Fishing Rhino

With the exception of Rhino we can all meet at the Home Depot right at the 495 Bellingham exit. If we leave HD at 6:00 we can meet Rhino at the Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (Webster Lake) town ramp at 6:30-6:45. There will be room for all in either Grampa's or my truck and you guys can leave your vehicles at Home Depot. All set for a little grub and chat after, no need to bring anything other than yourselves and gear. Looking forward to another fun day. Tate

Didn'the president say yesterday that America has been getting a little soft over the past two decades? Then he went on to say we need to get our competitive edge back. It's been about twenty years that we began worrying about a youngster's self esteem. Don't do anything to hurt his/her feelings or make them feel inferior. Then, they get out in the real world and find out they are inferior in some ways, as we all are. Add political correctness run rampant and you've got the perfect storm for the decline of any civilization or country. Ahhhhh, the great success story, outcome based education, where they seek equal outcomes for all. Too bad it doesn't work that way out in the dog eat dog world.

As opposed to the Groton fisherman from Connecticut?

I have a second set on board. I think Gramps and maybe Tate have second sets as well. How 'bout you Jones and Jigfishn. You all set with foul weather gear?

It's impressive, but it wouldn't replace dock lines for me, should I ever get one. Some guys do the same with power poles, sort of. I read where one of the pros, forget which, angles his boat toward the dock while launching. When the boat gets close enough to the dock, he remotely lowers the power poles, parks, goes to the dock and steps on his boat, raises the power poles and goes fishing. I've done similar things (not necessarily boating related), showing off of course, only to have something go wrong. I end up with egg on my face. I've done those things more than once during my life, but no more. Maybe Minnkota should team up with a company that makes power, bag toting, golf carts that follow you around the course. You carry a transmitter and the cart will automatically follow you, stopping when it gets close to you. Then, if you have an iPilot, and fall overboard, the boat would come back to you. The heck with holding the boat in position, leaving you to swim to it. I mean, if you're gonna do something, do it right.

I'm ready, I refilled my wacky rig reel. Danged pickerel.

Welcome. Glad to have you aboard. I too am from SE Mass, Westport to be specific. We've got a group, not a club, that gets together once a month or so. We have three boaters, and enjoy getting the non-boaters off the beach onto different waters from the Cape to central Mass. We've done Whitehall in Hopkinton, Mashpee/Wakeby on the Cape and the next is going to be Lake Webster, or Chaugagogagogmanchaugagogchaubunagungamog, in Webster. It's nothing formal. Just a bunch of guys socializing, fishing, and having a bite to eat afterward, before heading home. This Saturday at Webster may be the last get together for the year, but who knows, maybe we'll have a frostbite outing before we're done. Glad you're here. If you want to go to a good smallmouth pond, let me know, and we'll hook up sometime.

I'm not sure, but legally painting walls, buildings, or whatever, in any style does not conform to the definition of graffiti or tagging. "Graffiti (also called Graf) is a form of self expression, and while it is illegal, is NOT vandalism." I guess like what the meaning of is is, it's also how one defines vandalism. So, let's look at vandalism. "Definitions of vandalism (n) van·dal·ism [ vánd'l ìzzəm ] 1.destructive action: the malicious and deliberate defacement or destruction of somebody else's property Synonyms: disfigurement, mutilation, vandalism, destruction, damage, injury" So, the above definition of graffiti shows the person who came up with that needs to consult a dictionary, rather than interpreting vandalism to suit themselves, and thus rationalizing their actions. Sorry, but it's painfully obvious that illegal graffiti is indeed vandalism. In fact, to remove or cover up graffiti is often more expensive than repairing broken windows, or smashed mailboxes.

Here's the forecast. Looks like a great fishing day to me, not to mention that it will keep a lot of recreational boaters on the beach. Bring your foul weather gear. Not much wind, but showers. Temps starting at 56 rising to the mid 60s by noon. http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/USMA0446?begHour=5&begDay=274

The Coast Guard no longer tows except in cases of emergency unless they reversed their earlier policy. They will, however, contact the towing company you request, and maintain contact with you. One creative company was named "Any Towing Company". It seems the Coast Guard commonly asked, do you have a preference or do you want us to call "any towing company". Most would reply "Any towing company." When I started lobstering, the Coast Guard would respond to any vessel in "distress", though not necessarily in peril. They stopped towing boats that ran out of gas, got fishing nets tangled in their props or had mechanical malfunctions long before I retired from commercial lobstering in 1998. They would contact commercial towing companies to assist stranded boaters in non-emergency situations. No wonder the insurance company said their preferred tow provider was the Coast Guard. Coincidentally, you can, for a reasonable fee pay a premium to the various towing companies and retain their services for the year. Should you need a tow, they will provide it. If you don't, they pocket the fee you paid. Well, they pocket that anyway, but the fee is less than a single tow job would cost. Cheap insurance for anyone who does a lot of boating, particularly on open waters.

