The Adventures of Thumper

I made a bracket to mount the TriLens radar reflector in a temporary location on top of the motor.
Later when the console bimni/solar panel is installed I may move it, but I'll sea trial the boat with it here.

Luke I am your father...

Cheers, Don

Quote from tufual

Quick question , was it welded , i can't see any seams , which is also a complement

No it is a old steering unit bracket I reformed and drilled to do the job,then hit with zink chromate and epoxie. Thumper is a junkyard dog...I mean rabbit.

The TriLens is also salvage that cost me 25 bucks instead of $314.00:thumbsup2: I have been looking for one for 2 months but it was worth the wait on a low buck build.

Cheers, Don

Quote from tufual

Nice work Don , but i will say when i make a ''Temporary '' bracket for something , it will probably be there for a few years

That is the sigh of a good part....that is not over engineered.;)

Cheers, Don

Quote from Bamz

Another find at Minney's? I need to get back there, Ernie has teak lumber from time to time....

I would never have had boats with out Minney's, I'm not a sailor, but I have seen new 30k race sails sell for $350.00. He has been my friend for 30 years.

Cheers, Don

Off the crutches Sun and hung the top of the radar arch over the stern....lots to do but I'm moving real slow.

Cheers, Don

Quote from Oscar

Now that is what is known as a Man's garage

Glad to hear you are off the crutches - must be getting better.

We have it divided into thirds; boat 1/3, work out1/3 and ....her 1/3.;) I'm lookin to invade the other 1/3s before our grandchild gets a foot hold.:)

Cheers, Don

Quote from Dan

With some modification that radar arch can hold spearguns.

That part is ready to go on after the clevis and base section gets installed to the floor (not shown).;)
There is also a self righting system that I am designing now, but that is going to fitted to the arch before off shore trips. It's like a large air bag that re-rights the hull if inverted. Normally 4 guys stand on one tube and lean back holding a righting line, but I won't have a crew.

Cheers, Don

Quote from LunkerBuster

Very cool product. Is it immersion activated or do you have to yank a cord?

If it is water activated how does it trigger? I was just thinking it would be the last thing you want to deal with in bad weather is a huge inflated airbag acting like a sail

I will be using the guts from a Avon life boat, hand pull, water activator valve, Co2 tank, over pressure valves.
My console is close to water tight, so if I could get the boat righted within a few minutes I would still have electrical power, the radome would not survive but I would be OK with that. My boat Total hull weight with 18gal fuel and weight belts is under 800lbs
including the hard bottom ( cold winter project). so my bag will be much smaller the the ones shown.

Cheers, Don AluGuard self Righting Test - YouTube

I know what you local kooks are thinking....lets pop Don's boat popper while he's 500' up current from the boat.:nono: I haven't had any anger management class's in years.;):D I'll take you down to China Town.:D

Cheers, Don

Quote from Dan

With some modification that radar arch can hold spearguns.

They will go on this;
Cheers, Don

Quote from Oscar

Great idea Don.

Curious - with your large extensive enviable collection of spearguns, collectible and current, are the Euro style guns shown in your Thule mount what you currently use in So Cal?

Most of collectable guns I have all retired from taking fish with the passing of their former owners.

The wood gun in the rack is called Tiputa, I built her in 1984 from hondo,white birch,white oak and titanium.
I use her to shoot the first white seabass of the season and sometimes a yellowtail before going back on the wall.

The reworked airbalete will just be used for a camera gun once my boat is done although I taken bonita,small blue fin and yellow fin tuna with her.

90% of the fish I've taken in Cali and Baja is with my gun called Double Trouble.

Cheers, Don

Had a bad spell again with my back, took 3 weeks off.
Trimmed and fitted the inner hard bottom and found a use for a large sheet of 1/4 G-10 epoxy I will be bending
slightly with a wood buck form and a wee bit of heat, (135c) the boat now has a shallow V hull. The 3/4 marine ply with Rhino liner will finish the floor, but a have a FRV vest to fund first.

Cheers, Don