The re-incarnation of the F/V eyeFISH...

began yesterday at ALUMAWELD central.

Like most worthy projects, this one will be built from the ground up.



Box girders, a second cross member, and the transom plate were added today....







5/13/13...
Per Moravec's request..... she's got sides!




5/16/13...
And today they added the coaming gunwale...


And the extended foredeck with fishbox and beaucoup storage...


Future home for the quiver of spare rods...


And the electronics hub....



5/20/13...
Okey dokey, here's a few more...

With the hull structurally complete, attention has turned to the functional and utilitarian details within. No shortage of storage in this beast... and that's not even counting all the underseat storage for each passenger's personal items.



Each side will be outfitted with full length tri-level shelves.... level one being fully enclosed top-loading rod lockers, and levels two and three expansive open trays for easy access of everyday goods and gear. No excuses for stepping on precious baits, boys! A cavernous fish box will house insulated kill bag(s) to keep the day's catch fresh on ice. An adjacent deep compartment will store larger bulky items.



Generous self draining guttered cutouts for the rod-locker door on the port side gunwale...



matches the one on the starboard side...



And finally.... a close up of the secure main electronics cabinet taking shape next to the tri-level shelving.



Boggles the mind that this much aluminum is actually gonna float!

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5/23/13...
OK... more pics rolling in from the factory. The AW boys have been on a relentless tear... the first sheet of aluminum was cut on May 8, and only 15 days later, it looks something like this....



The full coaming gunnel is wide enough to serve dinner from. Top-loading rod lockers are done.... 11 ft doors cover 13 ft lockers. I see my 45 gallon fuel tank installed under a lattice of crossbeams for my DP floor. Custom transom cabinets are coming together, including a centrally located hot water sink.... AKA the "kitchen" as my past crew will attest. Note the inside railing which will be the backbone of the fully adjustable slider-mounted custom accessories I plan to install along the entire length and back of the boat. No drill holes allowed! I just realized all the potential hanging space this creates for towels, spare lures/leaders taken out of rotation, or whatever else.



Now ain't that SOME dance floor?



And another shot of the massive sealed storage space under the 5.5 ft long elevated step-deck. Room for the days catch, a bank of batteries, accessory washdown, and stowage of miscellaneous bulky items. All living under the equivalent of a full-sized bed for mid-day siestas. Nice closeup of the rail system, too.



5/28/13...
Alumaweld Central rolled the beast outta the cave today, and WOW!

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Guide transom/shelf/sink is complete. Latches are installed on the rod-lockers.



That diamond plate trim is sure SHINY!



Here you get a better idea on the full length of the rod lockers. I've been told these are the longest ones ever built for an AW sled. Got twin drain holes for my transom shelf ( last boat only had one on the port side) and twin exit ports for dual automatic bilge pumps for when I eventually take that unanticipated megawave over the bow.



And finally a full frontal view.... well not quite.... gotta cover up that extra 3 feet for modesty, ya know.



Ain't that DP bowguard pretty? Now if i can just figure out how to hook that funny looking Ornamental trailer up to my truck. Maybe the Subaru?

....


5/30/13
Outside paint applied today.

prolly should have em add on a couple more feet before they get too much further... you know you're going to want it.

Seriously, cool to see your boat come together step by step, must be exciting. What are the specs?

Can't wait to see it when it's done!

Fish on...

Todd

Todd, I can't wait to fish it , when its done

Steve

Nice

This is gonna be a fun pictorial I would just bet. A day by day adventure for us watchers.

fp

Lookin' good! But if I were you I would spring for some sides LOL!!!! I'm excited to follow this, and definitely can't wait to see a few pics of it in action

That doesnt seem wide enough to fit 6 rods off the back??

Congrats, glad/interesting that you're staying in the Alumaweld club! Mine's from 1981 and still going strong.

Best,

You know, I got this new conceptual spread in mind for fishing 9 rods tangle free outta that beast.... 6 dredgers and 3 suspended/surface. The tough part will be getting folks to rotate rod positions because I know none of my regulars will want to fish anywhere but the bottom.

Do you guys run copper/lead core out there?

Super Vee Pro Elite (SVPE) 25 ft, 10 degree V. Basically the same sled I had in width and side height, only with a 3 foot erection in the bow.... OK, maybe a "few" extra bells and whistles. Those will be revealed as she comes together.

nice Doc! what will you power her with? Brand new 250 E-tec with power steering?

Nice, gonna be sweet

Interesting to see a boat come together. Lots of us own one but have never ordered one as specific or been able to view a complete build on one.

This will be interesting to watch.

As for the nine rods out back I hear that your "enthusiasm" while the fish are biting is legendary!


Fishy

I thought you fished near the transom???? Actually, you're much taller than 3 feet.

Very cool, Doc!

I love the pic's.......on my custom made boat, pic's were not as often as I would've liked.

Those box beams on either side are massive........wow....

Built like a tank....

The way I move thru rough water, I can't settle for anything less... just ask f4b's kidneys.

what kidneys?

So we won't expect anything for Christmas this year...
Should be interesting watching the build...

Oh Yeah!

Doc you should just run the seats down the middle, get a crew for Willipa with their 2 rod endorsements, and see if you can't get in the Guiness book of world records to see if you can get all rods hook up with fish on!!!

Glad to see the eyeFish2 coming together!!!

Winterun

Ive got a good solution for ya Doc. Get some custom made seats in those rod positions embroidered with "Boat Whore" on the seat cover, and reserve those spots for the you know who's

ADMIN EDIT: "World's Best Boat Ho" works just fine.

Boat whore #23678, checking in. Will fish suspended or surface for boat rides... and like it.

Has EZ boy started on my seat with the built in cooler in the arm rest yet ???

