SHaugh

I know... try it on your line and see if you can make it fail.. I couldn't... a valid criticism would be that the continuous cinching action could weaken the line.... but I change and trim so often it simply never happens...

I know that's what most people will say... but I've never lost a lure. there's simply no way for that end knot to slip through the clinch... in very stiff mono it could come loose I suppose, but in the lines I use it never fails. Try it...

Why not use an arbor knot for everything ? That's what I've been doing lately. When I want to change lures I just pull the tag.. untie it and tie on a new one... trim when it starts to wear... All those other knots take too much time imo...

Here's the latest version. I made this with just square cut sheets of insulation. Easier than round and cheaper. Fill for these 2 pontoons only cost about $50 on craigslist. A little more sewing but still very easy.. even lighter for my old back..... If anybody wants more info let me know...

Craigslist... http://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/4748685009.html

I'd say local knowledge and experience on that body of water. We all know you can be 10 feet away from where the fish are biting and not get a bite. It's knowing where the fish will likely be. On my local pond that area amounts to several room size patches of water.... if you fish anywhere outside of that you are probably wasting your time.....

No cover is going to stay "waterproof" for very long in the Cali sun... like they say it's all about angling the cover so water sheds off. Back in the old days tents were just canvas.... but ceiling and walls were angled to let water find it's way to ground.... That's why they always told you not to touch the roof of the tent.... it would create a spot that would drip.... I just use a couple old barstools to put a peak on my roofs....

Worked good though..

made some fun boats as well... This one always got a reaction...

I did that on my larger boat a couple times... a nice shady spot in the middle of a lake can't be beat.... You can make a boat like this with 4 of the same pontoons.

Sorry, not many action pics... It's hard to get those on a 1 man boat..... Water comes up to a little less than the half way mark on the pontoon. With a 30 lb electric motor it moves about as fast as a 12ft johnboat. Very maneuverable because it's so short.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Arnold-Speed-Snaps-Fast-Clip-Lure-Clips-Fast-Snaps-Rig-Clips-Lure-Fishing/121463242720?_trksid=p2054897.c100204.m3164&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140407115239%26meid%3D7c78809a57454a90bf8c6271f4d1809e%26pid%3D100204%26prg%3D20140407115239%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D20%26sd%3D330755596052

Next step is to add the wraps that will hold the pontoons on to the deck. Use a double row of staples to connect the 47" wide side of the wrap to the bottom of the poplar board.. then bolt the poplar boards to the outside edges of the deck. When you get done it should look like this: Then lay your pontoons on the underside of the decking one at a time... make sure they are centered front to back. These images from a different boat are clearer: measure and cut the wrap so that it's nice and tight around the pontoon. Then staple it to the other poplar board.. with double staples. When you get done it should be a little short... so that when you tighten the bolts it cinches up a little. See the photo below: When you have both pontoons mounted flip it over and start working on how you want the railings... That should be all you need. If you have any questions just ask... ok to PM me too...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_perch#mediaviewer/File:White_perch_GLERL.jpg ? Do I win anything ?

yup... you could convert it to a bow mount easy enough...just duplicate the motor mount holes in front and back.. then you could easily switch it over... just be sure the height is set to clear the bottom of the toons... I run it in reverse quite often... Tracking doesn't seem to be a problem even without the oars. A nice part about this size boat is the maneuverability... it's a zero turn radius and so easy to figure 8 all over when I'm in a trolling mood...

I had a kayak for a while... Not exactly the right rig for a bigger guy.... I also didn't like how low I was to the water... I like to look down and see what's in there.... in a yak I felt a little blind... Same with an inflatable pontoon... too low.. too uncomfortable in the seat..... too much of a feeling like I was about to go swimming... The construction talent needed for this boat is pretty minimal.... once you see how to do it I bet almost anybody could pull it off...

Fits in the back of my short bed pickup perfectly with the gate closed..only takes a minute or 2.... back down the ramp, pull it off.... put the canopy on.. attach the motor.. grab the chair battery and gear.... less time than launching a trailered boat...

The way I made the canopy you have more than 180 degrees in front of you... If you need to cast straight overhead just leave the canopy off that day.... unscrews by hand with a couple eye bolts.

On the top surface use an old soldering iron to melt a hole in the carpet for the footpads.

Once you have your boards cut and drilled use a small roller and cover everything with a couple thick coats of polyurethane varnish.. pay special attention to the edges and use a Q tip to do inside all the holes. Let it dry for a day. Next pound in your T-nuts. They will all go into the deck plywood. Note in the drawing above.. some go on the top.. some on the bottom.. Once you have all your wood varnished and the T nuts in give it a good coat of paint. I just use latex house paint.. but you can use oil based if you like. Test fit all your pieces once more to be sure you got it right. Next step is to carpet the deck. Scratch a little outdoor carpet glue on the top surface: Then line up your piece of carpet... make the ribs run front to back. check to be sure it's nice and straight.. otherwise it will look bad with carpet lines running at an angle... Next using a staple gun.. ( a hand powered gun will work fine) ... staple the carpet with about a 3" wrap on the bottom: Notch out where your T-nuts are.

Old slow and careless ? Sounds more like wisdom and bark to me.... A younger fella would have probably done worse...

When you have your plywood and footpads for the railings lay out all your holes and drill... holes should be 5/16" all around.

I weigh 240... with battery and a heavy chair it's nowhere near capacity... My guess would be you'd need to worry if you were over 300... with solid polystyrene floats probably 400 lbs...

yup... it pivots off the railing. Locks down with an eyebolt.. I just cut down one of the canopy fittings to get the locking sleeve... a good place to set your baits... and brew..

get an office chair like this one... http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Fabric-Task-Chair-Multiple-Colors/25395687 or better yet find a junk one and clean it up...... then find a shorty cylinder... all office furniture uses the same spec parts. you can change out the one you have for another easily... this one is 8" http://www.ebay.com/itm/HomCom-100mm-Replacement-Pneumatic-Gas-Cylinder-Piston-Lift-for-Office-Chairs-/400642216665?pt=US_Desks_and_Home_Office_Furniture&hash=item5d482312d9 Pull the casters off the spider and you will have a nice lightweight and low platform...