That's great. I don't have a problem that you made an etch-a-sketch out of your car. Sounds like a fun thing to do. But what I consider to be "tasteful", you might consider to be hideous, or vice versa.

Since "art" takes countless forms from just splattering paint on a surface, to making a miniature Taj Mahal from cow dung, from the unrecognizable to something that looks like a photograph, from humanoids with more than two arms or their mouths above their eyes, etc, all have their devotees and detractors. Art or eyesore, it's all in the eye of the individual. No matter the form it takes, anything that is applied to the property of another without their permission is vandalism, plain and simple. It's not art. You call it art. I'll call it an eyesore, regardless of the "skill" involved. These taggers, artists, no matter what they say know it's wrong or they wouldn't be doing it under the cover of darkness to avoid getting caught. Taggers, crews, whatever, try to outdo each other. The more brazen the better. Millions of dollars are spent to either cover up or remove the "art" from property, both public and private. It's wanton disregard for the property of others and the costs involved to undo their handiwork. Sorry, I'm not buying what you're selling. When a community or individual has a large surface that's made available to these artists it's all good.

Is it possible to find a trailer with a similar frame, then get a metal fabricator weld supports to put the bunks in the same positions? How much damage? Did you tear off the running gear? Twist/bend the frame? I'd ask around about a metal fabricator with a good reputation and some creativity. I've seen skillful, independent fabricators breathe new life into stuff destined for the smelter.

Some hints for making the experience of working with fiberglass a little better. Get latex gloves by the hundred count if you can find them. Avoid the cheap stuff at the home improvement centers. Half of them will tear when you try to put them on, doubling the cost. You should be able to get them for less than a dime apiece if you can buy them in the 100 count box. Get a gallon of acetone for cleanup. It's expensive, but worth every penny. Might be about twenty bucks per gallon now. Get a couple of four inch paint roller handles. Don't buy the four inch rollers. Buy the six pack of rollers they sell at Home Depot, for about seven bucks. Cut them in half and you end up with two 4.5 inch rollers which will work just fine. Get a narrow roller tray and liners for the tray. You can toss the liners when you are done. Mix the resin. Use a little less catalyst than recommended. It will give you more time to work with the resin before it starts to cure. do not mix large batches of resin. It will cure faster in the container since it will build up heat, which acts as a catalyst to speed up curing. I use plastic gallon milk and water jugs to mix the resin. For starters, mix up a quart at a time, pour it into the paint tray, and wet out the roller. If the roller drips, work some of the resin off on the slope of the tray. Apply like paint to the stringer or whatever part, then place the mat over it and use the roller to work it flat. You can add resin as needed by getting it from the roller tray. If you have an area that is too wet, roll out a dry area of the material, then you can go back with the roller and pick up the excess by rolling over it. If it's still too wet, repeat the process. If the material doesn't lie flat, keep rolling it. As the mat gets wet, the two inch strands will be able to slide around. The strands are held by a binder which dissolves in resin. Once wet, they can slide around. You don't need to use a lot of pressure. Always lay the material on a wet surface. It's easier to wet it out when it comes up from behind the material rather than trying to work resin down into it. Don't try to do too much at a time. Take it slow until you get the hang of it. The other tool you might need is a "bubble buster". It's a grooved roller made of metal or plastic. The ridges will work the trapped air to the surface. Use "tear edges" on the mat. Cut edges make a small step at the edge. Tear edges feather into each other and give a better finished product. It's also much easier to work with smaller pieces with torn edges, than big pieces of material. Once the stuff is wet, it's nearly impossible to handle, or move. It stretches out because the fibers are no longer held in place by the binder. Work in the areas that are easiest to get at for starters. Don't struggle with the difficult areas while getting comfortable with the process. Start small. Keep it as simple as possible. When you are finished with the glass, if you want a smooth finish, you can spread bondo over the new glass, after it has cured of course. Then sand smooth and apply a couple of coats of a good marine paint. Fiberglass resin is not waterproof. It will absorb water. While water won't pass through it like a piece of cloth, it will absorb moisture. In colder climates, if exposed to freezing temps while it contains water, the water will freeze and expand, damaging the composite. If you need any advice or have any questions, you can ask them here, but it's better to send me a p.m. since I don't always go back to a thread for a few days. I check a couple of times a day for messages. If you want, you can also email me through the forum.