Now that I'll be 3 ft longer, might need some lessons on how to handle that big boy.

Anybody got this guy's number?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivlMG5wdiOA

Holy cow! I thought Das Boot was going to do a header into that bulkhead.

That's some skookum driving skills.

BTW your new vessel is gonna be fun to watch come together. Keep the pics coming.

Doc:

Go to Gold Beach, Rogue River.......take the "long run", 104 miles......those guys are amazing, how they can control those boats, 4 engines. 360 degree spins, amazing how those big boats with all the people on board, can do what they do.

When I was down there, Leo was running the "small boat" out of Grants Pass.
Twin 460s....64 gallons/sec.

Dibs! You inspired me to email Doc to get some dates on the book.

Oh, and get the hell out of my seat, F4B and FishNG1....You're cool Art...you can stay in your seat.

I have the kids on Doc's birthday, so I will miss out on that most excellent of days on the water! Not to worry Doc, as I'll still bring you a bottle hootch when I show up.

64 gallons a second? Is that possible?

Berkley 12J pump
5000 gpm @ 3000 rpm = 83 gps

Leo must have been referring (conservatively) to one of his pumps.

hes talking about the jet pump, not the fuel pump...

Yeah.
Fuel pump would be like a Carter, Airtex or Bosch etc. pumping much less than 64 gps.

Aha. Impressive.

Don't worry Mr Whore there will be spare boats for the likes of you around Casa Docs for any decent dates and tides. Soon you will be packing the kids along too.

I dont think it needs sayin, but......Doc, that's awesome! Lovin the pics!

Most awesome.
Looking forward to the birth.
Not berth (Paker).

Thanks for the suggestion, Andrew. That was a GREAT idea!

Now whaddaya think?



Tell me this thing wouldn't make one helluva jacuzzi. Anybody wanna call Heff at the mansion to see if he could spare a few bunnies and a case of champagne?

Big looking boat for a 18 footer. Nice!

fp

That picture with the dude on the spool gun puts it all in perspective!

Totally bitter boat.

It'll be a hit at Lake Sylvia.

love

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/forum...html#Post827963

2-250's

Sweet! You buyin'?

He only needs to buy half. It's a common law state.

Nice new ride in the works. Keep us all posted with new pics. This will be fun. Good luck,


SZ

I think it will totally SUCK!



You could always prove it to me with a fishing trip.


How's that for Boat Ho'in?


Nice rig, I am sure it will be sweet!


Fishy

Hey Doc
are you going to wait until these guys are in your office to talk to them about eye protection. Seems they would be seeing spots by the end of the day.

Nice ride Doc.....would you ever dare an albacore run with it?

Showed the pics to the Mrs. She glanced at it and said, "nice, is that a 25?"
She's got a pretty good eye

Speaking of eyes, I was going to ask if you are trading the boat for some eye cutting for the Alumaguys, as it appears eye protection isn't a priority...

I'm pretty sure that's a WABO certified hand shield. All the cool kids are doing it. It looks like he's tacking it together.

Where are the Folbe's? Looks like you might need a dozen.

fp

didn't you say a fishing trip came with every eye surgery

Will the finished boat need a 6 wheel trailer?????? I'm guessing, it will be a close call........

Big boat, big motor, big trailer............all ready for "big water"...

Good the welder is protecting his eyes!

Nice boat and thanks for the pictures!

Latest update from ALUMAWELD Central:

Here's what the sides look like from an exterior perspective:


Today they added the coaming gunwale...


And the extended foredeck with fishbox and beaucoup storage...


Future home for the quiver of spare rods...


And the electronics hub....

Looks pretty awesome so far!

Fish on...

Todd

Lookin' good.

fp

Even naked, she's a big 'ol BEAUT!

Looking good. Cant wait to see the finished product.

Lookin real good. Good luck,

SZ

Lookin good Doc!

Should be a great boat to fish out of!

Does one still need a CCA card to join the fun?

Keith

Cool sled Doc. Thanks for sharing the build pics with us all.

your going to need stilts to look over the side!

I think Todd's working on my custom rvr-stltr order as we speak.

I believe the oar length is 8' with Folbe oar locks and side by side rowers Viking style. The landing up front is for Francis to serenade the rowers.

Row row row your boat

How much fuel?

No, not asking how much Pendleton was involved in the decision making process

Okey dokey, here's a few more...

With the hull structurally complete, attention has turned to the functional and utilitarian details within. No shortage of storage in this beast... and that's not even counting all the underseat storage for each passenger's personal items.



Each side will be outfitted with full length tri-level shelves.... level one being fully enclosed top-loading rod lockers, and levels two and three expansive open trays for easy access of everyday goods and gear. No excuses for stepping on precious baits, boys! A cavernous fish box will house insulated kill bag(s) to keep the day's catch fresh on ice. An adjacent deep compartment will store larger bulky items.



Generous self draining guttered cutouts for the rod-locker door on the port side gunwale...



matches the one on the starboard side...



And finally.... a close up of the secure main electronics cabinet taking shape next to the tri-level shelving.



Boggles the mind that this much aluminum is actually gonna float!

That's gonna be one sweet machine Doc. Congrats! You're living the dream.

Alcoa is crying molten tears because the finest bauxite mines are now depleted!

For the love of chrome mate!.. For the love of Krome! She's lookin better every time you give us a voyeuristic look into her world!

Finally a boat with storage space. I absolutely love the idea of lockable rod storage and electronics locker. I wish I had one for my boat.

Great setup, this will truly be a sweet ride!


Fishy

Looking pretty sweet Doc!!! But where's the Chili, Hard Boiled Egg, Sausage machine going to be??? Is there gonna be room left for that???
Winterun

She still hold secrets, the boat can't blow 'er load all at once on the interwebs! Give it time... We will see the garlic press, gas-mass spectrometer, and espresso machine in its own lock box I'm sure!

