Adam Harbuck

PP is my personal favorite. I am not going to go and spend $$$ just to see if I can find one that works better. I found PP, it works better than ones I have tried in the past (Spiderwire, Fireline, Tuffline), so I am sticking with it. Maybe there are better lines out there, but PP is competitively priced, available everywhere, and works for me. But heck, I'm old school....been using Big Game for 15 years and never found a reason to find a different mono.

Sure, adheasive backed sheet foam, about 1-2mm thick; put it in the lid, "wall-to-wall" to act as a gasket and keep everything in it's proper place. Fly fishers do it in thier flyboxes to keep tiny flies from migrating from one slot to another.

Try Real Smooth Reels.

Brake parts cleaner, mass air-flow sensor cleaner, and thottle body cleaner all contain MEK, which will wreck plastic, peel paint, and etch anodized aluminum. I wouldn't use them. Either a simple parts wash solution (most likely naptha), spray lube like WD-40, Reel Scrubber, or good old soap and water all work well. Bearings can go into a bath of acetone, or naptha, but the acetone will get ALL the gunk out. Simple Green and Purple Power wil work too just like soap and water, just don't use it in the full concetration, as it will discolor aluminum at that strength.

When they fist came out like nearly 20years ago, I "bought into them" and fished them all the time. Not only did the frames bend out of shape like they were not supposed to do, but they had problems with the wire breaking, right at the line tie. I had that happen only once, but I don't buy them anymore. BooYah work fine for me and they don't cost as much as t Ti spinnerbait.

Love the cranks, especially the shallow runner, and the colors are good too. The Sammy copy is good also and I will continue to buy them. The frog is junk; mine don't sink, but they sit really low in the water and most importantly, don't catch fish! I will stick to my Trophy Scum Frogs for now...I KNOW they work.

I have got to admit; at first, I thought you were trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and wondered why you didn't just scap the boat and keep the trailer, but you have done some good work and it looks like you will end up with a fine fishing boat....maybe a Frankienboat, but a good boat all the same. GREAT JOB, and thanks for the "log" of your efforts.

I just bought another Accurist PT for my son (I too have one) and it's a good reel. Same price as the Citica. Remember that all of the PT reels are a different animal than the other Quantums, and are better made and will last longer. I have one of last years Energy PTs that I bought on clearance at Dicks for about $50 off retail. It's big, and strong, and heavy, but it should be around for the duration.

Hey Kerby, you from around Glouchester? Many, many years ago I built the Wal-Mart in Glouchester.

Or, just look at the "scum line" on the transom of a bass boat, or on the outboard and measure that difference down to the bottom on the "pad", not the bottom of the transom, and I bet you would be looking at close to 16, 18, or even 20 inches. Light weight aluminums certainly wouldn't be that deep, but a big heavy 20' high performance boat sits deep at rest.

4, I fish in a kayak and more than that just get in the way. Usually not the same 4, it is based on where I am fishing and what baits I am throwing.

Alberto!

Oh, and I might add that you can buy a Platinum for LESS than you can buy a St. Croix Avid Series Blank (SC3).

And it's considerably less expensive than an Avid. I own and fish three every week. I also build many of my own rods, so I have a good eye for build quality. It's not a Loomis, nor is it a higher end St. Croix, but at less than $100, it's a good rod. I have the 6'6" Light Fast, 6'6" Medium XFast (awesome spinnerbait rod), and a 6'6" MH Fast, which is no where NEARLY as stiff as my custom 6'6" MH Fast SC3MHF (Avid Series Blank).

Devcon 2-Ton is waterproof and fully cures in about 30 minutes. Devcon 5 Minute is not waterproof, but it wouldn't really matter unless it was going to be submerged and it does cure up in 5 minutes. I would just dab a little 2-Ton on it, smooth it out a bit, and go fishing. The 2-Ton will saturate a little better because of the longer cure time. I keep 2-Ton in the shop because it is good for glueing so many things, it cures quickly, is waterproof, and strong as all get out. As a rod builder, I like Devcon 2-Ton because you can get it at Wal-Mart (hardware department), it is very strong, and it has a more flexible bond than 5 Minute.