2nd test drive

i took the boat out for the second test drive. it runs great with the adjustments that we made. im very pleased!

finishing the boat

Birdie and I went to the shop today to finish up the "to do" list on the boat. Finished all the wiring, installed the bilge pump and fixed the kill switch. Gonna try to take it out for a spin tomorrow and see if the weight redistribution helped. I sure hope so. The really nice thing is that if I get thrown out of the boat I won't get chopped up and if water rushes over the transom the boat won't sink. Two very important features in my opinion.

boat work

took the boat into the shop today. we bent the tiller back into place, ran new wiring, added head lights and moved batteries and gas tank to the front of the boat to distribute weight better. tomorrow we fix the kill switch and add a bilge pump.

birdies on a boat

i took the boat out for a test run today. it doesnt handle so well with only one person in the back of the boat. i need to move some weight to the front. didnt have time for a lot of pictures but snapped a couple of birdie. she enjoyed the ride and a swim afterwards.

good girl

a birdie day

took birdie out today to run around in some thicker brush than she is used to. i hid a duck wing and let her sniff it out. she also enjoyed pointing at grasshoppers. we then played fetch with the duck wing and birdie found what appeared to be a boar skin. we then went swimming to cool off. birdie is swimming out further and flatter. shes doing great!

camo inside and out

finished the camo job on the boat today. boy was it hot today. birdie was kind enough to pose for a photo.

whistle commands

birdie update

birdie is doing great with "sit stay come." i have started doing more structured retrieves with her. shes even done a few blind retrieves. trying to get as much socialization in with other dogs and people. lots of rides in the car on errands and a very tired pup at the end of every day.

new stencil

wasnt liking the other stencil very much so i drew and cut my own last night. its much more clean and not as busy. im pretty happy with it.

painting

today i finished all the base paint on the boat except the floor. still havent decided if im going to put plywood down or not. im also trying out some of the camo patterns. trying to get the right coloring for florida duck hunting. still too much light brown but i will figure it out.

back from the welders

just got the boat back from the welders and i am very happy with their work. i had the deck and back bench covered with aluminum diamond plate. there where several large holes from seats, trolling motor, switch panal and other things that had been removed in the past. there was also a large crack in the back bench where the tiller had smashed into it. i had that reenforced with double diamond plate so that it wont happen again. i had all the ribs welded where the rivets had popped out. that should add plenty of needed strength. the biggest up grade is the removable stand up grab ("oh shit") bar that i had fabricated. hopefully this will keep me on my feet when i hit logs and such. the guy that owned it before me drove the boat sitting on the poling platform with the tiller between his legs and seemed to think that was the best way to drive the boat. he also told me he had been thrown off several times. i do not plan to drive the boat in that manner. i plan to paint the new work tomorrow. at some point i am going to paint the whole thing and give it a fresh camo job.

boat project

i had to sell the bass boat. i took some of the money and purchased a duck boat. it is a 14 ft tracker with a 25hp go devil. i am having a few things added and repaired as i type. i am looking forward to getting it the way i want it. i will post new pics as i work on it.