It'll be sitting right in the middle of the yet-to-be constructed transom cabinets

Quote from the divorce thread 1/14/2011


To Funny. Anybody good at math. Good to see a man hold true to his faith.
Bet he was grinning like a mule eatin thistles when he sighned that last check knowen what the next one would be for.

OK... more pics rolling in from the factory. The AW boys have been on a relentless tear... the first sheet of aluminum was cut on May 8, and only 15 days later, it looks something like this....



The full coaming gunnel is wide enough to serve dinner from. Top-loading rod lockers are done.... 11 ft doors cover 13 ft lockers. I see my 45 gallon fuel tank installed under a lattice of crossbeams for my DP floor. Custom transom cabinets are coming together, including a centrally located hot water sink.... AKA the "kitchen" as my past crew will attest. Note the inside railing which will be the backbone of the fully adjustable slider-mounted custom accessories I plan to install along the entire length and back of the boat. No drill holes allowed! I just realized all the potential hanging space this creates for towels, spare lures/leaders taken out of rotation, or whatever else.



Now ain't that SOME dance floor?



And another shot of the massive sealed storage space under the 5.5 ft long elevated step-deck. Room for the days catch, a bank of batteries, accessory washdown, and stowage of miscellaneous bulky items. All living under the equivalent of a full-sized bed for mid-day siestas. Nice closeup of the rail system, too.

It looks good now.

It will look even better once you spill a little blood in it.

Blows my mind how quickly a boat that size can be constructed when one has all the tools in place and the space to get er' done.

Gonna be a beauty from the looks of it!

She's a hottie.Can't wait to see it out on the bay. Good luck,




SZ

So friggin awesome. That rail system is wicked slick too. Clean, doesn't begin to describe it! How many rods do you plan to stash in each rod locker? And would you plan to stow, essentially fully rigged?(minus lead, dipsy's, bling ect...)

The rod holder bracket is the only way to go.

" Note the inside railing which will be the backbone of the fully adjustable slider-mounted custom accessories I plan to install along the entire length and back of the boat. No drill holes allowed! I just realized all the potential hanging space this creates for towels, spare lures/leaders taken out of rotation, or whatever else."

You can't believe all the stuff you can hang there. I even use "fish on", rod holder to allow me to "cleat" one way or the other.

I think my 17' looks big.......not any more!!!!!

Well thought out!!!!!!!!!!

Nope.... too pretty to allow any of that. Vessel will be strictly catch and release, single hook, no bait for her first year in service.

No spillage of blood.... or wine... or grape juice.... or egg juice... or herring brine. Come on... with all that susceptible surface area, we gotta be fair here. That would just be WAY too much work for f4b to clean up after all you slobs.

Although I might make an exception for beer.... or Whistle Pig.

Doc, I have been part of several new boat break in's.

It's not pretty unless you enjoy blood, and slime wiped over every square inch of the vessel.

It must be done! To not do so is criminal.

By then i should be pretty good at fishing 9 rods

Bite ... bite ...

What about paint? What's it going to look like?

Guess if we catch a nice URB buck I'll have to do a reverse Parker and throw it INTO the fish box

Ok you talked me into it ... but only if its clipped.

Dam I almost forgot.... AHFMD.

Now what about that other untouched bait?

Savin' the best for last.

Darn

Oh goody you found another bottle. If they have another we might need to kill it just to see it die this weekend

I'm glad you got married again Doc.

Well get your shades on, boys (OK... girls too)....




Alumaweld Central rolled the beast outta the cave today, and WOW!

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Guide transom/shelf/sink is complete. Latches are installed on the rod-lockers.



That diamond plate trim is sure SHINY!



Here you get a better idea on the full length of the rod lockers. I've been told these are the longest ones ever built for an AW sled. Got twin drain holes for my transom shelf ( last boat only had one on the port side) and twin exit ports for dual automatic bilge pumps for when I eventually take that unanticipated megawave over the bow.



And finally a full frontal view.... well not quite.... gotta cover up that extra 3 feet for modesty, ya know.



Ain't that DP bowguard pretty? Now if i can just figure out how to hook that funny looking Ornamental-sized trailer up to my truck. Maybe the Subaru?

That's going to be o one hell of a ride Doc.

Cant wait to see the finished product.

Pretty cool seeing it start to finish. Should have done that with my Willie drifter when I had it built.Good luck,

SZ

Diamond plate, on the bow and all the flat areas looks oh so good.

Have a question on gas tank and battery wiring......will see you tomorrow.....2 p.m.

They must really like you sir!
Glad nobody tried to test the bilge system! ;-) Hahahaha! I had to say it!

Hey Doc, some guys in Sno-King PSA did a massive polish job on their aluminum (Raider?) and then did a clear coat -- I believe it was Sharkhide?

Their boat is absolutely STUNNINGLY gorgeous in shiny aluminum. They said it was a ton of prep work, but on a virgin hull like yours?

Not sure if you plan to paint it up, but since you mentioned the blingy diamond plate trim, I thought I'd suggest it. LMK if you want to reach out to the guys who run that boat.

B

Might consider some extra bling for the bow guard, but it's probably gotta stop there. High maintenance polishing and re-polishing ain't really my gig.

Most of the DP surfaces living within the outside corner gunnel extrusion is gonna be painted in Zolatone... everything but the floor. Horizontal Zolatone surfaces that will invariably get stepped on (coaming gunnel, step deck) will have exposed diamonds.... vertical surfaces straight Zolatone including the diamonds.

The outside DP bowguard is a prime candidate for some shiny bling from the get-go, and something I could concede to polishing on a regular basis. What the hell... just one more thing to add to f4b's honey-do list.

