Shown here set up for trailer brake flushing	The same unit as on the left, but used for motor flushing

Extra Fuel :   How many times have you wanted another tank, but had no place to put it or a way to connect to your main motor in a hurry?   Here I have made a manifold block using a 1/4" brass Tee, (2) brass Ells, (2) 1/4" ball valves & (2) 1/4"barbed fittings to match the hoses.   The center outlet being a 3/8" barbed X 1/4" pipe fitting, solid connection going to the main motor.  On each side are inlets with one also being solid coming from the main fuel tank, but it has a shut-off valve at the manifold.  The other inlet is a quick coupler the same as the brand of the motor being used, which also has a shut off valve.  The handles are painted different colors for clarification.

Here I can run fuel normally from the main tank with it's valve open.  If that tank becomes empty, I can valve off the main tank, & open the auxiliary tank's valve giving me an extra 6 gallons.  This extra tank can also be used for the trolling motor if needed.   The one thing to consider is that IF you do not have the auxiliary tank connected all the time, then you will need to have a plastic cap covering the fuel line connector to keep corrosion down & make a tight seal when you really need it.  The extra fuel line is just capped off using a rubber/plastic automotive vacuum line cap.

The aluminum clamp shown simply holds the unit in position in the motor well.

On the bottom (red handle) is the main fuel line from the tank.  The center line is to the motor.   And on the top (yellow handle) is for the extra fuel tank connector.  In this case shown below the valves are arranged to draw from the main tank.

How Do You Know When Your Fuel Tank is Full? :   OK, you want to fill your boat's fuel tank but not overfill it, you are at a fuel dock & the wind is blowing (isn't it always on the water) boats coming & going detracting you from being able to hear as it nears full.   Or you are filling up at a noisy freeway gas station.  If you rely on the automatic fuel nozzle shut off, (if it has one) sometimes the tank will be too full, maybe even near overflowing & if the boat is left sitting in the hot sun for a while the fuel will expand & overflow onto your gunwale creating a mess. 

A solution is to make a simple stethoscope out of about a 24" piece of 1/2" clear Vinyl tubing.  3/8" size may work, but I think you can hear better with the larger one.  Now while you are refueling, you can hold one end of this tube to one ear & get the other end in, or very near the fuel fill hose opening.  You will now be able to hear the fuel being poured into the main tank & when the noise changes as the fuel starts up the fill tube hose from the tank, stop the process.  You will have to concentrate here & learn what to listen for.  This will at least give you the length of the filler hose for expansion & no spill.

This tube shuts out most outside noise & you can hear the filling process.  The longer tube gives you something to coil up, adjust & hold onto while listening.

Water Spraying on Motor at High Speed  :   OK, this one is going to take some explaining.  Essentially the transducer & water temp/speedometer senders were creating a situation where they spraying water on the motor, enough to short out a ignition coil.

One day of fishing saltwater off Washington's Westport created no problems, the best safe speed was 13MPH because the water was choppy enough that.  And the next day was the same until we headed back to the boat basin,  Now we had the milder waves & the wind were on the stern & the water was calmer.  A speed of 20MPH was then achieved.  However after about 1/2 hour the motor lost power on one of the 3 cylinders.   It would sputter back onto the 3rd cylinder occasionally, then finally go back to running OK for 10 minutes or so, only to revert again back to missing for 20 minutes or so.  The reduced speed was 9 MPH.  We had about 10 total miles total to go including cross the bar before we could get to the boat basin.   A cell phone call was made to the boat mechanic for reassurance that we could make it that far without creating damage to the motor.

As it happened, we regained full power while crossing the bar & again as we approached the boat basin.  It was then when nearing the boat basin that my fishing partner noticed all the water spraying onto the side of the motor.   It was coming off the area at the transducers.  At the dock I took the cowling off & there was water dripping off some of the motor components.

Now came the detective work.  This GPS/Sonar had came off my previous boat & was known to not cause that same problem.  There had been some slight problem initially on this newer boat, but they had been adjusted so there was no excessive spray on the lake trials.  What we have here, it is now on a aluminum boat that the bottom metal extends about 1 1/2" beyond the transom.  There is a 1 1/2" X 4" aluminum channel welded onto the bottom of the transom for mounting this type of transducer hardware.  HOWEVER there is a 1/4" gap between the bottom of this channel & the upper edge of the extended bottom aluminum.  It appears that when we were running the day it was choppy, we did not go fast enough as compared to running with the waves & WIND pushing us the second day.  I suspect when we ran at the faster speed, this hollow channel against the transom & the narrow gap below created a venturi & sucked air down the transom, inside the channel & against the water traveling just under the bottom.   It was then diverted up against the back of the transom by the wind.  This wind then blew this FINE spray against the side of the motor which was then sucked into the motor breather location on the upper rear of the cowling.

When this fine spray was sucked into the cowling cavity & onto the rear of the motor where the coils are located, the moisture shorted out the bottom coil where the inner cowl ducting terminated.  When we ran at the slower speed when it was missing, the warm motor dried the water & we were off & running OK again at the higher speed until more misty water was sucked/blown in.

