Posts by Don Paul

Welcome mate, good to have ya.

Cheers, Don

Quote from Hookinfish

It sure is coming together. Can't wait to see pictures of it with some fresh fish on deck.

Aye, and there will be no shore line in the background.;) and with two week delay.

I still need to get my 18 gal composite bow V shaped fuel tank so I can stay away from the Avalon fuel dock.

Cheers, Don

Quote from ddonnell

Don- do you have some specs on the parachute you used? I was thinking about a deployable chute off a ten foot bungee with a lobster sized float off the back of my lifeguard can to house the chute. Do you think it is any better than a float chain with two inflatable floats off the stern of a hard float? Starting to think about a trip for big pelagics sometime in the near future..

My chute was a 20'' Jim-Buoy stuffed in one of the LF cans. I would not us a chute as it can really stress the gear on a hard run.
Today I would do a Tommy Botha type board with a 1 atmosphere float of a 100 bullet proof bungie.
The less floats the better when your getting in and out of the chase boat.
Cheers, Don

Finished fab of the other trim tab/scupper assembly yesterday before the rain, today I'll work inside.
The silver bits are parts of the floor I will be integrating to support the radar arch and console unit.

Cheers, Don

Quote from phil herranen

i highly recommend having the flares on the float . its a very big ocean and you get away from the boat fast .
phil

You got that right.... I was '' misplaced for a hr at Cortez Bank 20 years ago in big seas and current, outside kelp stringers and south of the can. The boat had relocated to the 9 to check conditions. I was happy to know I had a mirror and Solas parachute flare along with orange smoke and dye in case a boat came near.

Prayers worked that day

Cheers, Don

You can also put lead shot in a sandwich bag and electrical tape in into a hotdog like shape that will fit into the hole. Just get it in along the center line of the float as it lies on the garage floor or yard when you pour the mixed foam into the hole.

The floats Terry Maas and I made were part of a 3 float system with two of the floats having 2''pvc champers
containing line packs or small parachutes. One of the float held our flares and orange smoke in case we were lost while diving 100 mile offshore.

Cheers. Don

Thank god I found my hand placement training aid.

Cheers, Don

Quote from Andrewk

Its mainly our beach diving float for when I swim out from the beach, I dont have a reel rigged on any of my guns so its got a 50 ft floatline right to the gun handle. I doubt it will be ever going very deep or getting tombstoned since Im only hunting fish in 25-40 feet of water most of the time.

edit - dan, thanks for that link. You got the DIY stuff down pretty damn good sir

In that case 5lb A+B foam will be fine, and if it smacks you in the back of the head when a big Hoo runs, it wont
hurt as much as the denser mix's. Just follow Dan's tutorial thread.

Cheers, Don

Soon to be in the ''Big green room''.;)

Cheers, Don

Re fab'ed the Stainless trim hinge to work with the elephant trunk scupper port housing. The transom is 2'' thick so a have room for long screws. I'll seal them with 3M 5200 after X-Mass. I was concerned the trim ram would interfere with the scupper trunk but it just bends past it. I don't want to block the water out flow when I sitting in the deep green room.:@

Cheers, Don

The canned spray foam will not work well, too low a density. You can get the proper stuff at a boat building supplier.
What fish are you hunting? How deep the float goes determines the foam density.

Cheers, Don

I don't go there myself.

Cheers, Don

It depends on the the throw wt of the arrow and the power on it. I have guns with little recoil and others that are a small car accident when they fire.
I'll post some pic this weekend....hangin all that stuff on the noble tree.;)

Cheers, Don

Cool vid dude.

Cheers, Don

Welcome mate, First thing to know is let go of the rock before you get too deep.;)

Cheers, Don

Removed the starboard scupper to trial fit a trim tab, it is do-able, but I have some metal fab to do on the transom plate portion of the hinge. Getting rained out now and I am soaked. Time to get the fire roaring and watch the Patriots beat the 49'ers.;)

Cheers, Don

I may be missing something, but where exactly is the bend area?

Yes the stock is thin, beautiful and sleek, but I would start by reducing power on the 1/4'' shaft.
You may find the gun holds it's unloaded shape without issue, if more cross section is needed for additional stiffness, fit and blend in more wood.

I have seen Tahitians shoot many large fish behind the eye with 60'' bowing Hibiscus wood guns. If your killing fish with it just reduce the power a little. If it is a safety issue, shoot it with 1 strong band.

Cheers, Don

I would just shift divers around if you need to control pitch side to side roll, and save the $ for fuel.

Cheers, Don

Quote from Dan

Do the trim plates help a RIB? I don't have them on my boat.

Trim tabs help in two situations, first getting on the plane while running into the wind and waves they help keep the bow down, and secondly when there is a side wind they can keep a boat from tipping into the wind.

To answer your question if your boat is running with the bow flying up in the air when running into the wind and drive trimmed in then tabs would help, but I wouldn't expect tabs to perform miracles. They are great for helping control roll, port to starboard when the load on deck is uneven.

My boat is only 4.5 meter so the trim tabs give the moving hull more length. The 50hp Merc I have does not have electric trim of the motor so I need a way to make running into a head sea less of a difficult ride.

Do you have a Hydro fin bolted to your lower unit?

Cheers, Don

Fitted the outboard water pressure gauge, these are good for preventing your motor from overheating.
If a impeller is going bad, or a plastic bag or kelp is blocking your intake, you will see it .

Received the Minn Kota trim tab plates today, very impressed with the build quality and hydrodynamics.
They are just 9x9'' but boast more lift.

Cheers, Don