Todd in NY

Lol, I put those triples there after I gave up on finding a rocket launcher. The front rod holder was going to get angled slightly forward to hold the net or 2. The middle holder was going to hold a rod that isn't being used, and the rear holder was going to hold a rod for a planer board (inline). This was also planned way before I knew I would have a rocket launcher. I'll still use the triples as planned before, but the front holder will be used for rod storage and the nets will go in the rocket launcher. The single rod holders are for dipsy rods or planer boards. Each rigger has three rod holders too, for a total of 21 rod holders. No, I won't be adding any more rod holders

The exterior looks much different now than it did when I bought it last fall. It was stripped down to nothing before I bought it. Now it looks like a fishing boat. Before After

Good idea to consider, thanks! Never crossed my mind.

Thanks! I might do some painting today, especially the right side seat box. It's bare wood, and it looks pretty rough. If I paint it, and the rest of the left seat box, I should get a few more years out of them. With the addition of that rocket launcher I now have 21 rod holders, so I won't be adding any more. I've spent all of my time working on the boat and trailer, so now I have to get my rods and tackle boxes ready and setup. I'm planning our maiden voyage this Friday for some walleye.

Thanks! It's rock solid.

Just cut out the last storage door under the left side seat box. There's a lot of storage space under both seat boxes, and now I can actually use all of it.

I got called in to work just before lunch yesterday, so I didn't get the rocket launcher mounted until last night after dark. I needed 5.5" long bolts, but all I could find were 6" zinc bolts, not stainless like I wanted. The 6" bolts didn't have enough threads on them so I had to break out my tap & die set and add nearly 3/4" of threads to all five bolts. I attached the two 2x4's to the back of the hardtop with five 1/4" zinc bolts, using stainless washers and nuts. Then used six #10 stainless screws to attach the rocket launcher to the top of the 2x4's. The wood has two coats of exterior paint.

Thanks for the report!

Agreed! The trailer is aluminum I-beam, but the connections we're corroded real bad. I have the new tail lights grounded to the frame and I replaced ALL connectors with new heat shrink connectors. Everything works as it should now, and the new lights and connectors will last a very long time.

Great ideas for the rocket launcher! The biggest deciding factor was my height. At 5'8" it's already out of reach because of how high the hardtop is.

Thanks! It feels great to have the major projects finished. Now I'm just working on comfort items and more tackle storage. My son is finished with college exams this Tuesday, so we'll fish before the weekend. Looking forward to it for sure!

Thanks! It feels great to have the major projects finished. Now I'm just working on comfort items and more tackle storage. My son is finished with college exams this Tuesday, so we'll fish before the weekend. Looking forward to it for sure!

I can imagine. I'll be launching mine sometime this week, but I'll be chasing walleye instead of Kings.

My wife did some painting on the boat today, some of the left seat box and the 2x6 under the rear of the hardtop. I got a rocket launcher from a good friend on Friday, and I was going to mount it on my hard top, but my hardtop isn't flat. It has a raised rib down the middle, from front to back, and the top angles slightly downward. Mounting the rocket launcher on the roof would require me to bend the rocket launcher, which I don't want to do. So I screwed two 2x4's together to make a 4x4, which my wife also painted today. That 4x4 will be bolted to the back of the hardtop 2x6, and the rocket launcher will get mounted on that 4x4. This pic shows the gaps between the roof and rocket launcher More pics to follow tomorrow (Monday) after I install the rocket launcher.

Congrats on a successful maiden voyage!

Finally got the trailer bearings out yesterday. I cleaned them up the best I could, they were caked with dark grease. But the bearings, seals, and races all looked good so I packed the bearings with new grease and re-installed them. I used new cotter pins but that was all that needed to be replaced. It took most of the afternoon because 3 different neighbors had to stop and talk after they drove by and saw the wheels off the trailer. I live in the country, so it's rare to have neighbors drop in for a visit, let alone 3 neighbors in the same afternoon! Now all the major work is done, so I'll be focusing on making more storage in the boat. Don't freak out on me... there's a jack stand under the trailer

We won't see Kings up here until the end of June. It's a whole different lake up here, considering how small the lake is.

I know the feeling...