Nice lines. Very nice.

Re: polishing/maintenance. I think that's the reason they like the Sharkhide stuff... I'm not selling the stuff, but a year after they put it on their boat, it was mirror-like beautiful at the Halibut opener this year. I don't believe they do anything but wash it.

I'll ask at least.

Very nice, Doc... and well-deserved.

Looking forward to the inevitable pixels and prose of your adventures....

HUGE!

Looks kinda like a fuselage for a jet plane. Wonder if they could mount wings on it.

I see they still are making the tabs for the transducer that way. Poor design, mine broke off when I bumped something. I had a different one welded to the transom on both the top and bottom edges of the tab.

Best

I agree.....River Wild puts them on either side, but they are welded to, well hell, just as easy to go take a picture......

Guess I'm gonna have to go on a diet.

Seriously, not a boat engineer, so I'm not sure why the tank is placed so far back. That's where it lived on my last boat as well.

Couple ways to compensate for it.

1) I'm buying the lightest 4-stroke made... 505# compared to 525# for my old 2 stroke E-Tec.

2) Less 42 pounds for the jack plate that won't be there any longer

3) Less the weight of 2 batteries in the stern, which will be further offset by the weight of most likely 3 batteries (about 60# apiece) stowed in the forward-most compartment.

4) Further offset by the weight of an est 65# bow-mounted Minn Kota RipTide electric trolling motor.

I think that adds up to about 407# (20 + 42 + 100 + 180 + 65) of effective weight transfer to the front of the boat.

As you said, I also have the extra 3 ft of aluminum sticking out the front, plus the added weight of a longer stepdeck and the DP bowguard.

And finally, there's the ultimate weapon in weight distribution.....

Six fully-adjustable sliding water-tight seat-boxes that can be positioned ANYWHERE along the length on the main deck. Unlike my old fixed seat-boxes that were anchored to the floor, I should be able to transfer my passenger load fore/aft with ease.

That ought to be a snap to have them weld a couple of side pieces back to the transom to increase the structural rigidity of the std brackets. Or just remove them and weld on a U-shaped bracket like you have pictured DW.

Thanks for the tip.

Sweet ride. She sure is pretty...

I got your weight distrabution rite here.

Better for the fuel tank being near the transom. Fill a zip lock with water and drop it from 6" then pick it back up and drop it from 4'. Lots less stress on tank being near the back of the boat. Ask F4B about riding up front on a bumpy day.

spinal fusion

Pink would look great for the DP up front.

Is that more whinin' about the whole uppy downy thing again?

HMMMM..... LMWS always liked it just fine..... seems to me she was always screaming "Faster faster!"



Jeebus, before you know it, you old cockers are all gonna be slidin' down to the back, gettin' all comfy with me and the fuel tank.

Here's the Koffler repair of my '81 AW sled. By the way the Sac river is running DIRTY!

I-Pilot.

Get the 80 or 101 with the longest shaft you can for that beast. I have the 55 and love it but wish I had the 80 . You can run it with your kicker and it will work great as an auto pilot and to fine tune your trolling speed with it. If your fighting a big fish in the back of the boat and want to get the kicker prop out of the water you will want all the power you can get up front to mve the boat as fast as possible. in heavy water you will want it as deep as possible too.

http://mk2.factoryoutletstore.com/cat/34...CFep7Qgod0AgAsA

This place has them on sale for one more day!!!

And finally, there's the ultimate weapon in weight distribution.....

Thought for sure this was going in the direction of a load of hatchery kings in the fishbox up front . . .

"You boat ho's don't like the bow bouncing up and down then fill it up with fish . . ." {;>)

"You boat ho's don't like the bow bouncing up and down then fill it up with fish . . . DAMMIT ! ! ! !"

Bet you won't hear quite as much bitchin when those guys are riding in that sleek machine.
Course you could add an onboard headset options for the operator with "whine cancelling" headsets!



Fishy

Outside paint applied today.

SOLD!

On sale, free shipping, and $80 rebate to finance that bottle of Whistle Pig.

Thanks for the link big braddah!

Paint looks good. It's gettin wrapped I assume?

Does the iPilot come with the key fob lookin control? Have you run bow mounts in the past? I know of an older GS that could use one if they are that beneficial. But I'm not sure how much thrust a 20' boat needs... Seems like 80 would be overkill for it... But perhaps not, she's hides her obesity well.

That beast will defiantly use every bit of that 80# of thrust. I hope you went with the 101.

Over kill, on a electric motor, is NOT a bad thing......I have a 12 volt, MinnKota, that I thought would be enough.......and it was great for "positioning" my boat when "boondoggin" but just didn't have the power when I wanted to pull plugs.

Actual, over kill on "power motors", is not a bad thing, either. I love the ability "to get up and go, then be able to back off" and still run on top. I had 2 boats where the motors were running close to wide open, just to stay on top.

Anyone looking for a MinnKota 50/55, that has not been used since 2005????????

Hey Doc...
Had a snort of that Whistle Pig down in Austin a few weeks back...good stuff!

K2

Did you install a two way system so you can talk to the guys in the bow?

Did Alumaweld stop building your boat?

Boat build porn requested!

-S

Haven't seen any new pics since last Thursday. Probably in the process of interior paint.

Boats gotta be gettin' close to shipping out to 3RM for final rigging.

This is the Friday night peek...

Interior paint!



I see the pickup for my twin washdown pumps...



Paint, carpet, and pop-locks for the rod lockers.

Black barge of hatchery fish death!

Looks great except for the transducer tabs,

Best,

Dig'n those rod lockers!

Is it fall yet? I know, plenty of fishing in the meantime, but you must be having a hard time getting to sleep dreaming of getting the beast in the harbor.

