Our first trip out

[RussGW270]

Well, we made it back in one piece! We learned a lot about the boat and have quite a bit of fun to talk about heh, but overall, this was a smashing success.

First off, we did not catch any snapper, but we caught a lot of Porgies (we think that is what they are lol)...and my son had a blast catching them. We hooked a couple other big fish that just flat out broke the rigs, and showed me what I need to get for the next trip

The boat ran without any real issue. I need to get rid of the Steadycast and buy myself a Simrad HS60, I think that is what it is. The calibration of the Garmin is a pain in the butt and not worth the hassle.

We went out about...going to call it 55miles till I can verify on my maps heh. We did not stop and fish on the way in because we could not tell if we had enough gas till we were 3/4 back and then it was like, “eh...we are good...et’s go back in” heh

Will upload pics but my friend has most on his phone, so will upload those when he sends them.

R

 

[luckydude]

I need to get rid of the Steadycast and buy myself a Simrad HS60, I think that is what it is. The calibration of the Garmin is a pain in the butt and not worth the hassle.

Congrats on your trip. And I can agree on the steadycast, that's what was sold to me and I've tried 4 times to calibrate it and failed each time.
I'm taking it back to the dealer and telling him for $15K of electronics and install, you can bloody well make it all work. Kind of bogus that they didn't do that in the first place.

 

[wahoo33417]

Russ: Congratulations!!!

Must feel great to have all your efforts come together in a seaworthy boat and to have what sounds like a great Father-Son day!

Rob

 

[RussGW270]

Thanks, yes...it was good to see that it was working as intended. There are still issues, but I know what and how to tackle those now.

My “hit list” is:
1 - Throttle cables.

I did.not mess with them before this weekend as I did not want to break anything else before we were able to go out lol. I am going to replace them now.

I know...you all disagree. My mindset is, “Replace it and move on to the next issue.” So, they are getting replaced.

2 - The trim tabs were acting up. I let Fausto drive most of the way to the rig because he likes to go 40+ mph lol and with the throttle off sync and the trim tabs being so querky, best to let him see if he saw the same thing and we had a few “uuuhhh, nice lean?” Moments lol. He has a Marlin and he saw the same thing I saw, the tabs were ...maybe sluggish or sticking? I am going to check those out and see if it is just fluid or possibly the previous owner laid the boat on the lift with them extended one too many times. The indicators were jumping from 1-3 a lot so, they need to be evaluated.

3 - the stbd motor trim needs to be replaced. It barley lifted the last time. May pull it off and send it off to have it rebuilt. Not a huge issue.

4 - I am going to get that Simrad HS-60. I am not a fan of my Steadycast and I can remove the gps and Steadycast and put the HS-60 right where the gps is located.

5 - I plan to measure a spot on my dash and print and laminate a coastal map holder so I can keep a wax pen there and mark my positions every so often. I am good with a heading and bearing but need a solid backup once in a while.

6 - Lastly...for now lol...need to figure my gear out better. Now the boat is good, need to focus on the right gear for the job. I was breaking leaders off and looking around for my deep drop box and it was at home lol.

I was debating removing one side gunnel rod holder and putting in a custom fab tackle draw setup. They would not be deep, but a 2-4” deep drawer setup would allow me to keep essential tropping or drop items there and all I keepnow is a gaff and a boat pole.

Anyway, good fun. Have not made it to the shop to figure out the full path but, here are more pics.

Russ

 

[seasick]

Check the fluid level on the trim unit and bleed if it is low. If you are very luck, that's all it is. If you are somewhat lucky it has a slow leak through one or more of the ram seals. Worst case is a bad motor or pump unit.

Looks like you had a good time.

 

[RussGW270]

Check the fluid level on the trim unit and bleed if it is low. If you are very luck, that's all it is. If you are somewhat lucky it has a slow leak through one or more of the ram seals. Worst case is a bad motor or pump unit.

Looks like you had a good time.

Exactly my next thing to look at. I want to have it rebuilt no matter what, but I am like you are saying.. would rather resolve the real issue, rather than hope a rebuild fixes it.

What I know is the one engine that had the most issues, was not replace. Somehow, one of the last owners had to replace the port engine. That is a 2003... the other is a 2004. The 2003 has zero issues and the trim motor looks brand new. The stbd one, is rusted and has been a thorn in my side, till now lol...

So, will be checking all that and see what can be fixed, but I can tell it needs a little more eventually

Made it out to the shop. All in all, I think we made about 125 miles round trip. We would have stopped at Boatsman's inside the 9nm and caught/tried to catch (lol) snapper, but we were not sure if the fuel tanks were reading correct....turns out we had plenty.. just needed to learn to switch indicators and wait a bit.. also, need to make sure we know which one is which lol.....cannot take for granted with this boat.... the wiring is swapped around / was swapped around in some places.

Russ

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Congrats on your trip. those fish make some really good fish tacos especially blackened with homemade cilantro chimichurra sauce.

 

[RussGW270]

Eh, not these fish, Smokey. These were actually Bermuda Chubs and considered to be the raccoons of fishing heh...

 

[SkunkBoat]

I was gonna say those are chubbs....shark chum...

 

[RussGW270]

I was gonna say those are chubbs....shark chum...

Yea, he just had too much fun catching them so.. heh... we let him

Luckily....the other guy took almost all of them. We used them as fertilizer

R