Wolakrab

Got my first-ever-PM from Mod 9 at the other place last night. A warning about a reply I made to one of the bilge rats there. Never has happened before, and I've said worse...and had worse said about me. Maybe I just need to hang out here more often...that is if Wiley will let a bilge rat run up the dock line...

That site is moderated by IB now. The mods are all a bunch of yes-men. Ironic...it has become just like the forum that spawned THT in the first place.

We can just talk bad about that other place...so tired of those spam threads started by builders that the Mods keep allowing to go on...they all become one big circle-jerk. Need a breath of fresh air...so here I am!

Looks like life really sux right now.....

I had to put my ol' girl--a black lab mix--down about a year and a half ago. I miss her every day.

There's some talk about Garmin buying Raymarine. Hopefully that would improve customer service. Garmin's is good....not the greatest from my experience, but good.

What SCAngler said. I think many will be surprised at how our economy is going to affect the larger shows....Annapolis, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami..... They may not be cancelled, but my guess is you are going to see a bunch of absent manufacturers. That's a huge outlay of money....tough to justify if you aren't selling boats.

Whatever's in the cooler on the boat while watching the spread 40 miles offshore....

Congratz to you and the bride, Trey.

That'll look good right beside the compass......

Anyone who owns an older boat can relate to my story. Where do you start when you begin an upfit that you know will take years? One that is governed by the availability of funds....or mostly the lack of, as is my particular case. I decided to start with the things I see and use every day. This is the story of how the time I have spent over the last 1-1/2 years...mostly consisting of weekends whenever I could make the 4 hour trip to the docks. As it turned out, it was about one weekend a month, give or take a few days. The additions: Garmin 4208 Chartplotter Garmin GMR18 Radar XM Radio Infinity Outrigger Jr. Speakers The upgrades: Morse Twin S Controls New Richie Compass Sony CDX-30M Stereo Standard Horizon VHF The overhead electronics box was originally a mess....it had the old stereo and VHF mounted inside, and accessibility along with visibility was a problem. I had always had the electronics flush-mounted on the overhead boxes on my old boats, so I decided to go that route. Here's a pic of the old box: I pulled the old box down, junked all the old electronics, and did a complete paint/seal job on it. I removed the old door, and used a piece of white starboard to flush-mount the new stereo, XM receiver, and VHF. Note the high-end Roady XM radio.....I knew when I pulled it out of my old truck it would come in useful. The old electronics at the helm were recessed in a compartment above the wheel. It was far from ideal, as it limited visibility(again). Here is a pic of the old arrangement...the electronics were mounted behind the smoked plexiglass panel. I had the idea to make an aluminum panel to flush-mount the electronics on, but wasn't sure how I'd go about it. Then I had an epiphany....I took the smoked cover panel cover to a local sheet metal shop I do business with and had them take a scrap of 1/4" aluminum plate, cut and bend it using the panel as a template. It worked like a charm....all it took was some minor grinding and cutting to fit it perfectly. I had it finished with a black powdercoating, and mounted the new Garmin 4208 and stereo remote, along with the old Garmin 2006 that I will use as a dedicated sounder with the Garmin GSD21. Here's the finished product: When I started the overhead box, I wondered how hard it would be to pull new wires through the tower legs....based on my previous experiences, I was not looking forward to it. Again, the light bulb went off. On my Carolina Classic and Scout, the manufacturers used a 2" OD aluminum pipe mounted from the overhead box to the top of the helm console to use as a wireway. Why couldn't I do that here? So, I took some measurements, made some sketches, and got in touch with a buddy of a buddy who did some welding on the side. I managed to scrounge up the pipe and some plates to use as flanges, and he welded it up for me. It looked pretty raw unfinished, so back to the same shop I used on the helm electronics plate to have it powdercoated white. Here's what it looks like: I wasn't sure how to keep the areas it was mounted from cracking if the tower flexed, so I improvised. I used blocks of starboard where I drilled oversized holes for the bolts to act as a sort of strain relief apparatus at the attachment points on the helm and overhead box. Mounting the radar dome was another challenge, as I didn't want to use a typical tower mount.....I just couldn't see spending a couple of hundred dollars on one. Again, sketches and measurements......another consult with the weekend welder....viola. It's a very simple arrangement of a triangular-shaped piece of 1/4" aluminum plate with small pieces of angle welded on as mounting feet. I powdercoated this white as well. You can't really see it that well in this pic, but you get the idea: All the materials and powdercoating for the wireway, radar mounting plate, and helm electronics plate were less than $100. Proof that you don't have to be made of money to do a job well and make sure the end result looks professional. This is really just the beginning....I have many other upgrades and refit work left to be done. At this rate, I'll probably have the boat in the shape I've always wanted the day before I croak. At least I'll die with the knowledge that someone else will enjoy my workmanship......

I have had Direct TV for about 2 years. The only problem I have had with reception is during heavy rain or snow. It's kind of pricey....the basic package is pretty cheap, but the channel selection sucks. I have the Choice package with 3 receivers--one is a DVR--and my bill pushes 80 bucks a month. I am probably going to go cable when my contract expires....they have some killer deals on bundles and will lock the price in for 2 years. Dish TV has some better deals, but I would still save money by bundling with my cable provider.

Black eye and a couple of cuts? He should feel lucky. I am the youngest of six....with 2 older brothers. Here's my list of injuries and scars that were the result of my brothers' actions: -6 stitches above my right eye....my oldest brother took my roller skate and smacked me upside the head with it. -2 puncture wounds from darts thrown at me by my brothers...one in the leg, one in the forehead. -Puncture wound in the right foot from where my next-to-oldest brother shot me with an arrow. One of those deals where he pointed the arrow at my feet and yelled "dance". -Major road rash from when I flew over the handlebars of my bike after my oldest brother threw a broom into the front wheel. He saw that on TV once, and just had to see if it really worked. -2nd degree burn on the back of my neck after my oldest brother dropped a smoke bomb down the back of my shirt. I was lucky I didn't keep my shirt-tail tucked in. -Broken big toe on my right foot where the oldest(again)dropped a bowling ball on it. Again, something he saw on TV. I have forgotten most of what they did....my sisters seem to always remind me of stuff every time I see them.

The first motor boat I ran was a 14' aluminum fishing boat with a 3.9 HP Mercury, and then a 1968 Galaxy I/O with a 110 HP 4-cylinder Mercruiser engine. Those were the family's. The first boat I bought was a 17' 1991 Astro bass boat.

Any updates?