Steve

Hey Doc,

Wondering about your washdown pump pickup location. I'm getting ready to add a through-hull for a washdown pump on my salt boat (21' Trophy) and considering the location for it.

I like the transom as it's got nothing on the bottom to interfere with trailering or beaching but, unless I'm mistaken, it won't pick up while running. In my scenario, seems running is when it would get a lot of use. Crew washing down the deck and cleaning fish as we're running back in.

Were there any specific reasons in your choice of placement I may want to consider for my application?

Out of habit, mine gets the most use while trolling.... or at the end of the day adrift while tidying up the boat and getting the last of the fish cleaned. All that activity about the deck is not conducive to running at full speed back home. I've been known to bounce my crew around a bit.

I've been known to bounce my crew around a bit.

As mentioned earlier in the thread!

Makes sense. I guess an hour run in from offshore is more time to take advantage of deckhand work that what you'd be afforded in a sled.

Love some of the design enhancements you're building into your ride! Can't wait to see the pics and reports of it in action!

Well if your not gonna bounce, you're gonna have to dance....



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Check out this dance floor....
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BTW, here's my new "satellite office"....





Wouldn't be complete without a bit of "office furniture". Fore/aft sliding box bases will support side-sliding seats and provide individual storage for each member of the crew.





As you can see, the painters have been plenty busy. Exposed diamonds on the foredeck should wear a bit better than straight paint on high traffic surfaces. Large locking lids cover the cavernous storage compartments and fish box, while providing a spacious queen-sized surface to accommodate afternoon siestas.




Couple more exterior views showing off her clean lines....





First thing that's going on the boat when it hits 3RM for final rigging is a fresh coat of SharkHide for that nice shiny DP bowguard.

that is one impressive water craft Doc!!!

You did a Helluva nice job planning that beast of a boat out!

I had to go back and look at that foredeck, that thing is big. Judging from the size of that your floor space must be huge!
Very nice, well thought out boat.
Enjoy!


Fishy

Looking awesome, Francis!

Fish on...

Todd

Now that there is nap space on the boat I will expect an invite.

Are you going to install a loud speaker system for the hearing impaired people, like me, so if I ever get to fish in the bow I can hear you and won't have to say "what" all the time?

fp

can't wait to see it in person

Fp, you know you can hear Doc yelling at his crew all the way across the bay.....at least some of his crew !

Steve

Unusually small disco ball up front for such a big dance floor.












Let's all follow dancin' Doc to Buoy 13. It's going to be a Ho' Down.

Now I can if doc has this on order!

fp

Coming along sweet. Good luck,


SZ

the gift that keeps on giving

Doc and others:

I see on the last picture, what looks like the "red and green" light in the front of the boat. I'm wondering why the lights aren't placed on either side of the bow, they can be flush mounted, and don't have to be plugged in......just flip a switch, on the control panel.

Just asking???? Maybe its a coast guard thing? I do have one similar, for the stern of my boat, that is a "white light".

Well would you looky what pulled into town yesterday...



Truck that good lookin hadda be haulin sumthin good... ya think?

The eagle has landed!

Get a good look cause this will probably be the last time you'll see the AW stickers adorning my new barge.

Let the bells and whistles begin! Congrats Doc!

CM

My new operating table....



The new office furniture....



Shiny new floor reflecting on LMWS

Lookin' great.
Can't wait to fish out of it !

will this be the exam room i report to.

You have waited a long time Francis, you really deserve all that goodness.

Nice!

Very nice!

Dibs!
....with some Whistle Pig in tow? HHHMMM?

Looking good my friend, I'll have to swing by the shop to see how it's coming along!

K2

Maybe time for a new boat motto?

"This barge don't run on please and thank you... it needs Whistle Pig"

Nice!


Fishy

Will Tangle Ridge do in a pinch?

patron??

Bow light is removable and doc got smart and went with Yammi's.Good luck,
SZ


Lookin sweet.................

That's a FINE lookin' machine. Congratulations on a well-executed plan.

Agreed

That said, no complaints on the E-Tec the whole time I owned it (4 seasons) but the Yami 4 stroke has a longer track record of solid reliability/predictability.

It's about to get a LOT prettier.

Wow! Beautiful ride, Doc!

Literally....

Still plenty of room for me, Art, f4b and a few others on those wraps

Lookin' good, Doc!

You obviously missed the part where I typed "prettier"....

Well crap. I'm out of the running.

That is awesome Doc and what a tribute to your girls!

Steve

It has taken a lot of restraint not to show this off...glad you finally revealed the wraps! They look amazing and are definitely a perfect fit for the new machine.

CM

Genius way to ensure a quality build.

Can you tell us who did the wraps, I may be looking to have my boat done here in the next year.

Lookin better all the time.

Fishy

Awesome to celebrate your kids (and family) like that.




I did a project for a guy in 2005.
The project title was Oliver Rose Industrial Park.
My initial thought was that this owner was some sort ego maniac naming an industrial park after himself.

Turned out that Oliver was his son and Rose was his daughter.
He was honoring his kids !
This owner also turned out to be one the best owners that I ever did work for.

Like the black & white/cop car design. Are you having Brad @ Coho Designs do the wrap?

Very nice tax deduction there!
and picture of those girls!

That's the definitely the man's handiwork... with a bit of Ornamental collaboration

My little nephew insisted on driving up with me to check out the new sled yesterday. The guys at 3RM were kind enough to let him test drive the trout pond where he caught a couple more trout after our trip to the local lake earlier in the day. Then it was time to see Uncle's boat.

It was set up just like a classroom... and Silas was ready to sign up for Salmon 101.







Here he is reserving the spot for "his" rod...



