Category: Bass Boats

Weekend Bass Boat and Trailer Mods

This weekend I helped Jeremy Anderson from Black Dog Bait Co do some mods on his boat and trailer. Jeremy is in the process of redoing a bunch of stuff on his boat like replacing the carpet, repainting his trailer, fixing all the fiberglass issues, buffing the whole boat out, new upholstery, new motor . . . and the list goes on. He has a mid 90s, 20 foot Champion bass boat, and really, a new boat does not always mean a better boat.

We got a lot done in just a small amount of time.

The carpet on all the lids has been done already, so before the deck get redone all the glass work and modification needs to be done. Also, before the trailer gets repainted the old fucked up parts needed to be banged out and replaced. We started by cutting his old fenders off – they were rusty and banged up so they had to go.

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After cutting them off with a 6" cut off wheel we cleaned all the old welds up. At this point we fitted up the new stainless steel fenders and welded them on.

Jeremy had his laser cut guy throw some paw prints in the center of the fenders for a cool detail. He is going to later back them with blue L.E.D lights.

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The new fender welded in place, it will be repainted just past the weld.

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The paw print in the center of the two wheels turned out pretty nice, it will look really good when its back lit.

After the fenders were done we fitted up the new trolling motor tub. We started cutting out the corners with a hole saw. Then we finished the cut with a jig saw.

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  Jeremys boat 090
We then cut out the foam to fit the trolling motor recess pedal with a drywall punch saw. 

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The recessed pedal tub fit very nicely, it wont be permanently attached until the carpet is installed. We will keep you updated as more work gets done to the boat. 

In the meantime, here's some of the other bass boat mods I've done

Basic Bass Boat repair: Fixing minor dings – part one>

Basic Bass Boat repair: Fixing minor dings – part two>

Hand-pinstriped boat numbers>

Inside the Cluster#$%& Compartment

By Matt Allen – a new regular contributor to The Wired Angler.

Who died and declared that bass boats should inherit the role of Noah's Ark? Every new color, new trailer, hook, weight, swimbait, seems to find its way onto the boat two by two. After all, what would happen if we only had one and it got stuck? Unfortunately this tends to lead to a messy boat. My own craft is a perfect testament to what can happen if left unchecked! Insert the Cluster#$%& Compartment. It is truly a work of genius and every boat should have one!

I have decided to unveil my cluster#$%& and let you all have a look at the genius behind it! The theory is quite simple; since bass fisherman own way too much crap it is essential to dedicate one entire compartment to chaos! In doing so, the remainder of the boat is allowed to stay (in theory) clutter free.

The downfall of the cluster#$%& is simply that if left unchecked it will spread. Thus, bi-monthly cleaning is required to ensure that the cluster#$%& stays in its place! My cluster#$%& is approximately 3 months late on its cleaning so it should be a prime example of what can happen if left unchecked.

This first photo shows the cluster#$%& in all its glory:

Cluttered bass boat compartment

This next photo depicts what is actually in there:

Contents of bass boat tackle compartment

The writing of this blog post  inspired me to actually sort through the mess and decide what needed to stay and what could be thrown away. In doing so I came up with the:

TOP 5 oddities from my own personal cluster

5) A very dirty, seemingly lonely, permanently-bent 7" Senko: A Senko in and of itself is not odd. What fascinates me about this particular Senko is that its a color I hate, and there are no hook marks in it…Hmm. Where did it come from?

4) Empty Uncle Josh Pork Jars: Sure, I could understand 1 empty jar, but 4? No wonder my boat is going slower these days! I wonder how much trash is stuffed everywhere else!

3) 97 cents: Not really sure how that got in there but my momma didn't raise no fool! Never turn down money!

2) Pink crappie jigs: First off, I didn't crappie fish at all this year. Second, if I did it wouldn't be with a pink bait! If I wasn't the one taking the pictures I'd think this was rigged. But here is what I really want to know, Why did DEAN ROJAS endorse them?!

1) Unknown shopping list: Why would an unknown shopping list make the first spot on my list? What would be on a shopping list that would make it unique? It's funny I would choose to use the word "unique" isn't it? (bear in mind that this list isn't even in my hand writing.) The shopping list takes the number one place on my list because its an order for "Unique Gun Powder". I think one of my fishing buddies has some explaining to do!

Inside the tackle compartment

In closing, I thoroughly recommend
that you invest in a cluster#$%& of your own. However, be careful who adds
to it, and never forget your bi-monthly cleaning!

8 Things You Can Do to Save Gas While Boating

With the cost of fuel rising all of us are aware of how much a day on the water can add up. Here are a few suggestions to keep cash in your wallet longer - or at least until you walk in the tackle shop anyway.

1) Plan ahead: Choose a launch spot close to where you want to fish.

