Last Trip of '07

I headed down the Parkway to exit 98 for the last trip of '07-as I normally do as if I were off to go fishing. It was a very sad 45 minute drive...I knew there would be no fishing trip but just repair, maintenance and improvement work to be done on the boat.

The marina was quiet with only the few in-water storage boats left bobbing the chilly 41 degree waters. A small 13' tender did go past in the creek, not sure what he was thinking being out int hat cold water with a boat like that.

After talking to Tommy for a while and then helping Ryan setup his ice eater I decided I have to get some work done as much as I did not want to.

On the to do list today was a short list of small things but they all included removing the head liner which is a PIA. You have to take down the stereo, satellite radio, GPS and fishfinder prior to taking down the headline that is held up by the chart rack, and numerous strips of teak.

Once down I proceeded with running a new duplex wire to power the CO2 alarm, let out a length of coiled GPS sensor wire and installed and auxiliary speaker for the VHF to the starboard side of the helm seat. The proceeded to put the headliner, teak and electronics back up.

I still have to connect the CO2 alarm, fuse and circuit breaker together but the hard part is done running the wiring. Same with the VHF speaker.

It is too bad the rain let up early in the day. I had planned on working the entire day inside the pilothouse due to the morning rain. Otherwise I would have washed and polished the boat, it was in the mid 50's and quite pleasant all day.

Hopefully in the coming weeks the weather will be fair again after this cold front coming in the next few days and we will be able to get the raw water pickup and sea strainer installed.

Merry Christmas!

I hope Santa was good to everyone. He was good to me...although he did not bring a new 4 man offshore life raft he did bring a few new things for the boat. For starters he brought a Fluke mini infra-red thermometer. This will come in really handy in reading surface temps at any speed, especially with my transducer thermometers on the fritz.

I also got a new horn for the hailer and a macerator pump. It will be so nice to not have to climb halfway into the fish box to clean it out anymore. And also not have to remember to put the plug in so the blood, guts, scales and regurgitation does not end up in the bilge.

The 2008 tide and current table books were also under the tree, but not Eldridge this year...somehow left it off my list. I did get some money for Christmas so that will be one thing it is used for.

One of the stocking stuffers that I can't wait to try out is a new pair of gloves...they are supposed to be waterproof. We will see. I have tried probably two dozen so far that claim to be waterproof and are not. So far the best for warmth and being completely waterproof are the Kenai gloves from Glacier Glove. They are a little bulky and slight pain to take off and on when you need to tie knots. But you hands will never be cold and wet with them.

Merry Christmas!

If You Can't Fish Might as Well Look

Since we are now on the hard and Will be doing repairs, maintenance and improvements till February if we can't fish or use the boat we might as well look. I will be heading up to the NY National Boat show. I have given up going due to the cost of going and the lack of boats, tackle and accessories. But this year I received two free tickets so I am going to make the trip.

It will actually be good to see some of the new sportfish type boats that should be on display this year. That and what I really want to do is spend some time picking the brains of the safety gears vendors. I am starting to do my research on purchasing a raft and what better time and place than when most of the major manufacturers and bigger vendors of them will be all in one place.

So far I have been fortunate enough to borrow a raft from friends when needed. But I would prefer to have one on the boat always and this year I am going to take that step. The first big decision I made was to go with a canister model that will get mounted on the pilothouse roof. This will serve two purposes. One it will free up precious space in the pilothouse and two it will allow for auto-deployment in the event of a sudden sinking or capsizing.

Lets be realistic, if the boat were to capsize, and in frigid water what would the likely hood of someone getting into the pilothouse to retrieve the raft, exit and deploy it. The canister style makes deployment much easier in more dire situations. I will just have to be careful with placement in preparation to add a radar unit.

For those still in the water, good luck, fish on and stay safe.

Winter Cleaning

It was a sad day today...I removed all my gear from the boat. Cleaned the wheelhouse and the bilge. There is something to be said for a bilge area that you can eat off of. For one, you know right away if there is a leak of any kind as it is clearly visible. I am fortunate that my entire aft bilge area is gel coated. It makes for quick and easy cleaning.

I usually take the all the cushions from the dinette and v-berth out and shampoo them but I had no idea I had so much gear on the boat. Last year I was able to fit the gear and the cushions in the truck. This year I could barely fit all the gear, and I actually left a few things on the boat and in the dock box. I think I am going to have to trim that down for next year.

Now begins the task of going through all the gear checking it to make sure it is up to snuff and storing it till the spring...well March anyway. Restocking tackle, checking all the rods, breaking down each reel and servicing them. Lots of work to be done. It is worth the effort though, makes the season go smoothly with perfectly functioning gear.

Thanks Everyone for a Great Season!

I just want to thank everyone we had out this year. It was a great season, we caught tons of fish , had a great time and made some memories. Out of the 50 plus trips only once did we return to the dock without catching a single fish and only three times without anything in the box!

Originally I was not planning on coming out of the water due to the weather but since my chronic running hot issue needs to be rectified we pulled her yesterday. She is winterized and on a trailer waiting for a high speed raw water pickup and sea strainer retrofit. I received all the parts yesterday and should be doing the install weather permitting next Tuesday. If all goes well, the weather stays mild and bass stick around we should be re-splashing her soon!

What really surprised me though was that my zincs were pretty well intact. None of the metals, (drive, trim tabs, through hulls, risers, manifolds, etc.) show any electrolysis either. Strange because the previous year I had to have them replaced mid season and I was in the water for less time. IN any event I will be replacing them regardless since we will be adding a substantial amount of bronze to the equation with the new through hull, sea cock, sea strainer and three 90 degree elbows.