Apparently the boat factory felt that this gap at the bottom was to not allow any place to trap water when the boat was hauled out.  I had repeatedly tried before to adjust the transducers, but could never get a 100 % non-spray as compared to when they were on the previous boat.  I have finally given up trying to solve the problem & concentrated on just patching the situation so it does not effect the motor.   I thought about trying to plug this gap with foam, but these transducers are attached with bolts & the nuts are in this cavity.  So my remedy was to make a 1/8" aluminum hood extended rearward about 3" to go over the transducers, diverting the water back down & off the motor. 

Have You Ever Forgot To Put The Drain Plug Back In?  :   Here a simple cord with a snap attached to the drain plug that is snapped into a convenient hole that is positioned VERY CONSPICUOUSLY when the plug is removed is a reminder when you launch.

On a PSA fishing club outing at Neah Bay in May of 2009 as my fishing partner & I came out of the boat basin, around Wadda Island & headed into open water of the straits.  We were heading toward the slot between Tattosh Island & the mainland 5 miles away for a morning of halibut, sea bass & ling cod fishing with the other 6 boats of the club.   I was waved down by a boat that was dead in the water.  This boat was not in the normal travel path, but out in the straits farther than normal & I was just curious enough as to what he was fishing for there & I ventured farther out of a direct line to the slot & closer to him than the other boats had that were ahead of me that morning.  Was he halibut fishing this close in?  A possible new spot?

When I got close enough, one fellow on board waved me down & over to them.  When I got close enough, he hollered do you have a plug?  Drain plug of course.  Yes, I am one of those guys that carry way too much gear, & I just happen to carry a spare.  These two fishermen were overjoyed.  The one that took the plug handed back a wad of $1.00 bills that amounted to $5.00.  I would bet they would have paid way more than that later on if we hadn't have came by when we did.   As we left, we noticed that the boat was setting a little low on the stern.  Now mind you that they were out from the launch / boat basin by over 2 miles in the Strait of Juan De Fuca & the tide was running out (seaward) quite fast.  They had an inboard/outboard with no kicker motor.

A simple drain plug reminder on my boat

Catch-All Box :   Where do you put fishing gear, etc. during the day when the action is on & yet keep the lures/leaders etc. out of the way.  On one of my boats, (LH photo) I made a raised combo captains seat base that under it I have my tackle box, spare downrigger balls under & against the front, & a place for a 5 quart plastic paint bucket all out of the way.  Above this base where the captains seat is attached is a 1" lip all the way around.  This lip makes a catch all for removed spoons, Smelly Jelly & about anything else that needs a quick temporary home.  At the end of the day, I then clean (or try to) this stuff up & put it away.

Shown in the RH photo is a little different twist but the same effect was the result.  On this chair the legs needed to be lengthened 5" so that the seat would swivel over the transom's splash well when used as a seat for operating the kicker motor for trolling.  This extra height provided enough room to have a galvanized sheet metal pan made that was then brazed onto & between the legs.  The plastic buckets are 5 quart paint buckets.

Under the seat catch all	Here is another adaptation, but to a movable swivel seat

Extra Fishing Area Floor Space:   If you happen to have a boat that has those "steps" at the transom that take up floor space,  you might investigate what is under & behind them.  Usually the reason as I understand it is that the USCG requires floatation in all boats under 20'.  Under this step & behind it under the splash well was foam flotation for the rear part of the boat.  However the space where this foam was inserted on this particular boat was not utilized to it's full extent.  The splash well is tapered to the rear for the water to run out.  The foam under this splash well appeared to be cut with a chain-saw very undersized which left way more space than could have been utilized.  I guess that is what you get in a modern day production line.

The floor space in the 18' North River shown here was crowded at the rear where most of action would take place in landing/netting large fish.  So removing this seemingly "step" provided much needed extra floor space.  By careful measuring & fitting the large section of foam that was under the step it was inserted under the splash well.  This foam was simply sawed with an old fashioned carpenters hand saw. 

Also there was about 2 1/2" of space left on one side, where an extra sheet foam was inserted into completely filling that compartment with the exception of a 1 1/2" channel on the bottom outside for water run-off into the bilge.  Now the left over foam was again fitted & inserted into the space above under the gunwale & the rod tray and again extra foam added as shown in the RH photo.  The side of the aluminum step was cut off & the front simply moved rearward.  In the end, no floatation was actually lost & the much needed extra floor space was improved immensely.

You will also notice the Ball Babies for securing downrigger balls tucked out of the way & placed in the corners on the rod trays.

Here is the original Starboard "step".	Shown here is the Port "step" removed & more floor space.

More Storage Space:   For most dedicated fisherpersons with small boats, the boat does not have enough storage space.  In the photo below on the left all the space under the seat that is on this pedestal type mounting is really wasted.  On the right is the same seat but with a revised storage arrangement.  The seat boxes are made from 1/8" aluminum & have a 2" stainless steel piano hinge on the front for the lid & are held in position by 2 snap on rubber straps that were designed to hold firearms into gun racks mounted on a Quads front ends at the handle bars.

There is just enough room under these seats to now store a Coleman Port-A-Potty, much to the delight of the ladies in the family.

Wasted space under this seat on a pedestal	Here the same boat & seat as on the left, but using a Lazy Susan type swivel & setting on top of a 16" X 20" welded aluminum storage box with a hinged lid

Cleaning Station 1 :   For my previous ocean boat, on the stern I have a hinged lid that has nylon on it for a bait cutting block.  Under this lid, I have cut out part of the fiberglas & made a hole that will accommodate a Rubber Maid plastic refrigerator juice container, but without the lid.  During the installation, around this container I wrapped it in Saran Wrap & then poured in spray foam insulation to make this my own insulated bait container.  The lid then covers this container & the lid also has a 3/4" wood protrusion hanging down that just fits inside the container making a better seal.