2) Get a fishing buddy – the same thing that works in the commuter lane on the freeway works on the water. One boat costs half as much as two. Here is an educational video.

3) Keep the weight down - how many friggin' colors of robo worms do you need anyway? A lighter bass boat is a more efficient bass boat. Close your live well before you get in the water. Water weight in the live well can really add up at over 8 lbs. per gallon, so don’t fill it up unless you need it. If you can, keep less gas in the boat tank. If my boat holds 50 gallons, and I only need 25 – that’s over 200 pounds of dead weight.

4) Consider your prop – a prop that’s been damaged and not running in a completely smooth action through the water can take more energy to move. 

5) Stay on the trolling motor while you can.

6) Control your speed. According to some sources, you’ll use half as much gas at 45 MPH as at 65 MPH with a 225 HP outboard. Slow down – you're not a Nascar driver, whats the hurry anyway?

7)Don’t idle at the dock or launch ramp. That's just wasting gas.

8) Get a motor tune –up; if you are running an older 2 stroke motor a few small things like changing the plugs and or corroded leads can conserve gas by burning more efficiently.

If none of this helps buy a float tube and stop bitching.

The High Cost of Boating – NPR Article

“For boater Hank Banalewicz, fuel costs about twice as much as last summer. On a recent morning, he says it cost him $250 to take out a boat. Last year, when gas was cheaper, it cost about $100 or $120.


“Oh, it’s totally ridiculous,” he says.


And as for boat traffic on the water?


“Hardly any boats . . . at all,” he says.


Banalewicz says he takes his boat out less frequently now, and when he does, he uses it differently. He cruises less and anchors more.


That’s the story in Florida — and also in Michigan, California and other places where boating is big.”


What is happening in Florida is also happening here. Although most of this article is talking about saltwater excursions in Florida, the realities of fuel prices are affecting everyone who boats (ok, everyone who boats without paddles or sails).


It is interesting to see some trends emerge – not only are people taking boats out less often, they are changing their habits when they do take them out to conserve fuel. This is probably not the worst side effect, since if everyone had been doing that all along they would of course had a head start on saving money.


Other people seem to have given up, and are trying to sell their boats. But selling your boat right now may be challenging – It’s like trying to sell that H2 – no one’s buying.


Reports from Florida say that boat sales are down as much as 40%. Even considering the economic downturn in general, that’s a pretty steep decline.


Charter tour guides in trouble as well. So who’s winning in the game right now (because someone is always winning)? Boat repo men.  Anyhow – it’s an interesting read.


Here’s the story on Florida – Link


Here’s another story on the impact of fuel cost on fishermen from earlier this month – Link


Note: So the big question is: when are we going to start seeing fuel efficient bass boats? It seems incredible that no one is jumping on this bandwagon. Although, I would have to guess that the execs at the big boat companies are giving it some serious thought.
—


Posted by A. Black



 

Props to Phils Props in Shasta Lake City

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This day and age how often does a business exceed your expectations?  Well if you are as picky as I am not very often but when one does I like to let it be known.

I gouged my prop on a rock loading my boat on to the trailer at Big Break marina on the Delta the other week and man it was bad! I mean I was not to happy.

I had my buddy who lives in Redding and Commutes down to the bay area pick it up and bring it into Phil’s Propellers for me while I was on vacation.I just got it back today and it looks amazing.

Here is a link to their site if you have any gouges or nicks on your prop I strongly recommend boxing it up and sending it to these guys. It cost $150 to have it done which is far less than a new $400 prop.

Link

Support your local pin striper

Support your local pin striper?
This is not something you might expect to find on a fishing blog. But does have some relevance I promise.

I come from a background of working in a lot of different industries. My latest Job was as a custom welder fabricator and painter for Kirk Taylor at Custom Design Studios in Novato. It is a custom bike shop and Kirk is well known in the industry.

While I was there I worked with a lot of cool people, one of them is Courtney Schamack. Courtney has been doing signs and pin striping for a quite a while and is no stranger to painting boats.

When I got my new boat last year I did not want to just slap some boring vinyl decals on it so I gave Courtney a call. I asked him to match the style of the lettering of the “Marine Unlimited” decals on my boat and told him to go to town.

The cool thing about pin stripers is that most of the time there ideas and interpretation of something is going to be way better than yours so just let them at it, I mean that’s what they do. I think I even paid him and left my shop that’s how comfortable I am with his work. This is what I came back to.

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Why not have something nice on your boat. Look up your local pin striper.

Courtney is Located in Petaluma Ca and can usually come to you for the job. His number is (415)717-7952 tell him Josh St.John sent you.

Basic Boat Repair – Part two: Fixing Minor Dings and chips

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Now that your flake coat is in and set up, it is time to do the finish coat. For this step you will need an ultra-clear finish resin – surfboard resin will work great.

