Recent content by bakerjw

Just an example. This was on Boone Lake here in N.E. Tn. Going up a cove in striper season with a few shad bait balls. You can clearly see structure on the right side of the screen going from shallow to deeper water. As it is a TVA managed lake, there is no vegetation so fish hold tight to...

I run some Lowrance gear but mostly it is Simrad. Same company owns them both. The big question is what kind of fishing do you do? A simple unit like that should meet your needs. It's a bit more for an Elite 7 unit but they are top quality units and can support sidescan. When I am on the coast...

LOL. You are not the only one to do a bone headed move. We all have which is why we nervously chuckle and don't hack on people. As mentioned, head gaskets are cheap. I'd pull the head and look for scoring in the cylinder walls. Scoring never gets better.

Terro works great. As I was already redoing the deck, I wanted to make sure that I had not missed anything along the way. Found the one old spot and all seems clear now.

Moisture ants will eat wood once it breaks down into cellulose. We found them in old areas of our house when we were doing the renovation. An AI answer. Moisture ants primarily feed on honeydew, a sugary substance produced by aphids, scales, and other sap-sucking insects like mealybugs and...

Yes, I have had ants in the boat. The little buggers got into the console where some of the wood was exposed and also in the screw rail at the top of the cap. As I am doing a partial restoration of the transom and deck, I've been trying to track down where they've been living and found it...

I've seen a lot of Ranger boats with large glitter metallic surfaces. Until now, I'd never contemplated how they produced such a finish. Layers of clear gelcoat and then spray the color coat before building with white?

I need this... That said, an Armstrong bracket would be the answer.

It is a 40 year old boat. Keep that in mind. A well cared for and stored 40 years old boat should still be solid and IMHO worth keeping. People seem to have the misconception that fiberglass boats are waterproof. The polyester resins that are used to make them are porous and if a boat is left...

A little bit different scenario. In this case, he was damaged by another individual. If I throw a rock and break someone's picture window, I owe them a picture window, not what an insurance company determines its worth.

My take as one who loathes insurance companies is that if it would take $14K to buy a boat as close to yours as is possible, that is what you should be paid. You should never have to take a loss or shell out your own money to get back to where you were because of someone else's negligence in...

In another entry of the John's #1 best selling book "Lessons learned". Yesterday, the plan was to cover the top surface of the aft full sheet of Nidacore with 1708 and epoxy. The underside had already been covered with 1708 with some Nidacore support panels put in place in some key areas. In...

Ah, I love people willing to take up a challenge and be advised that it will be enjoyable. Itchy and sticky but in the end very rewarding. The people here helped me through the WTH stages early on in my rebuild 13 years ago. From what I have read, Nidacore is not an ideal material for...

Myself, I would go this route. A bit of structural work involved but in the end, the OB option is more desirable. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/1979-starcraft-islander-i-0-to-outboard-conversion.438339/

The first real splash is always a great day.