Now on top of all this I made up a 16" x 24" aluminum frame & mounted a 1/2" plywood with a sheet of 3/16" nylon cover.  It has a rear lip, holes for knives & blood to escape.  All this lays on top the bait container lid & the front corners have 1/2" aluminum rods welded in place that just fit into my rod holders that happen to be strategically placed.  Here is my cleaning station for bottomfish or salmon.

Of course the wash-down pump hose was close by.

Insulated built-in bait box, note rod holder bases also used for cleaning station attachment	Removable cleaning station installed, note the cooler mounted on the stern

Work /Cleaning Station 2 :   Here since this boat was only a 18' & after modifying the floor space as shown in a previous section, the idea of adding more usable area, so a 3/16" aluminum cover was made bent, & welded that fit over the transom & forward over the splash well.  The idea was to provide a cover for a 6 gallon 2 cycle trolling motor fuel tank, create a cleaning station, work area, seat & a platform where with a davit/pot puller positioned just forward of this location, a shrimp or crab pot could be pulled & the swung to the rear allowing a location to place the pot when removing the contents.

Shown in the RH photo, the yellow under the seat is a sheet of 3/16" polypropylene (could not complain about the color as it was free) that is to be used for the cleaning station.  First thought was to make the polypropylene removable, but then, why, so now it is screwed down?  On top is shown a Outer Banks 24" seat pad that is designed to fit on top of a 48/54 quart ice cooler.  It has Velcro strips for fasteners.

Here you will also note rod holder bases & other stuff including a fish bonker.

The LH photo below is taken from the stern & shows blood relief slots milled on the back lip before it was welded onto the base.  The stern mooring line passes thru a hole on the edge to the underneath that it shares with a 6 gallon fuel tank.

Shown here is the lip all the way around with rubber protective molding on top & blood slots in the back lip	Cleaning station viewed from the front with cushion in place

Combination Seat & Ice Cooler/Fish Box:   Space again being at a premium, the use of a 58 quart Coleman Xtreme ice cooler & a Outer Banks 30" seat pad on top was the choice.  To keep the cooler from sliding around, I had some 1/8" aluminum bent into 1 1/2"angle & I then cut wedges out in the corners as to be able to bend it to fit the bottom of the cooler. These corners were then Heliarc welded together.  This angle was then screwed to the floor where I wanted the cooler to stay.  Now it is secure from moving around, along with being able to be removed for cleaning or carrying any fish ashore.

To secure the seat pad, I made up 4  "J" hooks out of 1/8" X 3/4" aluminum & pop riveted them to the outside ends about 1/2 way up of the cooler.  Now this gives me a cushion tie down using bungee cords, as the cushion has loops on the ends, but the cushion is readily removable if when we need to get inside the cooler.

I left enough room behind it & the inside of the boat to to allow a floatation throw cushion (Coast Guard required) to just slide in & the landing net handle to fit over the cushion when under way.

Cushioned side seat with ice cooler underneath	Shown here are the J hooks & bungee cord

Garbage Container:   Again space always being  short on a small boat, & what do you do with lure packages, candy bar wrappers, etc. ?   In the LH photo below you will notice what is left of a 5 quart Pennzoil motor oil jug that is Velcroed to the bulkhead under the glove box.   It being out of the way, but close at hand is very convenient.  In this case the Velcro strips were attached using contact cement.

View of the Port side cockpit	The placard here is self explanatory

Trailer Step :   I was once told that necessity was the mother of invention.  Actually in my case PAIN was the mother of invention.   After a day of fishing with my 20' Tiderunner, I forgot to lower the radio antennas after the boat was out of the water & on the trailer, so climbing onto the trailer fender & then hopefully up into the boat, my foot slipped on the wet fender & my leg went under the chine & above the trailer fender.  It barked LOTS of skin very badly off my shin enough that there had to be a better way to board this boat while on the trailer.   Hence the picture below.

In the photo on the left, you will also see a roller attached to the upper end of this step.   Here I was afraid that when reloading, if the boat did not align properly that the side of the hull near the flared bow would gouge into the top of this step, so I utilized an old wringer washing machine roller to ward off the bow.  I can now step onto the base of the trailer fender & then up to this pad & on into this deep boat without needing a stepladder.

In the right hand photo below is basically the same situation only on a shallower boat.   Here a lot simpler step (indicated by the blue arrow) was fabricated using just a 2" X 2" angle iron was arc welded onto the side guide with brace straps also welded supporting the under outside edge.  This was then spray painted with a cold galvanizing paint for rust prevention.

Expanded metal step with roller, on rear cross-member of trailer frame	Angle iron step welded onto rear of the side of loading guide

Other Trailer Ideas:  The old adage out of sight -out of mind, well this certainly does not pertain here UNLESS it is right under your nose, but you don't see it.  The tongue jack may become hard to crank up after considerable usage.  You might want to remove the plastic cap on top of the shaft & grease the gears inside before it gets so rusted up that it may be non-salvageable.  Also raise the jack as high as it will go & grease the shaft with boat trailer axle grease.  These two simple things may well extend the trailer tongue jack's life & make your life a little easer later on.