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Step 3:
Start by taping off around the area to create a finish border. At this stage the resin will do one of two things depending on where the chip is located. More often than not it will be on the side or bottom of your boat, you may need so several coats with set time in between to achieve the right thickness without ending up with a drippy mess. Be sure to let a this set over night.

Depending on the overall shape of your boat you can choose to stop here, or keep going to achieve a perfect finish. . . since the boat I dinged is my new 2008 Champion I will continue.

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Step 4 – Wet sanding:
At least 2 different grits of sand paper are needed here. I would recommend going a step further and using 3. Start with 600 grit black Emery cloth, moving to 1200 or 1500, and then finally 2000 or higher. The higher # the paper you use for the final steps the less work the polishing will be.

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Small sanding block: What is a block? Most of you have seen the rubber sandpaper block at the hard ware store. This is what I am referring to, but it is also a term for leveling a surface in the automotive trade. Blocking is what is done when sanding paint or Bondo during body and paint work.

If you don’t have a small store-bought block, you can use a small, perfectly flat piece of wood, an eraser, or what I do is cannibalize one of my automotive blocks into a smaller version(see picture).

As you get started you will see the purpose of using the block is that it focuses on taking down the high spots with out making serious contact with the low spots. By the time you reach the low spots you should shift over to the finer sandpapers and level the whole area out smooth. This is called feathering. Once the area is feathered out and you have achieved a nice smooth finish across the area you are ready for buffing (If you still have low spots you go back to the drawing board with the resin build up – more often than not I do this at least once – what’s the point in doing something if you can’t do it again right?).

Onward:

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Step 5 – Polishing/buffing:
This can be done by hand or with the help of a buffing wheel. These can be picked up relatively cheap at the hardware store. I recommend a light sheep’s wool or a foam type wheel. Choose a finish-grade buffing compound that can be found at any automotive or marine shop. Every buffing compound will have slight variances in the usage, so read the bottle before using.

For small projects, you can also use a pneumatic 90 degree grinder as well (see picture).

Make sure you cover your boat carpet before doing this, as buffing compound gets everywhere and it will save you time with the vacuum cleaner.

There you have it, I know this isn’t for everyone, but at the very least it will give an understanding of how it’s done.

4 Steps to Simplify Your Bass Baits

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So I was just doing a little spring cleaning on my boat, and it got me thinking about my on-boat tackle system. The system is my way of coping with the hundreds of tackle manufacturers out there and the thousands of choices in lure selection, which could all too easily lead to hours just trying to figure out what bait to use on a given day. Years ago I started sorting all my lures by type, and this evolved into a much more specific system. It’s 4 basic steps to stop the insanity.

1. Take all your baits from either your tackle box or bass boat and lay them out where you can see them.

2. Identify your favorites, and set them to one side. Put anything new and untried into another pile. Finally, take the ones you don’t use and the ones you have used and do not like OUT of your tackle box, or OFF the boat, and set them aside.

What to do with the stuff you don’t use? Well, unless I am attached to it I get rid of it. I use Ebay all the time, which has the added bonus of giving me cash to try new, experimental baits. I also set stuff aside to trade with friends, or to give to friend’s kids to start their tackle box. Just because it does not work for me, does not mean it might not work for someone else.

3. Start breaking down the remaining lures into types: crank baits, jigs, swimbaits, soft plastics, top-water, jerk baits, etc. The next step is to organize those into specific groups by running depth, by size and color ( or however you decide).

It’s easiest to start with your favorite baits – the ones you use 90% of the time. Take jigs, for example: I fish a lot of jigs. It has to be one of my favorite baits, but if you were to look on my boat you would never guess this is the case. I only have one Plano jig box, and I usually only have four colors. Why? These are my confidence colors. I do three types of jig fishing: deep structure fishing, shallow fishing, and flippin’. I don’t need ten brands and 50 color combos. I won’t preach one weight, size, color or any of that – this is going to vary between anglers, and everybody’s got their favorites – but I will say to limit yourself to whatever works best for you.

This system ensures that when I pick up my rod, no matter what bait is on it, I am not hearing that little voice in the back of my head saying, “are you sure?”

4. Finally, create a place in your tackle box, or a container on your boat that just has new stuff. I have a separate box on my boat labeled “new baits to try”. I will usually try new baits when I am fun fishing, and at that point, decide whether I am going to spend more time with it. If you find a winner, trade it out for something that has not been performing.

That’s it. As an example of how I have applied ‘the system‘, here’s a look into my crank bait boxes: I like to keep a good supply of just a handful of baits.

  • Norman DD 22’s & 10’s – an older, proven bait
  • Luhr Jenson Speed Traps
  • Lucky Craft LV 500’s
  • Specialty Tackle Junior D’s and Big Bites

. . . And that’s it.

When you think about it, what do you have to lose? Try this system, and who knows, the tackle weight off your boat may even save you gas and make your boat faster.