The weather forecast is for showers on Saturday. Too early for the hour by hour, details forecast, which includes the wind. Should be updated to include Saturday tomorrow afternoon or evening. Will update so all can bring whatever you need to stay warm and dry. High temps for Saturday are in the low sixties, but it won't be that warm at seven in the morning, so plan on wearing layers.

Seacast is the stuff I've seen but could not remember the name. It clicked when I read your post. It's already looking better after your clean up job. Better to work on, that is. Now you will be able to see stress cracks that may have been hidden by the gunk you've removed.

Does the image of the crankbait on the above link count?

The most important thing you need to check is the transom. If its core is wood, and it is in the same condition as the stringers, you've got a critical, major repair on your hands. They can be repaired, but it requires digging out all the old wood. The fiberglass on the top edge will need to be removed to access the plywood core. Then all the wood has to be dug out. I've seen articles where they removed the bulk of the wood using a chain saw. Not for the inexperienced, or faint of heart. Another method is to use a long augur, and bore holes into the top of the wood to but not through the fiberglass bottom.. The augur should be the same diameter as the thickness of the wood, or slightly smaller. Once all the wood is dug out, and the glass is cleaned and dried, you can pour a filler made for replacing the wood that was removed. Don't know the name or where to get it, but a google search for "transom repair" should yield the information. Stringers, once the deck is removed are fairly straight forward. Be careful to support the hull on the outside so the bottom doesn't deform when the stringers are removed. I'd do one at a time. I'd also use an epoxy resin, not polyester fiberglass resin when bonding the new stringers to the hull. It will hold. Fiberglass resin may not. You might want to consider using closed cell foam used in fiberglass fabrication. It comes in many thicknesses. It's lighter than wood, but you'll need to laminate enough layers of glass to provide the structural strength needed to keep the hull rigid. No more worries about punky wood cores. All the foam really does is provide the shape for the stringer, The layers of composite form a box beam around it. Take your time and do it right. You are working with integral structural members which need to withstand the abuse it will take whether pounding over a wake or into a chop. Don't skimp or cut corners. You will regret it later. I hope it all works well for you, and that your acquisition provides you many hours of fun and memories. Treat the old girl gently until you know the condition of the transom, and get all repairs completed.

Contact Grundle. He and Jones are also coming. You should be able to hook up with them for the ride to Gramps and/or Tate for the ride to the Lake.

What time? Seven o'clock at the ramp?

In frigid temps, the prudent, though not comfortable, thing to do is wear a survival suit. I have three from my commercial lobstering days. To repeat something that has appeared on here several times. Always wear your pfd. It makes finding the body easier should you have a fatal heart attack and fall overboard, or fall overboard and die from hypothermia. I have fallen from my canoe into the drink in early spring with hip boots and wearing my pfd. Water temps in the low 50s. The canoe did not swamp. I was able to cling to the side of the canoe and operate the trolling motor which got me to shore. It was an unusually warm early spring day, so after I lay on my back, lifted my legs to drain my hip boots, I got back in the canoe and resumed fishing. As for an annual dip into water with temps in the forties, I think I'll pass. I'll leave that experience to the hardy, or maybe foolhardy souls who like to celebrate New Years Day by cutting holes into the ice if necessary to take a quick plunge. You know, those who belong to the various Polar Bear Clubs.

I'm not familiar with the Explorer. I have the Navplanner2. What you do with that program is to place your waypoints on the map, then download them onto the card. Plug that card into the unit, and it will automatically place those waypoints onto your display. My Humminbird 898 has two card ports, and the appropriate card containing that body of water must be installed and the card with the downloaded waypoints must be inserted as well. I think the Explorer program is also a product of Fugawi, marketed by Navionics. When I've had questions such as yours, I've sent an email to their customer service department and gotten quick responses with thorough and clear instructions to follow. Check the info that came with the Explorer program for contact information.

Saturday's weather. Partly cloudy. High temp sixty degrees. Looks like a go to me. Grundle and Jigfishn are in. Anyone else? Jones? Bumpkin? To repeat. Three can fish from my boat. Two of us from the bow, one from the stern. We can accomodate four non-boaters.

First come, first served. Jig and Grundle are in. Room for two more. I can fish three from my boat, two on the bow, and one on the stern.

All right! Who's in? Maybe the final get together for this season. Don't miss out. We've been going to Webster, and tutored by Gramps so Tate and I should be able to put you on some fish. Nice lake. Plenty of structure and vegetation. The fishing hasn't been bad either. Chime in. We've got one vote for the first weekend in October, which is only eight days away. Gramp and Tate fished Webster yesterday, and Gramp and I will do it one day next week. Don't be shy. No one will be stuck on the shore.