And here he is scheming up a plan to inherit "his" boat once I'm too feeble to run it myself.

Look'n good!

When are you projected to bring it home?

Someone's gotta get off his arse and make some final decisions about electronics and other gidgets/gadgets. Lotsa recent "distractions" keeping me from the task at hand.

That boat looks pretty friggin' awesome.

Fish on...

Todd

Was gonna say, "looks just like the last posting". Better hurry.... Buoy 10 will be here before you know it.

Looking good.Good luck,


SZ

WTF Last pics of boat are from 6 weeks ago??? It has got to be on the water by now. There should be mass awesome pics of cute kids and dead fish in this boat. What's the hold up? You lost your camera? Did you give up on fishing, afraid to scratch it or just a long boring Break in period. B10 is open NOW are you there ?

He's been test fishing it daily in the driveway afraid to get it wet.LMFAO.Good luck,
SZ

One of my clients named their boat, "DEDUCTABLE."

I wish...

You forgot to put the plug in?
C'mon Doc......whazzup?

That is an unacceptable answer.

Sounds like the rumors I have heard about three rivers might have some merit...

5 weeks to build and deliver. 2 months to get it wet ? I'd be freekin the foock out. Not even a sea trial pic ? give us something....
The wrap it must be the wrap

Friends you've got to love em, cause they know how to get right to the heart of the matter.....



Fishy

+1?

Sorry F4B and all other doubters....the eyeFISH 2 will be out for the "break in" period Monday morning and then having the custom wrap done on Wednesday, along with the 10 hour engine service. After that it is off to B10! Pics will be coming and this machine is GORGEOUS!!!

CM

Can't wait to crush some chrome in that beast! Counting down the days!

One word.....AMAZING!!!!!!!!

CM

A few weeks back while chomping at the bit about this whole boat building/rigging adventure during my lunch hour, I was reminded of an Ancient Chinese Secret...



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My patience was eventually rewarded and the new barge was FINALLY baptized in Lake WA today.





CanyonMan and I set about the grind of breaking in the new Yamaha V-Max SHO

First hour was at low RPMs (< 1/3 throttle) basically NO WAKE speeds.



We took turns at the tiller, and while CM was driving, I was busy testing out the new sun deck.



The second hour allowed us to put her on plane. She hops out of the hole at about 11-12 knots and maintains a steady plane at low RPM's.



At about 1/3 throttle, she comfortably rides at a cool 16-17 knots.... cruising speed for most private craft.





At that cruising speed, there is ZERO torque on the tiller. The boat literally drives itself....



After the second hour, it was time to open her up a bit. This is what she does at 2/3 throttle.... and we thought it best that someone actually hang on to that tiller!







We'd take her up, then take her back down.... and every 15-20 minutes, we'd let her RIP! Little tough holding the camera steady when cruising at essentially highway speed..... over water! Or as Robbo puts it.... DACH 5.



Truly a momentous day on this journey... having the confidence that the motor performs as expected, and that the tiller isn't gonna rip my arm out of its socket.... or unexpectedly launch my puny Ornamental ass overboard.



Thanks for selflessly dedicating your day to spend on the water with me, CM! Woulda been awfully boring without you.... and there would have been no pic-post to share with the family.

Glad to see it's all in good working order!

Fish on...

Todd

Jack Plate?????? or am I safe, in the "up river part of the Chehalis"????


Does look very good, well thought out.....love all the storage, wow to the speed of the boat.

That things huge!

Nice looking,well thought and stylish boat.
Enjoy your new rig!


Fishy

No Jack Plate needed DrifterWA...pop off the lower unit and pump goes right on in perfect position...we'll see you upriver too

CM

Those were the first words I muttered under my envious breath. You could run an ocean charter service out of that thing!

I bet that was a fun, fast ride.

No doubt about it, that's a thing of beauty , going to be downright luxurious riding in it this fall. Can't wait to see it in person Francis.

Steve

The making of many fond memories. And so it begins.....

Doc - You could land a small plane on that deck..... Wow. That should cover the water wherever you launch it.

Best of luck with the new ride. Hope it produces as many fish as it does memories!

Very nice Francis!

Are those a pair of speakers inside of the transom, below the tiller handles? Nice touch.

Gotta love it.Nice ride.Good luck,
SZ

Holy Nimitz Class barge! As a bonus, Doc can now man drones to search for bait. Can't wait to see the "wall of death" spread that's gonna lay the smack down. Impressive.

awesome, Doc. Congrats!

Doc!!!
She's on the water! Gotta love it! The smile/smirk on Scott's face says what kind of craft she is! He should have gotten a pic of you, the first time you twisted the throttle on that big Yamaha, would have been priceless!!! But I'm sure there will be plenty of pics aboard her for years to come.

Again congrats again on the new boat!
Winterun

....good Lord!!!!

I have THE pic Joe just haven't had time to get it up yet. It's coming . Maybe the naysayers should just have to stand idol as we fill her up with slime rockets. The boys over at TRM have outdone themselves on this one! I put a couple hours on her solo yesterday and all I can say is WOW!!! Wrap goes on today and I will try to get some pics up before I head to B10 tomorrow.

CM

I knew there were more pics to come! I was going to ask Doc, but since you've logged in some hrs on her. When the new mothership arrives back at Doc's house, are we going to able to park as many boats in his driveway as we did last year???
Joe

I saw the barge on the road yesterday after Canyon Man got off the water with her....holy hell, that thing is SAWEET!
Looking forward to packing the driveway like last year and seeing that sweet'thang on the water.

Nice looking boat Doc, well done!