The cap off the outside housing showing the bevel gears	The jack raised high to allow the inner shaft to be greased

Moving a Trailered Boat for Storage:  The usage of a trailer dolly can be a blessing for many boat owners.  It may not work well for boats over 3000# or if it stored on gravel unless you happen to be a gorilla.  But if you have a concrete garage or storage area, this sure beats trying to roll it on just the trailer jack wheel.  You can find them in many places, I got this one at Harbor Freight for about $50.

It also helps in getting the trailer close & lined up for the towing vehicle when attaching the trailer to the ball.

Trailer dolly in use

Side Window :   Have you ever wanted to talk to some other skipper who is alongside without leaving the helm of a curtained convertible topped boat.  This is especially useful in larger boats that have a convertible or even some hard tops.  Ventilation can even be a blessing at times.   Have your upholstery person cut the thin Plexiglas side in an big arc starting at the top front & ending at the top rear.  Now have him put in a zipper.  He can then attach a few snaps so this flap can be snapped inside to your top to keep it out of the way when opened.

Zippered opening for side curtain

Better Securing of Convertible Top:   If you need a new top made, have your upholstery person shorten the distance between the snaps.  And also have them place a Velcro strip on top inside of the windshield frame, then have a short flap of the top material extending down inside the top & Velcro attached to it.  This way you have a more waterproof top.  With the existing largely spaced snaps, & no inner Velcro flap, IF you ever get a wave over the bow & it comes up onto the windshield, much of the water will also go UNDER the wide spaced snaps even if the top is snapped down to the top of the windshield.  This can put lots of COLD water right in your lap.  BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.

Snaps placed 4" apart	Inner flap Velcroed to windshield inside top

Maintaining Convertible Top Snaps:   One thing that you may want to consider is every fall, especially if you have used the boat in a salt environment, unsnap the convertible top,  clean & lightly oil the female snaps.   I like Vaseline but even trailer bearing grease will work.   The marine supply store recommended a silicone type lubricant that will stay on longer & not be as messy.   I simply smear a little inside the female snap using a Q-tip.

If you don't, very possibly next year when you try to take it off,  you can tear the canvas/vinyl at the snap because the inner spring that holds the snap together has become corroded & does not want to let go.   Or the male snap will become seized & will break off of what it is attached to.  Sometimes even getting the two parts apart after they break, in order to repair things can be a task.

Also do not remove the convertible top & leave it off for any period of time in the winter if you may want to re-install it as the vinyl/thin plexiglas has a tendency to shrink when cold & you may have a problem re installing it AND get the snaps onto each other until you take it inside to warm it up.

While on the subject of convertible top snaps, a couple of things I noticed on the recent addition to my boat ownership is that on North River brand of aluminum boats what they have done to help preserve the snaps longevity when securing the female end to the aluminum window framework.  Here they use a thin (about .025") round plastic washer 1/2" in dia. UNDER the female snap.  This is apparently to help isolate the aluminum from corrosion to the stainless snap.  These snaps were Pop-Riveted to the aluminum using aluminum rivets, but they also filled the inside of this snap with silicone.  This appears to be there to seal over the head of the aluminum rivet if the boats are used in a salt water environment, again protecting the rivet from corroding.

Improvement to Trim Tabs :   Most trim tabs seem to not be large enough when factory installed on a deep Vee hull.  A problem can be that if your passengers move around or the engine lugs climbing out of a trough, the boat will change stability & want to tip onto one side or the other until the trim tabs are repositioned.  Then when the speed returns or the passenger moves again, the whole process starts over again.

A simple addition is to have your sheet-metal man fabricate a larger set of tabs.  It also works best for me anyway to add a 2" downward lip on both sides.  This lip tends to prevent sideslip.  Not being sure it would work, I had him fabricate a set out of galvanized sheet steel.  I tried this for a season & it worked so good I then had him make another set out of stainless steel.  These new larger tabs are just bolted onto the bottom of the existing tabs. 

Mine needed to be shifted inward to prevent a rooster-tail of water when running so they now  were not evenly spaced on the existing tabs.   Since the hinge could not be changed on the existing units because of the extended transom, it required an extra pivot point be made & attached to the stern for the longer inside end of the new tabs.

Trim tab additions for better stability, note the considerably larger tab now with 2" fins

Anchor line :   Never attach your anchor line directly with a spliced in end & a clevis to a bow eye, internal or external.  If for some reason things go from bad to worse, you MAY NOT want to be attached to your anchor.  This will of course depend on the size of boat & configuration of it.  OK but if you happen to have a below deck anchor line locker & you do not want the anchor line to be fed out of this locker whereby you loose the end before you are aware of it try this.  If it has to be tied off, try tying a smaller diameter line (3/16") about 20' or 30' long into the end & then tie off this smaller line to your inner cleat.  Now you can tell when the end of the main anchor line is nearing when the smaller rope appears.  This smaller line will break a lot quicker under stress than a 3/8 or 1/2" one & may save the boat from being pulled down.

Need a Heavier Anchor? :   Have you ever dropped anchor, but the current was running faster than you expected & the anchor was dragging?  You may not normally need a bigger anchor & in a small boat, and space is at a premium.  A simple solution is to also carry a 25# lead pyramid drift boat anchor.  When needed, simply snap it onto your regular anchor for better biting into possibly a rocky bottom. 

