco delivered on the rubrail insert.

 

[jbcurt00]

Yep, looks great.

 

[GA_Boater]

The punch list must have a lot of strike-throughs, WM. Can't be much left to cross off. Birthday in May is closing in.