K2

Joe,

No need to worry...the boat will slip right in the extended garage and the driveway will be all ours ! Might not get the pics up until after B10 seeing as I am leaving at 2am. I will send them all to Doc as I am sure he can get them up...lol

CM

The carnage around 10-1030pm!!! Cleaning fish, cleaning boats, tying up fresh leaders, and tipping back a few cold one's!!! Getting ready for the next day's assault on GH!!! Is that your tow rig/boat in the foreground Kev??? After getting yours in the driveway, I think we shut down access to Doc's didn't we!?!
What a weekend!!! For some what a week!!!
Winterun

I see my little The Arima back there somewhere in the mess of boats...


Congratulations Doc! The boat looks incredible and I am very happy for ya.

Hey Joe, that's Sledder and his awesome ride! Had such a great time with the Jack Hammer, CM, Misses CM and Sledder last year....repeat!

I think Ryley had a bait stand set up next to his boat, selling premium herring at top dollar! Good times!

K2

That week will be here soon. Its all out now. 25+ days of salmon and tuna fishing to jam in before Deer season starts then some river time. Screw Christmas this IS the most wonderful time of the year. Happy Birthday a little early this year Doc. Save me a couple parking spots.

I love the fishing but god damn we cook up some mean dinners down there too. Looking forward to seeing everyone and whipping up some awesome grub!

Man I wish I would have finished medical school!!




Or started for that matter.

Couldn't agree more! Now through the end of November.....bring it!

Francis, Nice ride!
I would have them adjust the sounder sensor location down a bit.

The undisputed master of boat graphics in the PNW showed up this morning to work his magic on my barge today....

An omage to the family.

The man knows his business... AND what to call his business.

Nice boat. Enjoy it.

My thoughts exactly. Depth reading cuts out just beyond 16-17 knots.

Looking straight down at the water from the transom at cruising speed, water is simultaneously skimming past the hull and the cavitation plate at the exact same level. The bottom of the transducer is probably ever so slightly above that level at full plane, picking up some turbulence from the hull.

Down a few millimeters will probably take care of it perfectly.

Voila....

Beautiful!

Nice Doc!

Looks like your new boat prescription has been filled....

Now all your buds and the resident boat hos will do their best to fill your boat....

Doc - The right side graphic is hilarious. How did you ever get approval for that?

Nice looking ride. I'm sure you'll enjoy it for many years with your friends and family.

Spend a day with RodHog and that picture will make total sense. She cracks me up.

Maybe when I start free-drifting?

OK... maybe not since I put a Bay kit on the kicker to make sure the ENTIRE prop is below the bottom of the boat this time around.

One of my favorite things to do each fall!

Fish on...

Todd

WOW.

If jealousy is the ugly emotion then I am Marty Feldman's uglier brother.

Nice ride Doc.

Time to post up the finished product....

Here's the professional right wing Puritan side of my new barge in a clean white faux diamond plate finish.











And here's the more familiar darker and literally sinister side of Team eyeFISH in contrasting black faux diamond plate.











Boy oh boy, it's gonna be heartbreak the first time this "paint job" gets marred.... perish the thought!

Nah, you should have at least a few years before your girls start getting married

Nice!

Would like to see a shot of the interior all outfitted too.

Looking good.I can't wait to see the slimmy green bay grass all over the gunnels and dance floor @ the launch after a day on the bay....Good luck,
SZ

Love it !

Steve

I can hear it now coming across the harbor - "Watch The Lead!!"

Would post more pics but literally scrambling to get ready for her maiden fishing voyage at Buoy 10 in the morning.

Where's the matching "VMAX" cowling for the kicker?

Will be seeing the new ride in about a month.

Love it! Outta' do something custom with the motors too! Liked the way RottenChum went with his.

Good luck out there Doc! Can't wait to put some blood in the boat down at GH this year.

Advertise your business on your fishing boat. Have Uncle Sam help pay for your boat by writing it off on your taxes. Now that was thinking outside the box. Great idea. Love it.

Sweeeet looking ride, looking forward to spilling some blood and hopefully not too much beer in 'er.

+1

But Dom please don't cut yourself with the knife while you're cut pluggin my herring, wouldn't want you to get your blood in the boat

wow! Congrats Doc!
That is an awesome fishin barge...

Well done Doc

If you're gonna do it nice to see it done right!!

Opened a new chapter in my fishing adventures.... baptized my new barge at Buoy 10. Biggest fear putting her in the water was that Team eyeFISH would get skunked on her maiden fishing voyage.

CanyonMan quickly dispelled any doubts as to this vessel's fish-catching MOJO... scored a nice hatch coho on the first pass. LMWS would put the first chinook blood on the deck on the next pass.

Beyond that, the days and fish just blur together.

All told, my best-ever Buoy 10 salmon trolling season wrapped up with 122 fish brought to hand for 208 rod-downs.

Time to move north!

come on Doc... dont go all STRIKE ZONE on us


we know you know how to post pics!!

Just the tip of the iceberg....

These are all the pics and vidz I've had time to upload so far:

CanyonMan draws first blood!







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LMWS scores the first king



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Dad scores the first milt sac of the season



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LMWS fighting the biggest fish to hit the deck (three vidz). Kid knows how to put a bend in a rod!









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A windy wet sloppy day of trolling (2 vidz)





A little nicer day...

I never would've thought to keep the fenders in the livewell...

that does make for quick access when coming into dock a little too hot

Nice trip.So in 10 days you landed about 12 per day.Fun times.Good luck,
SZ

If you had panned to the left on that rough water vid you probably would have caught my parker in that video. The wind kept trying to blow me into you until I just gave it a lot of power and trolled away. Great coho bite in that mess.

It was blowing 20-25 out there and it felt like it picked up to 30 - 35 which is went I called it. Saw a few 40 gusts that afternoon on the guage.

I didnt have any water coming over my bow like you though.