For better holding power, snap the drift boat anchor, or even a standard small boat mushroom anchor into the upper eye of the chain.  However if you are in this dire need of being secured if you are fishing, you probably should not be there, but setting on the shore around a campfire indulging in a cold one instead.

Here a 25# lead drift boat anchor is attached onto the standard medium Columbia River rocker style anchor for that occasional extra needed holding power.

Attaching Rod Holders to Railings:   I am assuming that you are a fisherperson otherwise you probably will not be looking at these articles.  So, under most conditions, rod holders are usually a necessity.   Some types of fishing require that you hang onto the rods, but read on.   Just one rod holder per fisherman is not really enough.  Salmon fishing with more than one person aboard may get hectic if the bite is on.   At times you do not have time to reel in & secure the rod out of the way.   Here you may have to move one rod out of the way so that the fish can be netted.   

DO NOT just lean it against the gunwale with the tip over the side.  This can very well be the basis for donating a favorite rod & reel to the fish gods (been there, done that).   While fishing off a friend's boat that had no rod holders it was a very heartbreaking moment seeing your favorite rod & reel disappear in the water & you can not do a thing while you are netting his fish.

I recommend having many rod holders strategically placed around the fishing area.  Or at least have the bases attached, & the new type removable holders can be moved as need be.

There are many different type of rod-holders on the market today.   The ones shown in the photo below are the popular Fish-On brand.  However if you have a boat that requires these be mounted onto a pipe type railing as shown below, look at the one on the left.  It is twisted so that the rod-holder would be pointing lower than normal.  This base being attached to the railing bay an adapter sold by the same company has a problem.  Both parts being plastic appear to be slippery enough & the slotted head screw can not be tightened enough to keep the unit from slipping if under pressure of a large fish or being snagged on the bottom.  The company supplies a plastic shim that appears to do little in improving the situation.  On this unit the nuts are so close to the rounded outside boss that you can not use a wrench to tighten them, only a large screwdriver to tighten the bolt heads.  And you can not get enough leverage on the screwdriver.  These adapters usually sell for about $7.00.

In the LH photo you will see the adapter mentioned, & a standard hardware U bolt that sells for under $2.00 each for attaching the base.  This U bolt is 1/4" dia. & is very close to fitting as it comes.  You do not need the flat bar that comes with it.  The outside width of the ends of the U are slightly wider that the holes in the base, but a few passes with a small rat-tailed file opens the plastic base up.  This U bolt can be tightened down by the nuts to the point that you can start to bend the base, but that is enough & I have not had any of these slip yet.

The threaded ends of these U bolts are usually longer than needed, but a hacksaw can quickly remedy that situation.  Be sure to file of any sharp edges however.  I suggest that you do use a flat washer under the nut & if you really wanted to secure it then use the nylon lock type aircraft nuts.

Original manufacturers rail adapter on the tipped LH unit.	Here on the right is a simple & cheaper fix.

Open Bow Cover :  My previous small boat was a 16' Hewescraft jet sled.   I have made a vinyl bow cover with the snaps close together & put 2 inflated kids swimming pool rings under it to support the vinyl from underneath to keep any water from coming over the open bow if the weather gets nasty & filling the front compartment.  One of these is pretty well inflated & the other only as much as needed to bring the height up. the recovery anchor float could be inserted in the center of these rings.

Bow cover for a sled with part folded back showing support under

Windshield Defroster :   There are permanently mounted heater/defrosters available, but if your boat is smaller & you do not have the room on your dash, consider going to a RV store & purchasing a 12 volt hair dryer.   These sell for less than $20.00, & usually come with a fold up handle for space saving & they work just great.  They plug into a standard cigarette lighter power source.

Portable 12 volt windshield defroster

Landing Net Storage When Fishing in a Small Boat:   You need the landing net's handle extended & ready when needed.  You will see nets being positioned in many locations in order to provide quick access to them.  But with a small boat just where do you put it?   I personally do not like to see a net positioned upright on the side of the boat.   For one, it makes me think that that boat is ready to net a fish & two it can very well be in the way of the many fishing duties during the course of the day.  Also many a net has been lost because it was stashed along side & outside of the windows & railing, or just laid on the top or the bow. 

For small boats with a higher, walk under top, the photo on the left may be appropriate.  Here the net net hoop & bag is simply inserted over the middle bow & pushed forward, being held in place by the pressure of the fabric itself & against the rear bow.  Here it may be best to simply wrap the net bag around the hoop before placing it in this position to keep from having the bag in your face.  When needed,  you can pull it rearward & be in use rather quickly while yet being out of the way in the meantime.

Another twist to this method is if the top smaller & is rather low as seen in the RH photo, lay it on top of the convertible top, but attach a 2" strip of Velcro to the top where the net bag will lay as shown in the RH photo.  Then place a 1" nylon strap that has the other side Velcro hooks that also is snapped to the lower Velcro & the top in the front.  Here the net bow is laid so the 1' Velcro strap can be pushed thru a loop in the net bag & then over it with the 2 Velcros securing the bag & possibly a part of the bow.   For the handle take another 1" nylon strap & put snaps so that it can be wrapped around the net's handle a couple of times & snapped back to a snap on the rear of the top.  Many of these tops have a rear curtain.  You can many times utilize these snaps.

Here the net is simply held in place by the tension of the top itself.	Net held on top by snaps & Velcro, note the PFDs attached to the back of the seats.

