jaaron01

I'll tell you the best/cheapest thing for a rudder is find an old trolling motor off CL. I bought and old one with the metal shaft for 15.00. Then I just cut off the head and the controller, flattened out one end with a hammer and added a piece of 1/8 sheet metal to it. It clamps on just like a trolling motor, and won't slip off when making a turn. And it's adjustable to different depths by tilting it up or down. I posted a pic several posts back. Cheap and easy, and definitely a must have.

I keep the boat outside during the winter, upside down on it's trailer, then pull the seat/flooring section out for storage. It's nice to just drop this section in, and go. Plus it weights enough that it won't blow out while driving down the road. I made sure and made the compartment doors facing backwards so the wind wouldn't get under them.

Decided this year to redo the flooring in my Dolphin Sportsman. Before I had just a sheet of 3/4 marine plywood, with 1 pedestal seat base screwed to it. Decided to build the floor up enough so that the base would set flush on it, and have a couple of compartments in the flooring for storage. Got the hatch in the middle completed, but need to finish the front hatch. I'd say the total weight is around 75-80 lbs, but I have a 4x8 trailer that I use for my little 8ft boat. Also added the battery box in the back to keep things secured going down the highway. Nothing worse than hitting a bump and having the battery bounce around.

That's and awesome design, seems like i've seen that setup before. It works great as well!!!!

Bomber 7- sent you a PM about your carpet.

Only other place with wood is the rear transom area. As for cup holders I just got mine and put them in the slots were the cupholders go, and used a fat/short sheet metal screw and went thru the bottom of the cup holder and into the boat. I don't think anything else will really hold in that plastic.

On the front of these little boats they are re-enforced with a wood mount under the plastic. I just used some thin Ply (or whatever your have) and made a sandwich type mount. Thin Ply on one side/Thin ply on otherside and screwed them in. Gotta watch the thickness of the ply or when combined with the thickness of the plastic your TM wont fit over it. Also some intertube rubber will help keep the TM from pulling off the wood when making sharp turns, and forgetting your TM was set on "5". JIm

How much are they asking for everything? Just make sure and get all the paperwork and that you will be able to transfer everything over into your name. Here in Nebraska is tough to do anything without extensive paperwork. I've got a trailer that I own, but had to have my buddy on the Iowa side register it in Iowa under his name, as Nebraska wouldn't register it without a vin number, unless I paid a couple hundred for bonding. In iowa it was $20.00 and a done deal.

I agree with you on the Reverse thrust. You got to put it on high, then wait and pray it kicks in !!!!! Must be something to due with the pitch on the prop that causes it to be almost useless in reverse. I've read different things about these Kipawa props, some folks swear by them, others swear at them. I thought before I chunked out 200-250 bucks for a bigger trolling motor I would give this a shot. It'll be a while before I get to try her out, due to everything being frozen up here. Sure wish I could get up the nerve to Ice Fish, but for this Southern boy, 20 years of "Don't go out on the frozen Pond" does something to your mind!! Thanks Mom.

I decided before I bought a bigger trolling motor I would try one of these High Performance Props and see how it works on the Minn Kota. I know I've ready several different things on them, good, and some bad about overheating the motor. My warrently is out anyway, so thought for 29.00 I would give it a shot and see how it works.

What did you find? No picture attached.

Biggest flaw on these little boats is getting holes in the btoom of them from being draged to and from the water. Check out the bottom of the boat, and look for scrap marks, or holes/cracks in the hull. They are normally filled with foam inside the hull, which makes them almost impossible to sink, but they fill with water and weight a ton. Another thing is make sure you have the paperwork so you can register it in your state. That is the biggest pain here in Nebraksa, without the title, it was nearly impossible to register, so I just bought a new 8ft for like $425.00 and had no worries. Other folks might have more things to watch for, but these are the big things I seen when shopping.

Feel free to share any stuff you find out on here. I've searched the Web and most sites seem to eventually lead right back to this thread. Always looking for ideas for storage. Seen on 1 thread were some guy had taken a small ice-chest ( like 6ix pack size ) and sunk it into the side of his pelican, down in one of the pontoons. He had dug out some of the foam, and then just sunk it in, just leaving the lid sticking up about 1/2 inch. He didn't post any photos, and i don't think I'm that desperate for photos, but would have like to seen how it turned out.

Did you start to notice the noise after a while? usage? i'm not too worried as i don't expect too much usage besides me...the boys on occasion. I noticed it from day one. My chair rails made noise anytime you scooted them forward or backward. I fixed that problem on the front seat when I changed it out and added the pole instead. (Which I couldn't live without now), but left the back seat as it was. I've had the 8 year old out with me, and a few buddies and each time they move, you can hear that rail sliding around in the plastic channel that the seats fit into. I just put the rubber hose on there to quite them down, and also make them less slidable. They will still slide forward and backward, just takes a little more effort than before, and they don't make that (scrapping hollow plastic sound) anymore.

Still working on the boat during the holiday break. Decided instead of having my throw cushion bungeed around the back of my seat I would just add a little piece of wood and bungee to that. Also works with keeping things out of the floor. Buddy goes with me never wears his life jacket so he can bungee that to the back of his seat and keep it off the floor and out of the way. Also went to Walmart and found some utility clips (spring loaded) for like $1.39 for two. Took one of those and used Marine Goop (Adhesive) and a couple of screws to help keep the boat oar off the floor as well. Springs not too strong so it's easy to open, and shouldn't pull off when pulling the Oar out. Anything to keep items off the floor and free up space in these little boats is a big help!!!