WV_Eagle

Final pic... I went the Rustoleum route for the exterior paint. Multiple rolled and brushed coats with Rustoleum Clean Metal Primer underneath. So far it seems to be holding up well but we'll have to see over time. Still have some touch ups to do but it is close. Other things added was an anchor holder in the rear and two Driftmaster rod holders. I still have to add a through deck adapter for the on-board chager plus a 12V utility plug. At some point I'll also add some new storage boxes along the sides. Those will have to wait as I've been off the river too long.

More pics... New transom. I used stainless hardware wherever possible. The blue "transom guard" is actually a 3/8" kitchen cutting board with the handle cut off. I think it was less than $3. Hatch and storage pics. I moved the batteries forward for better balance and weight distribution. Boat rides much better in the water now. I used aluminum braces across the larger hatches for strength without much weight. I moved the onboard charger under the deck. More storage. There's another hatch to the right of the seat as well. Hard to see but I have space for 4-5 3600 boxes under the large hatch. The hatch at the center of the opens to a space that is full boat width. I'm going to add locks there so I can stow the fishfinders and my rods (2-piece broken down) when I need to. The carpet was cheap outdoor stuff from Home Depot attached using outdoor carpet adhesive applied thick for additional waterproofing and stainless steel staples underneath. Carpet appears to work well as it doesn't grab hooks. We'll have to see about the durability.

Just a few rebuild pics. Here's the boat after stripping. Stripping the old paint took the most time and effort: This is the front deck bracing. I used 2X3's with 1/2" ply for the decking and hatches throughout. All watersealed and in some cases (where they would show with open hatches) painted too. The old bracing was 2X4 PT with a 2X10 PT down the middle. Very heavy with no support from underneath. Most of the stress was on the single aluminum brace across the front. A pic from further back. I took LBH's advice about keeping the decks low and decided to not extend the front deck to the rear. With the front seat moved back over the old bench seat, there's plenty of room forward for casting and it wasn't necessary. Pic from the rear. You can see the offset seat locations. I really like it on the river for forward visibility reasons. I painted the interior with Rustoleum Textured spray paint over Rustoleum clean metal primer for a non-reflective finish and to cover some old water stains on the aluminum.

Here's how she looks (almost) finsihed: More pics coming including some showing the build out. I have to upload them but I'll have them soon.

After a LONG series of delays caused by weather and work, I finally got the boat finished enough to go fishing. Still have some additional mods to make but they are mostly in the "nice to have" and appearance categories. As this was the first time I tried something like this, I made my share of mistakes but I learned a lot. I took it out the last couple of days and it has been great. Rides in the water better, more convenient/user-friendly and I caught a bunch of smallies. Pics to follow...

How much do you want to spend? Waders can go from $60 to over $400. Give us a general price range and I'm sure folks on here can help.

Message sent. Thanks for posting this Glenn. I hope everyone on this site gets onboard and sends the message.

I have a 12v, 40# lb thrust Minkota PowerDrive trolling motor. Anyone know or can recommend what size fuze or circuit breaker I should use?

What DMB above says is right. However, sometimes those straps are not very tight. I had an outboard hop out of the transom saver after hitting an unexpected pothole. Snapped the transom saver right off. The motor dropped and spun around and the throttle handle took the head right off a transom mounted trolling motor. Needless to say I strap my motor to the transom saver real good and tight now. Bunge from lifting handle across lower unit to other handle. Not a problem since.

For the Potomac, check out the ramps in Brunswick and Lander. Here's an article about fishing in the Lander area: http://www.penrodsguides.com/upper_potomac_river.htm He also posts a fishing report evry week. Further upstream you can put in at Shepherdstown, WV (just across the bridge from Sharpsburg). Snyder's Landing and Taylor's Landing are also close to Shrpsburg.

I have two bank charger (Cabela's made by Pro Mariner) and have had no problem with it. I'd encourage you to mount it on board. Its so easy to just pull in and plug it in without having to access the batteries directly. I was doing the portable charger thing and this makes all the difference. Much easier.

Did some more work yesterday. Now have it taken down all the way to the aluminum. Here's the latest pics... I also removed the transom as the plywood was getting surface cracks and spreading a bit around the edges. Unfortunately, the weather was not good for stripping or painting today so no new progress. Back at it next week I guess.

