brkygetr

Chrysler Lake, First week of June, 1982. Somewhere off the #560 hwy. near Shining Tree.

This is when I was 'hooked' on fishing, the bush and everything that goes along with it.

It is hard to explain this story without pictures but all I can say is that my grandfather taught me more in a week in the bush, then I will probably learn from any single event in my life. A bold statement I know but true to my heart.

Catching lakers on lead-core, with half and half hammered Williams. My grandfather showed me how to cut the head from the minnow, remove the treble from the lure, insert/thread on head, then replace on the spoon. I distintincly remember asking him 'why not use the whole minnow, instaed of removing the hook every time?' He simply said just look at the tail when the fish comes up and i will tell you.

At some point that day we ended up with a fish in the boat.

Its tail was split.

He explained to me that lakers when trolling are prone to slapping the bait with the tail to stun it before striking. If you have the whole minnow on there it may break free and the fish may take the stunned minnow instead of the williams that is motoring away. Hense just use the head and nothing comes free.

Later on that trip while cutting my minnow head off on the gunnel I accidently dropped his hand made knife (of MANY years I am guessing) into the drink.

I would do anything to have that moment back.

The man was and is truley my hero. He taught me that nature is our solace for those who wish to concede to her bounties.

Rest in peace Bruce McLeod. May the fish and moose gods shine on you.

home-hardware rocks!!!

Well done... if your passionate about water and fishing you will LOVE it out here. You will have one of the greatest fresh water fisheries in Ontario to play on... ENJOY it!!!! Like Ben said it may just be life changing.

ah green beer day!!!!!...God bless the Irish!!!!!

gotta sleep got trout necks to snap in the morn....

leave ya with this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nOF4cq6qNc

ok lets pour some gas on this baby and add a few skids!!!!

all right....

I'm not big on exotic species, I fish for what is available and only those I will eat. (ie: I don't target bass, pike, musky ect.)....

but I need an 8 lb brookie and a 35+ inch walter....

And I WILL get them...just a matter of time, lots and lots of time.

Excellent, just excellent!!!!!!

Congrats, good on ya and glad everything went well.

I'm thinkin by the end of March it should be time to go kill some fish!!!!

Let me know when you are allowed to leave home...LOL

How'd you find yourself moving to N/W Ontario?

ah, the jig is up...I looked at the map, found the most water with the least roads, and went!!!!

Best move I have ever made, except no bows to catch, but thats equalled out by all the water and the bush.

Ah...the mighty Bruce... that cedar tree has produced a LOT of fish...LOL. Every time I see pics of back home makes me miss bouncin the bottom!!!

Well done.

Also my favourite river.

warm weather is fine but I still gots to ice me some more brookies, lakers, walters and a few dirty snakes! Seeing as we still have over 3 ft of ice on some lakes I think I will be doin some tanning on the ice a few times yet!!!!!!

I'd just run it as it is. So what if it has a few dents......my boat has lots of dents.

 

Sinker

I agree with that. I have seen lots of boats out there that make it out and back with some considerable dents in them, not to mention they leak!

I will though get it back as close as possible.

Considering your initial investment (what you paid for the boat) plus your labor and materials, you'll be hard pressed to even get your money back... why do you think the insurance company wrote it off???

This was a major concern of mine at the beginning, but...

What I paid for this boat is A LOT less then I spend on smokes a year I can tell you that. And as far as I know it is almost always cheaper for an insurance company to write something off, never quite understood that, just know thats how it works...and for all I know buddy could have had full replacement coverage and when it went for a ride he simply gets a new boat????

And yes I will be keeping a photo log of the work done to the boat and will gladly show it to any prospective buyers....I'm not about to try to screw anyone on this once its done. I am one of the honest people... to some degree

Nice brookie!!!!! always worth it...

Thank your lucky stars that it was a brilliantly welded Crestliner boat. Had it been a riveted tub it would have been smashed to pieces spraying shrapnel in all directions, possibly hurting innocent bystanders.

Perhaps if you hit it hard enough with a hammer you can bash the tiller out of it and make it into a side console, as God originally intended.

Jim

It might even look like this:

NO WAY...tiller ALL the way.. :thumbsup_anim, steering wheels are for cars and trucks.

You stated this is an insurance write-off...if so, is it even legal to sell such a thing again

..yeah for sure, was bought from the insurance company at an auction and then sold to me.

It's also might amaze you on how much of that may just go back into shape with some hammer/mallet work. I'd start at that mangled keel strip and try to get it close to straight..then try working the hull sheets. Get something heavy and hard up against the hull and work it from the inside with a big rubber or better yet wood mallet. You may get it close enough.. add some reinforce strips above the hull sheet and then alumimum filler and paint. That side panel is gonna be a ----- though... but if you hit the right spot first, you never know!

Basically that is the plan. The dude I bought it from has a hydraulic jack (basically a bottle jack with a convex adjustable base) that is made for taking out dents in boats and such. Just a matter of bracing the cylindar against something (probably a chain from end to end). That and a bit of mallet work and I should have it. i think the keel is gonna get pressed out, like you said, and then gonna get someone to professionally weld an entire strip down the keel. It did after all go for a ride down ashphalt!

This doesn't have to turn out perfect just needs to handle and not drift when under load. The interior is no prob. I will have access to a Yamaha (actually gonna test the motor ) that I am gonna give it a test run with BEFORE the floor is complete and sealed up just incase I need to adjust or tinker a little more.

And then she goes on the auction block, so to speak.

Bump.

hey folks....

Yes it is a solid welded hull, no rivets.

Yes I am going to sell it.

There are no 'apperent' leaks, ie: visually inspected it and can not find a broken weld or rip. All the dings except for one are not on a seem.

Goona try to get pics today but unfortunaetly it is raining right now but hopefully it clears up this afternnon.

I know of a guy in hagarsville that repairs aluminum boat damage if you want his # just pm me

Thats a wee far away Sonny... thanks anyway. I plan on doing this myself and have access to most tools I will need.

yup...I need a plane. Simple as that.

I just bought a insurance right off. 2008 17.5 ft Crestliner Fishhawk tiller. Got a rediculously good deal on it, simply couldn't pass it up.

Boat fell off a trailer and went for a ride down the road. Has a few good dings in the front hull, one each side, below the water line, one on the rear starboard side(above the water line, but not on the decals) and some decent scratches and one ding on the bottom.

Floor and interior was removed but all the framework is still there.

Measured everything from all points possible and it is not twisted.

My plan is to replace the floor, knock the dings out, touch it up and flip it.

Has anyone under-taken such a project, anything I should look out for?????

I will post pics tommorrow when the sun is shinin'....

Shining Tree....

thank you

The night is still young

 

labomba

I'm getin nothin