Okay, I'll start....

[Roccus]

Good luck Joe... we have all seen boat projects in peoples yards (and some of us have had them) that just never see the water again.  I am confident in your case however that you will have her running as good or better than new in no time.  Hopefully the project runs ahead of schedule and we'll get to fish at least once this ice season.  You'll be missed on the Shanty for sure.

P.S. I know it isn't on-topic (ice fishing) but if you are so inclined to share your progress, I know I for one would be interested in following.

Fundamental difference between my project and those you speak of, this was not bought as a project, I e owned this boat for 43 years,also, this is not my first rodeo,  I e been doing these type repairs my entire life, lastly, I have a plan, on paper, I have the knowledge and tools that the average person does not have,I'm not overwhelmed by what I w found.. conversely, IMHO  the worst is over, I e already bought 90 % of what I need.. I'll be jigging haddock in May

[bassin212]

Definitely keep us updated on your project ! Love reading and learning from others.

[DConICE]

Fundamental difference between my project and those you speak of, this was not bought as a project, I e owned this boat for 43 years,also, this is not my first rodeo,  I e been doing these type repairs my entire life, lastly, I have a plan, on paper, I have the knowledge and tools that the average person does not have,I'm not overwhelmed by what I w found.. conversely, IMHO  the worst is over, I e already bought 90 % of what I need.. I'll be jigging haddock in May

Never had a doubt... look forward to hearing about your success.

[Guinea]

So I start a thread and disappear lol. I missed a lot!

Stealth, I'm so sorry to hear about your pal. Many of us understand how hard that is.

Roccus, this site won't be the same without your insight and knowledge! I do hope we see you around. As much as I like Frank, you have to admit, he did push the limit often. I have missed seeing him here.
You have quite the project for the winter! (Hey, after 46 years, my transom started giving out too lol) I have no doubt that you'll be hitting the haddock hard come spring. Hopefully we can still plan a get together this year.

My shop manager owns a house on a small private pond, and I have permission to fish there this winter. Now that I'm enjoying targeting bass, it will be fun to try to find "the spot" on a new pond. Since we had so much rain, my local pond wasn't drained to feed a city water supply, so I'm looking forward to getting out there, too. I didn't get out much last year, so I aim to change that this year!

It's nice to hear you guys thinking about and planning for the upcoming season. And Jethro, that's awesome! But you will have no excuse for not keeping up with laundry now lol.



I'm glad to hear you guys thinking about and planning for ice. I work with a bunch of young guys who are not outdoors people.

[_Icecold_]

Lots of good stuff here.

800stealth, my condolences, I put my fishing partner down just over a year ago. Not a fun time.

Anyways, I'll add to the thread. I've been coming to NH my whole life but back at the end of June I closed on a house with my dad in Littleton. Cute little cottage off the beaten path. Spent most of my free time this summer trying to figure out Moore rez and find some hidden gems. I have a lot of research/ trecking to do but thats all part of the fun.

Will be spending as much time up here as I can this winter and hopefully I'll have some good posts to share. The only ice I found down here in the ocean state last year was in the bottom of my drink.

[Lv2hunt]

Its starting to get cold which hopefully stays that way one deer in the freezer so far getting ready to get after it this year hoping for some better ice! Joe good luck on your project its definitely worth doing a project like that especially after 47 years of owning the boat and having it the way you want it look forward to see the progress. This site will not be the same unless Frank returns he was helpful if you asked and yes he did push the envelope it was great entertainment and lets face it he had no problem saying things most of us wanted to but didn't. You can only deal with the laziness and stupidity so much before something has to be done. I'm sorry but if I wanted something or wanted to succeed at something I worked my ass off to do it. Different generation different times unfortunately. Enough of my rant good luck hope to talk to a bunch of you on the ice....

[SHaRPS]

Checking in as well!

Thanks for starting it up, Guinea! Good luck on your bass adventures!

800, sorry for your loss pal. Never easy.

Roccus, if this project isn't personal gor you, I'm not sure what is. I want to add, are we still planning a get together with a whole crew as planned last season? I will still make the ride up to wat some pink dogs and hang out with friends.

To the rest of you, im in RI and have already had 3 days below freezing. I dont know about you guys, but its looking promising already. Time to trap some shiners.

