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As you probably recall, I have taken a hiatus from working on the plane to refurbish the cockpit of my boat. It has taken me three weeks in all, and that is about two weeks longer than I had allotted for the project!

I know this is off topic, but the reason for doing the project was to learn about fiberglass and how it is done. This was my first attempt and I think it came out well! All in all I learned ALOT about fiberglass and had some fun in the process. Learning about fiberglass was good, besides the fact that I would reap the side benefit of having a nearly new boat again just in time for striper season here in the northeast!



The weather was hard rain and calm winds when I woke up this morning at 5 AM. After working until 11PM last night on the bilge pump and other electrics I slapped the registration stickers on the hull and trailer and headed down the hill to the water!



The deck came out nice and is NOT slippery when wet although the oil based paint sheds the water very nicely into the deck drain!



The engine is 5 years old and is always a bit hard starting for the first start of the year, but she sparked to life after a bit of coaxing and I logged 1.1 hobbs time in the pouring rain this morning! The bilge system checked out fine and all the lights worked straight away!



I do love this little boat!

Here fishy, fishy!!!


CJ

You're a good man John. Next time you are up I will have to introduce you to my friend John who is equally nuts, ummm I mean committed to fishing.

It's pouring like a baaaastid up this way. I just cancelled my IFR flight. I had wanted to go out and schlep around in IFR conditions, but not with the rain so heavy. The little 172 has okay climb performance on a good day, but I don't want to push my luck in such heavy rain and such low ceilings.

Now if I could just finish this darn project I am working on I could work on my plane.

Antony

That is just awesome CJ!! Great work, and sounds like a sweet learning project! I'm mucho impresto!

So where are the fish pictures??
I'm an avid fisherman too, but have never been striper fishing. Would like to go sometime, though!

Thomas

SWEET RAINSUIT CJ!!!

Are you required to wear something like that when you walk around outside taking pictures of your boat in the rain?!?

You're neighbors have stopped trying to understand you haven't they!

- Peter

Lookin good. Glass is so much fun to work with............NOT!

N200PF wrote:SWEET RAINSUIT CJ!!!

...

You're neighbors have stopped trying to understand you haven't they!

- Peter

I just about spit my drink out when I read that!! HA!

Ummmmm, let's face it guys, all of our neighbors quit trying to understand us when they learned we were building airplanes. We are now officially on the fringe.

Antony

Thanks guys!

Thomas, come on out here and I will show you how to catch a 32" 10 lb. fish on a fly rod!



I usually "prospect" with a spinner and when I get tired of hauling them in on fresh water tackle I switch to the fly for the sport of it.

Later in the season they run deep and you need to troll for them.

Any way you slice it, it's alotta fun!

Peter, that is what you wear when you take a boat for a ride in a downpour! Trust me, that apparel is very appropriate. I was totally dry aside from my face. Underneath the pants I wear hip boots for launching and retrieving the boat.

Oh, and my neighbors just don't understand me... for sure. The people who live on the pond were probably wondering what in God's creation I was doing out there ripping the place up on a Saturday morning at 5:30 AM!

Ahhhhh, they don't understand!

CJ

Dang CJ,

You just made me miss my original home of growing up on the ocean in FL. Guess I better go beat up some trout here in the mountains of CO.

I didn't realize you fly fished, CJ! I would love to get some salt water fly fishing in ... but I don't think my trout gear is gonna cut it in the big water. Just what I need, an excuse to buy more fishing gear. That stuff is just like tools ... you can never have too much.

Bill- we should hit some trout streams sometime when I'm out there - I fish almost every day when I'm there.

Thomas

tshort wrote:we should hit some trout streams sometime when I'm out there

You bring the flies and I'll bring the Ground Loop Ale.

Thomas, I have a 9' 9 Wt. Redington and a Battekill reel. It can haul in the schoolies and some keepers pretty well. Think about a schoolie bass being around 12" - 18" and weighing around 4 pounds. These are the small ones! They only go up from there! Top water action on the flats! We go in skinny on the electric motor and watch them move underneath the boat. It is like shooting for them!

The season is just getting here and I plan to get out there now that the boat is ready! Hopefully before school on the weekdays!



Bill, looks like I need a 6 Wt. for some trips out west when the plane is done! I also need to get in some pratice. On the boat we don't NEED to cast very well as the fish aren't that far away. Presentation can be changed by moving the boat with realtion to the tide currents. It is a different way of fishing out here on the salt, for sure!

CJ

CJ - I'm just hackin' on ya! I wear something very similar when we fish hard IFR here in Minnesota / Canada! ...I just don't have the guts to wear it in my DRIVEWAY!!!



- Peter

Most of my fishing in the west is with 4 and 5 weight stuff - and some even lighter. Gotta keep it light for those small flies and sneaky presentations!
I only use the 6 wt for smallies around here - need the extra weight to throw bass bugs.
My brother has some private ponds in his neighborhood with 18-20"+ browns and rainbows in them; nobody (except me) ever fishes there!

Thomas