Home Forums Fishing Freshwater The Ides of March

March 1st is when I traditionally retreat to the garage to start getting the boat ready. Things might be a bit delayed this year. It's a frosty -2 degrees outside, and the garage isn't heated. Oh yeah, I'll bundle up and go out and start digging out the boat, but no real work will take place till it warms up a bit. I'll be doing some work on the floor, and livewell. Might get a new trolling motor. It's an old Sylvan boat, and I'm at the point of having to decide weather to do a pretty substantial restore, or just get another boat. I'm leaning towards a restore, but if the right deal comes along????? I might get a new trailer. All the rollers are shot, and I could probably buy a better trailer I don't have to work on for not much more than it'd cost me to replace the rollers and recarpet the bunks. I've got a new depth finder to put in too.

What's your punch list look like for your boat this spring?

Jeff, our boat ain't so fancy. I hope it's still under a lot of snow in NW Ontario where I saw it last.

I’m a waterman too. Buy the replacement to enjoy immediately and do the restore next offseason. Afterward decide which to sell!! Lol.

I’m looking for a used set of downriggers I can afford. My small boat needs a Perko type batt switch for back charging. I have to replace a wash down pump and hose on my big boat. Best news is I don’t have 1/2 the cost of a newer one in both of them combined. 6 degrees warmer water and the crappie will go OFF. ITS TIME!!

I might refinish my oars.

My boat is in great shape so nothing to do there, but I did agree the other night to go on a fly in trip over Memorial Day weekend so I have rods and reels and tackle to get put in shape. A great project for a weekend like this.

Went to get some gas in the truck this morning. It's 12 below zero. No work will be done today.

I need to either take my outboard in to the shop to get worked over or buy a new one. Won’t be long and it’ll be time for Saugeyes, sandbass, and crappie.

Mine's ready to go.

I went through mine a couple of weeks ago. 203 DFS Key West that I use off the coast of Mississippi. I changed oil & filter. New fuel/water separator. Pulled out the book and greased everything on the outboard, changed the thermostats (the 150 Honda four stroke has two), dropped the lower unit and rebuilt the water pump, painted the lower unit because I ran it through an oyster bed last and knocked off a bunch of the paint, took the prop off and greased everything, and changed the lower unit oil. In the next couple of weeks I'm going to replace my Garmin 441 sonar with a new Garmin 94SV sidevu/downvu/chirp that I bought.

Hopefully it'll be ready for this year after that.

Just finished putting new walnut stained plank seats in my 1960 Richline Challenger. My 1955 Evinrude 15 hp. is all tuned up and ready to go. Got a Lowrance Hook 4 fish finder to install but thats about it. Traded an old tandem bicycle for two brand-new Caviness 7 1/2 ft. oars. Got an aluminum paddle and extendable boat stick for it. But down here, its still in the high 70's so I can go anytime. Keep the Sylvan. Restore it, and be the guy that everyone says "Look at that boat!"

I picked up a new bilge pump and a livewell kit this week. Just waiting on the garage to warm up to about 20 degrees before I dig into the boat.

you didn't say if your Sylvan was fiberglas or aluminum. Personally, I prefer aluminum as they are easier to work on and last forever. Leaking rivets are no problem as they are easy to re-peen with two hammers. As far as the deck goes, get a hold of the seller and find out how he put it in. I'd take it out intact and use it as a template for the new one which I would make out of one inch pine boards or even better, those plastic composite boards sold for decking. Re-inforce the area where the seat plate will go and use blind nuts underneath so you can use stainless bolts instead of wood screws to secure it. You're going to cover it with carpeting so make the deck as strong and waterproof as you can. No plywood is rot free, especially up there in the frozen north where it may be covered with snow.

Fubarguy-thanks so much for your input. It's an aluminum. I really don't was a 'glass boat. Fished out of tons of 'em when I fished the bass tournaments. The ride is nice, but I'm pretty much an aluminum guy. I do a lot of shallow fishing and flipping around docks and rock piles, and the aluminum holds up to that punishment pretty good.

I like your idea, but time and finances dictate a cheaper, quicker repair. I'm pretty sure i can correct this issue without tearing out the floor. It's really in there tight-it will be a major undertaking to remove it.

Aluminum, all right! thats a good one.
Now, back to the deck.
Since you are going to take the old carpet off anyway, you may find that the deck is secured to the boat at two places on each side of the bow. It will probably bolted to plates that extend from the bow just an inch or two. Thats how it was on my boat. If so, removing the deck will be easy. Using the old deck as a template, get a piece of exterior plywood about the same size and cut it with the jigsaw set at a 45 degree angle to compensate for the curvature of the boat. Drill holes for the blind nuts corresponding to the holes on the mounting plate of the pedastile. Attach the pedastile out of the boat to check the fit, then take it apart and coat the plywood with multiple coats of Marine Spar Varnish.Use a lot. This is the waterproofing. I got mine at Home Depot for $17 a quart. Take your time between coats and try to use plywood at least 3/4 inch thick.When you are ready, you can glue the template [old piece] to the new one or use stainless screws around the entire perimeter every 6 inches. Put it back in the boat and re-cover with carpeting. Don't glue the carpeting to the wood. Instead use double faced carpet tape in case you need to get it off later. This may sound like a lot of work but take your time and it will be a matter of pride every time you take the boat out. My boat was made in 1960 and the Evinrude in 1955 and its my pride and joy. Yours will be one too.

Our weather finally broke here, so looking forward to get started on the boat. It's gonna take me a couple hours just to dig the boat out of the mountain of stuff in our garage. My son and his wife moved back in last fall, and half their crap is in the garage. Hoping the mice didn't chew things up when I get into the boat. Ice out won't be for quite some time yet, so as long as I keep pecking away at things, the boat should be ready in plenty of time. The seats will be the biggest project, and first priority. I'll also get into the stern and clean up any wiring issues I see. I didn't dig around back there at all after buying the boat last year, and I want to clean things up back there while I've got the seats out. I've got a new bilge pump to put in, and am going to replace some rollers on the trailer the first time I get the boat off of it. I thought about lifting the boat off the trailer in the garage with a couple block and tackles, but I think I'll just wait till I can get the boat off of it. I don't like the thought of standing under that boat and having it pull the rafters down in my garage.

well, at least, you wont get bored

It seems the biggest chore will be to move all the junk out of the garage.
I clean mine out every so often and I swear it just re-generates by the time the next cleaning is due.
Putting the boat up on blocks can be done with bottle jacks and 2x4's but its time and labor consuming.
Best to just get the boat ready and get to the rollers after the boat is in the water.
I did the wiring on another boat once and I connected everything with quick disconnect fittings to make eventual replacement easy.
The nice thing about restoring a boat is that you can make it into just what you want it to be instead of what the factory thinks is best.
If there is a boat salvage yard near you, you may find replacement parts for cheap.
I did my boat on a budget as now I'm retired and don't have the deep pockets I had when I was working.
Coming from the Chicago area, I found that this is the most aggravating time of year.
Its getting warmer and you are chomping at the bit to get out but the water is still frozen!
I wonder how many times Noah had to modify the ark before he was ready to use it!
My most helpful tool was a lawn chair and a hot cup of coffee to sit and think what to do next.
Have fun and it's o.k. to cuss out loud at the boat!

I think the thread should have been "The Ideas of March".

I'm impatiently waiting for warmer weather so I can trace down a persistent slow leak in my fishing kayak and apply some sealant. I've also gone through my rods twice and my lure bags three times in anticipation.

when you put the yak in the water, coat the inside with dish soap and look for the bubbles