[rmoody79]

I know you guys love trapping bait, but as an fyi Anderson Farms is on Amazon and will ship 2 or 10lb of Golden’s in various sizes if you just want to fill a tank

[jigmaster5]

I saw some ice on the swamps & beaver ponds near me this wk.....it won't last....but the ponds are ready to make ice.

I'll guesstimate that I'll be icefishing before X-mas.   

[Aknightz]

Sorry for the loss of your friend Stealth, they are members of the family and it's never easy.

And Jigmaster,  I saw a bunch of that same ice over the last few days driving for work and damn near broke my neck looking each time.

Yearning for that early ice this year, and to bring my newborn out come late season when he's holding his head up, and I can get him to grasp an ultralight rod.

-AK

[Roccus]

All transom prep complete.template for core and glass work made,from 1/4" hard board, old transom is raised to 30"by layering 2 layers of 1.5 CSM and 3 layers of 1708 over a waxed,  template of plexiglass( protective plastic left on for easy removal), old outer skin reinforced from the inside with 1 layer of 1.5CSM and 2 layers of 1708 after filling the old holes with a mixture of epoxy, chopped strand glass and cabosil,new core bonded together by laminating 3 layers of 1/2"Okoume marine plywood with thickened epoxy thickend with cabosil and wood flour to the consistancy of peanut butter, the bonded side is first covered with a thin coat of neat(unthickened) epoxy, once it is tacky, I spread the thickened epoxy with a 1/4"notched trowel and clamp it together, cleaning any excess epoxy , once cured,the edges are mated and coated with nest epoxy, the inside  of the outer skin on the boat is sanded with 36 grit and chemically  cleaned with acetone,the transoms is bedded in a epoxy ,cabosil and wood flour mixture, I used a calking gun to apply the bedding by filling empty tubes with the mixture,both the outer skin and the transom core get thickened epoxy spread with the notched trowel, the core is clamped  to the outer skin with 5 cauls made for the job, while curing all the fiberglass work, I made a hot box from insulation foam sheets, heated the base and edges with heat lamps and the space with an oil filled electric heater..prior yo fibeglassing,the boat and space was heated with a propane salamander heater..I took the clamps off today,  I have a rock solid transom bonded to the outer skin, next weekend I'll make up and tab in the inner skin, outside cosmetic work will have to be done when lowes are over 50..the worst is behind me, the remaining  repairs and upgrades are straight forward I'm a out 80 to 90 man hours away from completion.

[SHaRPS]

Looks great, Joe! Your standards were high the day I met you, so I am not surprised that you jnocked this one out of the park. I am betting that she will not only be back out there catching cows and lobstahs, but a great landing perch for a pink flamingo as well.  👏 👏 👏

[800stealth]

Rebuilt better than John Dory did it the 1st time... Glad to see good progress so you can start thinking ice fishing lol

[jethro]

Wow, that's beyond me, but I'm gonna assume it's done right! Big job there!

[DConICE]

Way to get it done Joe...

[Roccus]

Wow, that's beyond me, but I'm gonna assume it's done right! Big job there!

Not hard, just a lot of meticulous  work, I've done several ( All Grady Whites) in the past, when I worked at the marina in a controlled environment, it's a little different in your yard in the fall/winter under a tent!.,, cleaning and prep are most critical, being suited up in cold weahter beats the summer heat though while you grind and sand, keeping the curing parts above 50 is also a little tricky, but I got through it I still have a ton of work to do, but it gets easier from here, the "build" is less complex and time consuming, I still have to tab in the transom, and build the inner skin, then replace the stringers and tab them into the new transom, but the fear of "oil canning" during the winter  is over now with the new core bedded and bonded to the outer skin and hull ..

[Roccus]

Way to get it done Joe...

I only posted this for you because of your request..

[Lv2hunt]

Great job joe has to be a relief knowing you got the real hard pain in the ass work over before the dead of winter!!

[DConICE]

I only posted this for you because of your request..

Thank You!

[benny8]

Sorry Stealth for the loss of your pup. Know that feeling all too well.
Last year was sketchy for us with the ice conditions, but my wife went out more than she ever had in prior years. She had a really good time with the insulated Eskimo, buddy heater and Humminbird. Then this spring, she bought us a new boat. We did quite a bit of fishing until around the middle of July. We started a part time business when we purchased a wood fired pizza oven to put on a trailer I had fabricated last year. We had a lot of fun with that, but our deer hunting scouting took a back seat and we payed dearly for it by not harvesting a deer in NH this year. We are now gearing up for Ice Fishing. I have a shiner tank I built this summer to fill. Hoping to get the SnowDog out for its maiden voyage this year. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and fun and safe ice fishing season!