Warm Water Sink In Your Boat ?:   Here you can install another line from the overboard water indicator off the motor & run it into a small receptacle nearby that can be used as a hand warmer if fishing in cold weather, or as a sink using Lemon Joy soap to wash off any Smelly Jelly or scent  that you have applied to your lures.  There is a overflow outlet tube that puts the excess water over the stern.  This overflow is about 1" below the top & another used as a drain tube near the bottom which has a plug in it.  You may have to experiment with the diameter of the outlet hole before finding the right size so the sink does not overflow when the motor is at a higher speed.

When not using the water feature into it, it makes a good catch all for sinkers, lures etc. & a base for the leader spool.   It also serves as a cover to restrict easy access to the motor mount retainer bolts.

Warm water sink using the overboard water indicator as a supply

2nd Line When Launching/Recovering :   How many times have you launched, or tried to retrieve a boat onto the trailer & the wind or tide wanted to move the boat in a direction other than where you wanted it to go if you only had a bow line attached?   And the wind or current is always pulling the boat away from the dock.  The answer is to use 2 lines, the bow line & one on the stern.  When you tie a boat to the dock, you always secure it with  both a bow & a stern line anyway.  Use the same stern lines, (they now may have to be a tad bit longer than just for moorage however) in conjunction with the bow line to manipulate the boat forward or rearward along the dock.   Here one person can now walk the boat back down the dock by pulling on one (the stern line) while guiding the bow with the other line, even with the wind blowing.   It also really helps when reloading if you get the wind blowing or a side current.

Matter of fact, I keep 2 stern lines permanently attached, one to each stern mooring cleats along with the bow line also attached to it's cleat at all times.  The bow line is 30' & the stern lines are 20' long.   This way I can use either side line at the rear, depending which side I come into the dock to.

It is a good idea to get into the habit of putting out your fenders (bumpers to you landlubbers) before you put your boat in the water & before you approach a dock.  This saves scraped paint, dents & scratches.  Sure you may be a good skipper, but on a busy afternoon, other boaters may not be as concerned as you & be making waves you can not avoid, pushing you into the dock.  Plus not all docks are the same height above the water.

Easy maneuvering along the dock & no run away stern if windy (no problem this day however) when using both bow & stern lines

Docking Lights For a Small Boat :   Have you ever came in later than you had expected?  Sometimes it can be REAL BLACK out there.  And a hand held spotlight might be OK for coon hunting, but it sure is worthless if it is black, midnight, raining & cold when you are trying to hand hold it outside to get your location & yet keep the glare away from you (been there-done that).   Or you have to launch before daylight because of a minus tide at your normal launching hours where the ramp is short & shallow with a drop-off at the end of the concrete.  If you did not launch at 4AM, you would have had to wait until about 9AM & miss the 6AM morning bite.  Then just off the launch those do-do heads placed crab pots, so you need lights to prevent tangling the crab pot ropes in your prop just to get out into open water out in front of this launch.

I have now mounted 2 rod holder bases on the bow.  I have had 2 boats & one has hand rails.  On this one, the clamp on rod holders were attached to the rails.  The other a jetsled, has a squared off bow, perfect for attaching the rod holder bases.  Automotive driving lights from Wal-Mart were affixed to a donor rod holder spline unit off of a set of old rod holders & attached by a 3/8" bolt threaded into the plastic   A set of electrical wires was run forward under the deck to a cheap rubber 4 prong trailer connector.  This way these lights can ride in my storage location and can be utilized only when needed.

I get some funny looks at times because of these bases being in unusual locations at the bow, but they are there for a reason & that is to get me home easier & safely.

On the boats pictured below you will notice the Columbia River rocker anchors setting in a anchor nest designed for secure storage & yet readily available.  The wide roller is a benefit when retrieving the anchor.  These anchors have the chain attached to the BOTTOM of the anchor & the chain is affixed to the top of the anchor shaft only by a large tie tape.  This is so in case your anchor becomes fouled in something on the bottom, you can motor upstream, breaking the tie tape & then pull the anchor backwards out of what it may have become fouled into.

Rod holder bases used to mount removable docking lights	Another boat with a slightly different configuration

Oily Film at Fueling or Mooring :   This one is not my idea but very well worth passing on.  Those experienced yachters probably have known this since they first set foot on the boat, but sometimes us fisherpersons are a little slower (more important things on our minds). 

If you are in a boat basin where there is minimal tidal movement and there is an oily scum on the surface in your slip, or you happen to spill some fuel when refueling, here is the answer.   Get a Windex bottle or something similar with the pump sprayer & mix up a solution of water & Lemon Joy dishwashing soap.  Spray this on the water & it will help dissipate this oily film.   Here I found a spray pump unit that screwed right onto a 12 oz. Lemon Joy bottle.  I left about 1 1/4" of the Joy in the bottom & filled the rest with warm water to get it to mix readily.  This seems to do the job quite well.   It also works for washing your hands of fish slime & removing jelly-fish parts/slime & smell off your lures.

Here is a pump Joy sprayer in a convenient size for boaters

Drain Holes For an Open Bow :  Many original open bow drain holes that you may find on these river boats are smaller than I like to see.    If you happened to be in an area where you maybe really should not be (because of a sudden weather change) & you get lots of water over the bow into this area, it would take a while to drain out.  This may put you in jeopardy with all that weight up front & little steerage control until it drains out.   On the photo at the left below shows what it looks like originally & a close-up on the right.

