3-26-2005
I thought about a new boat but to be honest I love the ride of this little 15-foot deep V hull. She is the ideal little boat for running around the Great South Bay and shooting video from. When the sea breeze kicks in she is dry and her narrow beam cuts through the chop like a knife. What makes Captain Als and I unique is that we produce our videos with just the two of us. This little boat is very agile and I can actually run the boat and shoot at the same time.3-26-2005
Well I finally had a nice day to get some work done on the camera boat. For over 15 years I have used this boat as the chase boat in our video productions. The boat is a 1981 Answer and was built down in Hialeah Fl. I am not sure if the company is still in business, I did a google search and I didnt find much info about the company.3-26-2005
Today I started stripping the boat down and getting it ready for the complete overhaul. The old 60 hp was taken off as well as the center console. I will be re-rigging this boat from scratch. The next step will be to bring the boat down to Burrnetts Marine in Bay Shore where Gene and his experienced crew will help me select the right engine for the boat.5-1-2005
I must admit I was intimidated at first about using Awlgrip but after talking with different people over the last couple of months I decided to tackle the project. One of the big factors was having Marine Mate of Lindenhurst around the block from me. Marine Mate has been in business for over 25 years and that's quite an accomplishment considering the competition with the large marine stores. The personal attention and real on water boating experience is the key to their success. Charlie helped me understand the Awlgrip system and the products needed for my application.5/09/2005
After priming I sand the primer smooth and then apply the first coat of the top coat. I use small mouthwash cups when mixing you do not want to mix to large of a batch because you only have about 20 minutes to work with the mix. This mix is 2 parts top coat to 1 part Converter when mixed you can then add up to 33% reducer to the final volume. The reducer is the Awl Grip thinner.4-7-2006
OK, so I'm a year behind schedule and I have no real good excuse, but now that Al and I will start shooting our next DVD soon this project in a priority.
To save space under the console I replaced my old battery with a Odyssey PC-1200. This little power house is at least half the size of my old battery with twice the performance. These military grade batteries are both a deep cycle and cranking. The drycell technology allows mounting in almost any position. For more information check out the link below or visit Marine Mate in Lindenhurst 631-226-6206
http://www.eastcoastbatteries.com6-23-2006
The unique seat and cooler combination is fabricated in aluminium and the back rest will slide fore and aft. A standard 48 quart marine cooler fits perfectly in the aluminium frame and has a high density foam cushion. Smitty's Marine of Florida is the manufacture and can ship anywhere.
http://www.smittysmarine.netAnother great feature of the seat and cooler combo is that the cooler removes easily to make cleaning the deck a snap. I mounted the fire extinguisher on to the seat for easy access.
http://www.smittysmarine.netBelieve it or not this is the original center console. I covered all the old gauge holes (7) with Star Board and fastened to the existing console with locking bolts and lock washers. To keep the console as uncluttered as possible Gene installed a smart-craft multi-gauge and fuel gauge and that's it. The all stainless 13" wheel gives the boat a great look and the knob makes maneuvering very easy.
Notice under the console is the ODYSSEY® Drycell battery PC1200. I accidentally left my electronics on for three days and the battery was down to 11.1 volts. When I turned the key the engine cranked up and started without any hesitation.
http://www.eastcoastbatteries.com/