[gunvault]

Great job Roccus, hope your lines are tight with haddock in May and you are able to enjoy some hard water time before then ? At the rate you are going I would say your chances are good ?  Best of luck with your boat and everything else too

[Lv2hunt]

Benny you might be on to something wood fired pizza on the ice while ice fishing i'm in!!!

[Roccus]

Great job Roccus, hope your lines are tight with haddock in May and you are able to enjoy some hard water time before then ? At the rate you are going I would say your chances are good ?  Best of luck with your boat and everything else too

Thank you, transom core is tabbed into the hull, exterior is blended and the gazillion mounting holes of various transducers and "doo dads" , I'll be sanding ,chemically cleaning with acetone and putting  2 layers of 1.5 ounce mat to blend and clean up the surface, I'll be doing the same to the inside except I'll be starting with 1.5 then adding 4 layers of 1708 each overlapping the other  by 2" ,tomorrow I'll reinstall and glass in the corner caps  and tie in the new stringers. This weater hasn't helped the ice prospect but its given me an opportunity to do my repairs while being minimally impacted by the weather, after tomorrow  bring on winter, because what will be left can easily finished in the spring
I've got about 90 hours into the project, but am in a really good place
Pictures are of the tabbing from last week, soon as I'm done my coffee I'm heading out, to fire up the generator, suit up and get "er done.
I'll post final pictures  tomorrow

[lowaccord66]

Coming aling nicely.  Looking forward to the finished product.

[lobstamindave]

Great job!!! I’ve built and rebuilt a 42 foot h&h. Repowered three times. Replaced decks bulkheads fuel tanks wheelhouses etc. a lot of work you’re doing! All that fiberglass work is hard duty. At the end of it the pain goes away and you wind up with something you’re proud of every time you make a trip! Good for you. Not many men left that can pull that off

[AQUAASSASSIN]

Not many men left that can pull that off

Amen

[Roccus]

Thanks guys, had a bit of a production set back this weekend, which after today, turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Saturday, go out at 8: 00 to prep for the final 5 layers of glass, as I go to grind  the tabbing layer, my dust collector S.T
B  S o.i grind anyway with the doors open, my.neighbors blue BMW now has a twinkle on its exterior, I wash the wooden core with acetone and prepare to.laminate, I roll on a coating of epoxy and lay up the first sheet, I had the tent heated to 75 and my epoxy starts kicking, cant believe I'm dealing  with this.problem I. December, I digress, I turn off the heat and work with smaller batches, just about that time, wife comes out and said we have to go to her daughter's for dinner by 4, so I quickly hang the sheet, I'm fighting  more air bubbles  than usual, I get it pretty good and pack up.. yesterday morning  I go.out to a full blown disaster, the wood soaked more epoxy than I anticipated and pulled it from the mat, leaving to many air pockets to grind and fill, so, I replace the faculty switch on.my dust collector and suit up. Grab the big boy grinder and spend 5 hours removing 2 layers of glass and $100 worth of epoxy, I'm disappointed and downtrodden, it was a golden opportunity to have the transom install done,, fast forward to today, I get a phone call, my wife is hysterical, a gust of wind took the boat "garage" and ripped up the stakes and deposited it in the driveway,she said it sounded like a freight train  it took us 3 hours in the pouring rain, but  we straightened  the bent cross members, and legs taped reinforcements  to the bent beams and tied the posts to the boat, I'll be adding some 2x4 reinforcement and tying it to cinder blocks, I pumped about 50 gallons  of water out of the boat- the bright side of all this is, had I put that glass on, the epoxy would not have reached full cure and would have had to be removed - everything happens for a resson.

[lowaccord66]

A minor setback Joe.  Did the neighbor say anything about his BMW?

[jethro]

Oh no! Well, maybe it was going to easy until this point so I guess you have to pay your dues, lol!

[Roccus]

Oh no! Well, maybe it was going to easy until this point so I guess you have to pay your dues, lol!

you are exactly right- yesterday is behind me, today I fight- tomorrow I win..