Good Doctor, no offence, but sperm sac in your teeth, isn't that close to a set of nuts on your chin?
Sorry, couldn't resist.

Teamsters don't fart around and call it like it is!!!!

The fish porn money shot.



Pretty sure that has to be a PP Top 10 photo right there. If anything, it's due to the looks on CanyonMan and LMWS's faces!

More.....

Couple of C&R clips of LMWS gettin' it DUN!

Weird wild stuff right there !

Very nice report, pics and vids.


But that music was brutal.

That was a killer Sunday bite!

Thanks again.

I've got a sweet vid of doc and canyonman busting out their dance groove. It literally killed my computer upon upload. When the 'puter gets back fom the shop, I'll PM it to the highest bidder

Awesome pics and vids. It is great that you get your kids down to fish with you every year. A great tradition, I look forward to these pics every year.

Except the mouthful of smag. That is taking "food" to the next level, or the next level down, or something.

Nice to see you still got the mojo, doc. It aint the boat- it's the captain and crew!

Simply awesome.

Best,

Ten days of combat King fishing Nervana in the books. 2 or 3 more days might have killed me. What a year and the best is yet to come.

check out these Bonneville #s http://www.fpc.org/currentdaily/HistFishTwo_7day-ytd_Adults.htm

We ran out of bait the last day so I tossed on an Ace hi fly with a wiggle fin in front of it. It was on one of my leader rolls from a Chellan Mac trip that never happened. It didn't last 5 min .

Can't wait for more of the lilornrymental's pics

That Hews craft looked a lil close for my liking..................Words would have been exchanged.Good luck,
SZ

SZ...that is Achewter. I am sure he was just trying to get some good action pics for Doc. It's all good!

CM

Gotta get close to swap kids back and forth.

Gotta get close to pass the blunt.

Looks like the new boat "works." Pretty sweet.

YA, at one point we had to throw a cannon ball at him to get him to go away!

I was on the troll alongside Doc last weekend and snapped up a pic of the new ride. She looks great Doc! and damn....that boat hauls ass!

Got my toy back from 3RM after installing some upgrades. Thought I'd update with some pics of the newfangled gizmos.

First off are my new-and-improved Achewter-proof sliding swivel-brackets for my seat boxes. The SOLID construction looks like this up close and personal. As Bob Seger says, "Like a ROCK…"



And here they are installed…

Next up is my backup trailer lights… not spares just in case, but rather lights for backing the trailer down a dark ramp at o'dark early.

These are an exceptionally clean, compact installation…



And this is a test drive in the darkness of my messy-a$$ garage…

Next up are some custom sliding side-rigger brackets for my siderigger bow rods. Spring-locking FOLBE side mounts are bolted to the outside and a double dog-bone extension completes the MEGA reach I'll be able to achieve in my trolling spread…. a full 104 inches away from the boat. With wings spread in three ft of viz, my gear will be seen by any salmon within a 31.5 ft swath of my troll path.

This is what it looks like from inside the boat…

Captain's view:


Angler's view:


This is what it'll look like from the water…

Passerby's view:


Waterline view at a 45 degree line angle:


Talk about REACH…

Next up is my new bow-mount auto pilot. Made the decision to abandon the popular TR-1 auto-pilot system in favor of something new (to me). My Yamaha 9.9 gas kicker will still provide 95% plus of the forward thrust, but the RipTide ST will function as a directional bow-thruster to automatically fine tune my course. If salmon opportunities continue to decline, the RipTide will provide additional future versatility when I'm forced to switch to bass and walleye.

3RM built me a custom interchangeable platform to quickly and easily switch between anchor(s) and electric trolling motor mounts.

Here's the CR anchor mount:


And here's the mount for the RipTide:






Gotta tip my hat to a handful of expert "Reach Rats" on Ifish running these bowmounts in the windy upper Columbia (Hanford Reach) who have worked out a lot of the bugs in rigging batteries and extending battery life. And a big thanks to Ifisher Playtime who has adapted the system to his estuary trolling program. To maximize energy efficiency, They've discovered that a beefed up aftermarket rudder makes a HUGE difference. I had 3RM fabricate a custom MEGA rudder for the RipTide's lower unit, and it looks like this...







Here's what she looks like deployed with maximum reach…



And finally a short video clip of the first "dry run"

Looking AWESOME


























(God, please let my son grow up to be an eye cutter....God, please let my son grow up to be an eye cutter....God, please help.....)

Looks excellent.

Are those backup lights bright enough to blind the guy in the other launch lane that won't turn off his headlights?

If so, I need a set of 4 to 6 mounted to the ass end of my trailer.

fp

Those backup lights look freaking awesome!!! And those mounts for the bow rods look sweet too!

Some trucks you can't turn off the headlights

Good looking mods, doc.

The reachin' rod holders have me planning now!

I think you'll enjoy the minn kota. The technology in those ipilots is mind-blowing. Be sure to keep the controller around your neck so it doesn't get lost or dropped overboard.

Best,

Looks good. You should really like the ipilot. Aside from the troll benefits, mine has been very useful in positioning the boat while fighting fish. They're an awesome tool for side drifting too.

Wow..nice add on's.Good luck,
SZ

Looking pretty fantastic, Francis!

Fish on...

Todd

What lights did you use for backup lights? I was getting ready to wire some tractor lights in, but yours are way more compact

Looks awesome Doc

Sweet ride Doc!

Looks great, Doc! Can't wait to see how it fishes in the fall.

Sweet Azz Ride, Doc!

Here's my latest FOLBE application. Additional stabilizing support for the new RipTide when it gets nasty on the water or when trailering LONG distances.

Nice, I use a classic Foolbe for my Net holder on THE Arima.

Boat looks top notch Doc, I wouldnt expect anything less!

Did you go with the 36Volt?