The original small scupper drain hole	A close-up view of the original scupper drain hole.  If you look close you will see the pencil marks for the enlarged hole to be.

Below on the left is a close-up of the same hole as above but with the water escape hole, (scupper) enlarged to nearly double the size.  On the right is a 4" stainless steel clamshell attached using Pop-Rivets covering this larger hole.  The clamshell does a multitude of things,  (1) it allows any water that gets in the open bow a faster rate of dispersing,   (2) it helps keep some unwanted water from coming in the now larger hole,  (3) it could hold back some items from going overboard, &  (4) it now covers an unsightly hole. 

Close-up view of the modified scupper hole	Clamshell covering the larger scupper hole

Backing Up to Align the Trailer Hitch :  I have tried numerous inventions to cut down on the getting out, looking, backing, getting out, looking, etc.  But at a Sportsman's Show a couple of years ago I bought a set of  Hitchin' Rods sold by www.qwrks.com.  The reasonable price of $20.00 a set has sure saved much time & numerous get out & looks.  These are a set of 2 hollow fiberglas rods 48"long.  They are finished in a bright greenish yellow & are about the size of the front part of a pool que.  There is a magnet attached to the base.  In use you just place one on the top of the trailer hitch ball & the other on to the top of the trailer hitch coupler.  Back up aligning the 2 rods in your mirror & if the coupler is high enough to clear the ball, when the trailer coupler knocks the rod off the ball, & you are there.

One word of advise, do not leave a lot of height gap between the hitch & the ball, otherwise since the rod has a magnetic base, the hitch will just push it forward & over-ride, trapping the rod between the two & the rod result will be the rod will be shattered near the base.

Here the rods are aligned & the coupler is almost ready to knock off the front one

Backing the Trailer Into a Dark Building :  The situation I have is that my driveway is not square with my RV bay in my barn.  The driveway goes all the way alongside my long shop/ garage & then divides to go past one side of the barn to the corral behind & the other into my RV bay on that same side of the barn.  The posts on the bay are 9' 6" apart so this leaves me with about 7" to clear on each side.  Getting the pickup backed into the bay STRAIGHT all the way back is the chore.   No problem getting the wheels into the opening, however getting the trailer STRAIGHT & parallel once it is in the slot is something different.

Now to locate the initial position of the trailer as compared to this crooked driveway, & laid out lines into the driveway extended from the posts & painted white stripes on the gravel.  I now measured from the center of these stripes & calculated the distance from the center of my pickup to the center  of the steering wheel & painted another stripe, but this time in blue.  Now extended out across the lawn & into the wife's rhododendron bushes is a wooden blue 2"X 2" in line with the blue mark on the gravel.  Behind this reference post in her rhododendrons is the limb extending off one of her other bushes that I can now align these 2 to see to back straighter into the bay.

I then came up with using reflective tape in the rear of the bay just inside of the posts.  Now to see the fenders is another thing.  I just happen to have a set of Hitchin' Rods mentioned above.  They have a magnet on the bottom, & since my trailer fenders are plastic, I simply sat a 1/2" X 4" X 6" price of steel on top of the drivers side fender & plunked the Hitchin' Rod on it at the very outside edge of the fender.  This gives me something to locate the outside of the fender with.

Now in the mirror, I can see both the rod & the reflective tape in the rear of the bay.  And by using the painted rocks in the driveway & the alignment post in the flowers, this helps lower the blood pressure considerably.

Then I place a wood block on the floor which will be behind the trailer tire to stop me from going in too far & bumping something expensive, (like the motor).

Here are the alignment rocks painted white extending the sides of the barn posts	Shown here is the Hitchin' Rod on the fender & the reflective tape in the rear of the bay

Transporting Unattached Motors :  How many times have you seen a outboard motor just rattling around in the back of a pickup truck?  Many shifting levers & props have gotten broken in this manner, not to say paint being scratched off or dents or dings in the cowlings or internal fuel tank on smaller motors.   These will usually be if the owner is using a car-topper or just transporting a smaller motor not attached to the transom of a boat. 

Use an old wheelbarrow inner tube.  Only inflate it to about 3/4 full as you want to make a cushiony nest for the motor, not have it touch the pickup bed & at the same time not have it bounce out of the tube on rough roads.  You might also want to be sure that the inflating stem is pointing down as to not scratch the motor's paint.  If you are taking a larger motor to a marine mechanic for repairs, move up to a larger old car inner tube.

A cushiony nest for transporting outboard motors, this one being a 1950ish version of a 2 hp Elgin where the original pull rope was replaced by a modified lawnmower starter

Spare Trailer Parts Not Normally Thought About :  Here is something that the average boater may never see, but we were waiting at a launch to take out, where the boat ahead of us on the ramp was being recovered by only the skipper/ driver whom we found out was fishing alone.  We offered to help.   Good thing, as he apparently had NOT gotten this larger boat, (about a 26'er) straight on the trailer as it should have been & when the boat was 3/4 on, then the winch cable pulled the boat more straight, but in the process the ridge on the underside of the hull now being properly aligned, popped one of the front bunk rollers off the self aligning roller unit shaft.  I immediately stopped him just in time, otherwise this bare roller arm, now just a piece of steel, would have gouged a hole in the bow about waterline. 