Thanks LBH. I was thinking of putting the charger in either under deck storage or in some additional storage boxes I was going to build along the sides. In any case, I'll take your advice and get it inside something and out of the weather. Heat build up any concern? Thanks....

Another pic. This is as far as I've gotten so far. Still have the rear deck and the wood and seat support over the rear bench seat to remove. Hopefully the weather will hold this weekend and I'll get more done. Still thinking about how to brace the front deck. I didn't like the way it was done before since some of the original aluminum bracikets was tearing away. I think I need some vertical bracing from underneath the deck to the hull of the boat. Any advice welcome on how to best do that or any other ideas.

Here's some pics after the first afternoon of tearing it down. Front deck off. The seat and pedestal brace and side braces were supporting in the front by only a single aluminum brace. There was no cross bracing nor supports underneath. Also, in many places, the screws were too long so they were bent over. Made this much harder than it had to be. Closer look. The brace on the left side is cracked/torn. The back end of the brace for the pedestal/seat was screwed to the bench seat. I guess after they did that, they realized it wasn't strong enough so they riveted a 3' piece of aluminum along the back and over the screw heads. That made getting the pedestal brace loose a real pain in the $#%... That's all for now. Any advice welcome....

So here's my list of what I'm going to do: - Replace the carpet - Move batteries forward for balance - Extend front deck to second bench seat. Add under-deck storage - Rewire the boat - Repaint the boat (probably green) - Replace the seats (already bought) - Replace the transom (it's OK but figured while I'm at it...) - Add some additional storage boxes - Fix small leak (missing rivet) Should be more than enough to start. Can't say I'm a carpenter or electrician, etc. but what the heck. Can't make it better without trying. Hopefully it will turn out well.

Well I broke down and decided to re-deck my boat. The carpet was getting old and there were some things about the way the boat was laid out that I wanted to change. Bought the boat on eBay over two years ago for $750. It included the boat, trailer, 15hp Evinrude (low compression but it starts and runs OK), fishfinder, two old trolling motors and miscellaneous other gear. I've added some things since then. It's been a good boat for me and my son to fish from but it was just time to re-do it. Here's how it looked before I started tearing her down...

Yep..I think its the foot pedal too. Shame because they cost almost $70 each. Been considering buying the Autopilot as this would solve the issues with the foot pedal but cost is an issue there. In any case, I'll try the contact cleaner and see if it helps. If not, on to other options! p.s. Deiswerth...thanks for posting the original question. Was going to post the same but had other things going on so this has bee a great help.

I've got the same problem with a 40# PowerDrive. Power won't kick in until between 6 or 7 on the slide scale. Seems like I may have lost some power overall too but that may be my selective memory.... Thanks for the tips . I'll try the contact cleaner first then may be looking for a MinnKota rep. Any other ideas or tips welcome.

OK, my turn...I've got a "pre-1974" Richland v-hull with a '78 Evinrude 15 hp. Someone before me decked it out but I'm planning on redoing it this year. Of course now that spring is finally getting here the thought of working on it and not fishing is causing me to reconsider! ;D

Fishnaddiction, I'm definitely no expert so this is for what its worth.... My general pattern is to anchor below some riffles or a ledge and pitch up to it and allow it to drift back over the ledge or around the obstruction. We have a lot of limestone ledges running laterally or diagonally across the Potomac where I often fish and the smallies like to lay up under or aside them. Often I'll just drift with the current usually on the steeper side of the river (for whatever reason, I always seem to do well where there are cliffs, even if they don't come down to the rivers edge) until I get to my next spot. If I'm feeling lazy I'll just let it bounce the bottom behind but more often I'll pitch it out at a 45 degree angle and bring it back to the boat slow. Otherwise the standard stuff...bridge abuttments, large rocks or trees in the current, etc. I make NO claims that I have it figured out (far from it!). This just what seems to work best for me. Heck, I learn new stuff on here all the time and these guys have way more time on the water than me.

Just drifting riffles...

I have two Humminbirds mounted (a Matrix 17 and a Matrix 27). One transducer is mounted on the TM and the other on the transom. Haven't had a problem yet though I operate mostly in shallower water (under 20') so that may be a factor.

Had smallies bite me...hurt a little but surprised me more than anything. Lipped a walleye once...raked my thumb up pretty good...nice and bloody. Won't do that again....

I have most success with softs...especially tubes and craws. Also has some success last year drifting Berkeley Gulp minnows and gobies. Less success with hard baits...but it may well be me and my presentation.