Old Tinny - Entry Eight

Oh. My. Gosh.

I just found an adaptor kit that incorporates both the remote controls (throttle and shifting) and steering control.

I can't believe it. The old kit (PN 431840) was discontinued long ago, so the only way anyone could find one was to stumble upon a used kit. This kit only had adaptors for the throttle and shifting.

I found one catalog reference at ishopmarine.com that said to use part number 173972 instead. Did a quick search on Ebay and found a brand new kit!

Now, I'll have to get to work building a console and side panels so I can mount the steering and controls. While I'm at it, I guess I'll just go ahead and put in a floor, so Rita and Aidan can reach (instead of having to use the boat box as a footrest).

Just received a faster prop today, so I'll install that as well. I keep you posted on any improvement in speed.

Old Tinny - Entry Seven

Well, I got my $40 bimini top put back together and mounted today. (It was 70" across, so I took 10" out of the middle.) The canvas cleaned up pretty good ($4 for a wash and dry at the coin-op place down the street), and the skinnied-down frame is as sturdy as a new one.

I'd like to put clear vinyl windows in the front and side panels, and make all three of those panels removable.

It's nice and long, so more of the boat can be covered. It's navy blue too, with a gray stripe down the middle as a bonus!

The only problem now is that it's just a tiny bit too short to live with. I'll have to find some 1' long steel or aluminum pieces of tubing that will fit inside the frame tubing so I can extend the two main legs down at the mounting ends with additional pieces. (Oh! I just thought of something. I can try to bow the top tubes to get a couple more inches of height. I'll try it...)

I'd like to go on record as saying that we are fans of guide-ons. Those things make Rita and I look like pros, we can load so fast! Thirty seconds, tops, I'd say. On Sunday though, it took us about a full minute to load because the current was so strong, and I had to go at the trailer three times. I finally just got the nose in between the guide-ons, threw Rita the bow line, and she pulled me in before the current made me go sideways again. We would have had a heck of a time loading that day (like most everyone else without guide-ons) if we didn't have those!

Old Tinny - Entry Six

Today, I picked up an old mooring cover for $40. It's huge, being ten inches wider than I need, but I can cut the frame down and reassemble it to make it fit the boat's 60" beam. There's quite a lot of canvas that makes up a mooring cover, so I should be able to salvage quite a bit for the top.

The material is filthy, so I'm going to go to our corner laundry mat and see how much is left after I put it in the Big Bessy washer.

Once the main bimini top is complete, I'll try to make bow and side curtains with windows. I'd really like aft drop curtains too, as we're almost done with our three weeks of hot weather here in Portland. But all that stuff is extra, so we'll see how things go.

Old Tinny - Entry Five

On August 2nd, we took the boat out for a leak/float test.

I decided to launch at the Staff Jennings Marina instead of Willamette Park because the store was closed and so the launch area would probably be a little less crowded. The ramp is not maintained and so has a drop off and many holes. I ended up maneuvering the trailer into just the right spot to get the trailer stuck. The little wheels were a bit too little for the big hole I backed over, and so the trailer frame was sitting on a timber. After we unloaded the boat, Rita tied up to the marina dock so she could lift the trailer up (it floats a little bit, but not quite enough) while I moved the van up the ramp.

After that, Rita took some pictures of the boat actually floating in the water. It's a very stable boat, and I can stand up and walk around in it without feeling tippy at all.

I took it around the marina so Rita could get a couple of shots with it under way.

As you can see, the bow is riding way too low.

Yes, that is a Minn Kota on the bow. I was trying a mount setup that a guy had been using on his boat, as I didn't have time to install the kicker motor mount before we went out. I didn't like it. The Willamette River is too rough to have the trolling motor mounted like that. I took it off right after we pulled away from the marina.

Our wake was messy looking, full of bubbles and not very smooth. The motor trim was definitely off. I have since moved the pin up one hole, and I think I figured out how I can make further adjustments while in the water. (I just have to be sure to hang onto the pin and NOT drop it!)

Here's Aidan, sitting in the front seat. He loved it up there.

This guy (the floating hotdog stand on the right) does a brisk business on weekends. He hangs out on the east side of Ross Island, where all the skiers/wakeboarders/tubers are. The two boats on the left are waiting for their orders.

This is a shot of the new switch box. I finished the wiring on August 10th, and now have functioning navigation lights and bilge pump.

Here's the old tinny all lit up!

Rita and I both agreed that we needed guide-ons after our first outing in this boat. The current, wind, and waves on the Willamette makes loading difficult at times, we had a bit of trouble getting it centered on the bunks. We were thankful for having a light boat, as we (Rita actually did this herself) had to wade in and center it by hand. Even though I backed the trailer in a little too deep for take-out, the guide-ons should be a tremendous help, and Rita might be able to just drive the boat right on.

Every boat and trailer combo is different, and I'll be glad when I'm more familiar with this one. It's a steep learning curve, indeed.

At the end of the day, the inside of the boat was dry as a bone! There are absolutely no leaks! We are very pleased, and this also means that I can get some sort of rubberized coating on it sometime in the future.

Old Tinny - Entry Four

Well, I finally finished replacing the transom board.

I varnished regular plywood and covered it with a piece of ducting sheet metal I found at A-Boy. The edges of the sheet metal are folded over all the sides of the transom board and riveted on. I left the original top fold of the ducting intact so it could hang over into the inside of the transom and then bolted everything on. The last step was to seal every joint/edge/corner/bolt with a flexible sealant, hopefully keeping as much water as possible from getting underneath the new board.

I just have to finish wiring up the bilge pump and we'll be ready to take her out on a float test to check for leaks.

Old Tinny - Entry Three

Behold! The shiniest thing on this boat!

I installed the new bow light and now just need to complete the wiring. I'm going to enclose the buss strip inside an outdoor junction box (and use plastic conduit as the wiring chases), thus nearly eliminating (hopefully) the chance of moisture attacking the wiring connections while enabling easy access for future maintenance.

Here's a shot of the bilge outlet. I hope I put it high enough to not let water in during use, but also not create too big of an uphill push for the pump. I guess we'll find out, eh?

It was really scary drilling such a giant hole in the boat, but it had to be done. I will be picking up a tube of 3M 5200 Sealant to goop around such openings as I make or repair them.

I'm still working on getting the bunks mounted properly. Where are all the 1/2" x 3" u-bolts when you need them? I might have to pay top dollar for them at West Marine. Not counting having to complete the transom rework, we're almost ready to take the boat out for a leak check.