What had happened was the trailer was an EZ-Loader that used large washers on each side of the rollers & a large hog ring to secure the whole unit to the shaft.   In the recovery, the ridge going down the side of the underwater hull had gotten slightly out of position & when finally pulled straight, had put enough pressure into the wrong side of the roller & broke the hog ring retainer.  We recovered the washers from 18" of water but without new hog rings, had no way to retain the roller.  These shafts do not have the hog ring retainer holes go all the way thru the shaft, so no bolt or nail could be utilized in retaining the roller.

This skipper was inventive in that he found a large pair of Vise Grips in his tool box & used them clamped onto the end of the shaft to retain the roller to the shaft instead of the hog rings.  I immediately mentally added to my spare parts list extra large washers & hog rings.

Another item to consider is a spare Bearing Buddy.  If for some reason someone steps on one while getting into your boat & gets it offset, you may well loose it later down the road.  It is a rather helpless feeling to be gone fishing for a week, only to find that one Bearing Buddy is miss the first night.   At camp, I looked in all my toolboxes & around everywhere but could not find a thing, until I tried cutting off part of a Pepsi can, using the bottom & duct-taping it onto the spindle.  Not perfect & I would remove it every night when I pulled the boat out to let any saltwater drain out.  Then re-tape it the next morning.   Duct tape, NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.    When I got home a thorough cleaning & re-greasing of the spindle bearings & a replacement Buddy was one of the first things I purchased.

Test Tank :   Many of you who need to run a smaller outboard motor off the boat use a old 55 gallon barrel, if not, you should consider doing it.  This works great except you need something on the front of the barrel to secure the motor to.    Also you can not rev it up very fast if the whole top end is cut out as you will blow a lot of water out the back top.   In the photo below I did not cut the whole top out of this barrel, but only just over 1/2 & then bent part of the remaining top down to divert prop water back into the barrel.  On the front I took a 4" X 4" & band-sawed it to the shape of the barrel.  Then lag bolted it to the barrel from the inside.

Now, even when testing up to a 20hp motor size, the motor can be revved up to close to top speed for a short period of time & not loose a any water as it is just diverted back into the barrel.

You can see just a portion of an old galvanized garbage can lid on the ground behind the tank that is used to cover this tank when not in use.  It just fits inside the barrel, so there is a lip welded onto the front of this lid that rests on the front of the barrel to keep it from diving into the water.  This test tank sets there year around.

Sure beats trying to get a motor into a 30 gallon plastic garbage can.

55 gallon test tank with improvements.

OK, Here is One Not to Do :   Relating to the above photo & my old 55 gallon barrel test tank.  Of course if you even use it occasionally with a 2 stroke engine there becomes an oily scum on & in the water & if you let it set for a while it seems to get worse.  Also mine just happens to be below a bird house on the end of the barn, so I get nest building grass floating occasionally.

Being somewhat inventive, I decided that if I squirt some Lemon Joy dishwashing soap on the water that maybe the floating contamination may disappear or at least dissolve.  MY WORDS OF CAUTION, IF YOU DO, GO LIGHTLY ON THIS SOAP.    I was not sure that I had gotten enough on the first squirt, so I gave it another.  I got so much in that when with the motor in gear, there were so many bubbles that the water pump would not even function.  I guess that the water pump was not designed to pump soapy air bubbles.  One thing about it however, I got a very clean motor when I took it out.

Not Enough Control With Trolling Motor :   Since most large "Get There" outboard or inboard motors do not troll down slow enough, you will see usage of the Happy Troller plate, or actual drift socks, even drags made of 5 gallon buckets to slow the boats down to a trolling speed.  Others oblivious to fishing/trolling requirements just troll fast with the main motor hoping to chase down a fish. 

One suggestion is that many times wind & or tidal movement contributes to a steerage problem, that if you are using a smaller trolling motor, it may at times be hard to control the boat UNLESS you lift the large motor/outdrive up out of the water.  Your trolling motor can not overcome the big rudder you still have in the water right next to the smaller prop that you are trying to do the steering with.

Another thing to do if you happen to have a boat with a center windshield that folds out of the way for bow access, is to open this window allowing the wind to flow thru the boat.  This helps somewhat by eliminating the sail effect of the convertible top.

Oxidized Aluminum :   Those of you who own an aluminum non-painted boat if you use it in salt water really need to put a coating of Shark Hide on the new aluminum sides & bottom before it goes in the water.  However if you happened to purchase one used that did not have this process done on it before too long it wills start to corrode.  I have found a product that may help.  It is not the cure, but does stop most of the corrosion. 

I use very fine 0000 steel fool & clean up any discoloring or starting of pitting or oxidation.  Then I use a product made by CRC  & is called Industrial 3-36 Multi-Purpose Lubricant & Corrosion Inhibitor.  Just spray this on the aluminum sides & let it dry.  Do this a couple of times & it really helps protect the bare aluminum.

Before using this product I was getting pitting after 2 days in saltwater.  I was staying at a friends lot & had no way of washing the salt water deposits off .  So I just used a wet rag & tried to do the best I could, but to no avail, as the next day it was as bad as before.  When I got home I washed the hull toughly, did the steel wool routine & sprayed this product on about 3 hours apart.  After 3 months I now needed to clean again & do more steel wool in places that I did not get well before.  But there is no corrosion & little discoloration.

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