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Boating Articles by Tom

Starting with the little two-person inflatable raft I had as my very first boat, I have always loved the freedom and the feeling of being out on the water. With my father's help, I added a hard plywood floor to that little inflatable, and that was the beginning of a long chain of boats I have owned, loved, maintained, modified, fixed, enjoyed, and scared myself to death on over the past few decades.
A lot of boating time is spent fixing boats, maintaining boats, and upgrading boats with new boating equipment to suit our specific tastes and needs. Lots of salespeople at stores that sell marine boating supplies and boating accessories have learned to recognize me over the years. I have spent my share of time and money working on just about anything you could name on a boat, and made plenty of mistakes. I'm here to share the lessons learned.

BOTE Aero Rover Inflatable SUP MicroSkiffs!

July 7, 2024 By Tom Leave a Comment

BOTES on Trailer

We bought a pair of AeroBOTE Rover inflatable SUP/MicroSkiffs so that we could bring boats along when we are towing our travel trailer. We tried one out on Shell Creek as soon as we got them home. My dog Starr never wants to be left … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Powerboating, Kayaking, Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Boating Fun

ePropulsion Electric Outboard On A Picnic Cat

November 12, 2021 By Tom Leave a Comment

I thought it would be nice to switch from gasoline to electric auxiliary power for our Picnic Cat and after a little internet research revealed that customers found the gearbox on the Torqeedo motors noisy and the ePropulsion's direct drive quieter, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Sailing

Com-Pac Picnic Cat Fun!

November 12, 2021 By Tom Leave a Comment

We had a lot of fun with our Com-Pac Sun Cat and I missed owning it but also came to realize that the Sun Cat was really more boat than we were using. One of my Rules of Boating is that the smallest, simplest boat that will do what you want to do is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Sailing

Selling the Stray Goat

October 30, 2021 By Tom Leave a Comment

Once the Stray Goat repairs and upgrades were complete, I decided to sail the boat and get some other listing pictures and put it up for sale. Two of the guys who help out at the Charlotte Harbor Community Sailing Center came over to sail the boat … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Sailing

June 2021 Stray Goat Projects

June 26, 2021 By Tom Leave a Comment

After my abortive first sail back in 2020, I had a small list of projects to accomplish prior to a second attempt. The first two were related: One of the trailer bunks is directly below the daggerboard trunk so reworking the trailer bunks to better … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Sailing

Finishing Up & First Sail in the Stray Goat

April 30, 2021 By Tom Leave a Comment

As the 2020 summer drew to a close, I got the last bits of needed work done on the Stray Goat, or so I thought, so I decided it was time to do a little "yard sailing" and check out the rig before my first launch. Here's how it looked when I raised … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades Tagged With: Goat Island Skiff

Wild Turkeys on the Trail Camera

March 6, 2021 By Tom Leave a Comment

Wild turkeys are pretty rare here, or at least have been for the past couple of decades. I have only seen one and that was back in the 1990's. A few weeks ago, my trail camera caught some turkeys walking around near my pond. Here's the video. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Trail Camera Pictures

Stump Pass March 5, 2021

March 5, 2021 By Tom Leave a Comment

With the Watertribe Everglades Challenge starting tomorrow, I took one of my aluminum boats out to Stump Pass today to check on the current locations of sand bars. There's usually a little swash channel running right along the shore on the north … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

Fishin’ Frank’s Catfish Tournament

June 28, 2020 By Tom Leave a Comment

"Florida Man" is a busy guy and a few weeks ago, he launched his truck 100 feet through the air and landed it upside down on the roof of our beloved local bait and tackle shop, Fishin' Frank's. Style points for sticking such a challenging inverted … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fishing

Unusual Tractor Jobs

June 26, 2020 By Tom Leave a Comment

Today's novel Kubota B-26 job was a platform from which to pick mangoes that were about 17' off the ground. The roof of the tractor is about 8' high, getting me close enough to bend the branch and grab them. The other day the tractor … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

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Recent Posts

  • BOTE Aero Rover Inflatable SUP MicroSkiffs!
  • ePropulsion Electric Outboard On A Picnic Cat
  • Com-Pac Picnic Cat Fun!
  • Selling the Stray Goat
  • June 2021 Stray Goat Projects

Topics

  • Boat Building (5)
  • Boat Handling (10)
  • Boat Repairs & Upgrades (50)
  • Boating Equipment (27)
    • Dinghies (4)
  • Boating Fun (30)
  • Boating Safety (7)
  • Buying & Selling Boats (5)
  • Classic Boating Tales (25)
  • Fishing (16)
  • General (37)
    • Drone Stuff (3)
    • Trail Camera Pictures (18)
    • Tropical Fruiting (1)
  • Kayaking (22)
  • Powerboating (18)
  • Sailing (71)
    • Races & Regattas (14)
    • Sailboat Cruising (15)
    • Sailboat Reviews (7)

Popular Posts

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  • The Com-Pac Sun Cat: A Review 46k views
  • Building a Live Bait Well For A Small Boat 40.3k views
  • Choosing the Right Propeller For Your Boat 36.5k views
  • Rebuilding Whaleboat Tenders Part 5: Boat Parts Shopping Day 36.3k views
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Recent

  • BOTE Aero Rover Inflatable SUP MicroSkiffs!
  • ePropulsion Electric Outboard On A Picnic Cat
  • Com-Pac Picnic Cat Fun!
  • Selling the Stray Goat
  • June 2021 Stray Goat Projects

About Tom

Starting with the little two-person inflatable raft I had as my very first boat, I have always loved the freedom and the feeling of being out on the water. With my father's help, I added a hard plywood floor to that little inflatable, and that was the beginning of a long chain of boats I have owned, loved, maintained, modified, fixed, enjoyed, and scared myself to death on over the past few decades. [Read More …]

Popular Posts

  • The Perfect Solo Mast-Raising System for Small Sailboats 132.9k views
  • Small Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim: Theory and Practice 57.8k views
  • How to Dock an Outboard or Sterndrive Powerboat in 3 Easy Pictures 57.3k views
  • Tying Boats to Docks Using Springlines 55.8k views
  • Deep V, Shallow V, or Variable Deadrise Hull Performance 52.3k views
  • The Com-Pac Sun Cat: A Review 46k views
  • Building a Live Bait Well For A Small Boat 40.3k views
  • Choosing the Right Propeller For Your Boat 36.5k views
  • Rebuilding Whaleboat Tenders Part 5: Boat Parts Shopping Day 36.3k views
  • More Boston Whaler Modifications 35.4k views

Topics

  • Boat Building (5)
  • Boat Handling (10)
  • Boat Repairs & Upgrades (50)
  • Boating Equipment (27)
    • Dinghies (4)
  • Boating Fun (30)
  • Boating Safety (7)
  • Buying & Selling Boats (5)
  • Classic Boating Tales (25)
  • Fishing (16)
  • General (37)
    • Drone Stuff (3)
    • Trail Camera Pictures (18)
    • Tropical Fruiting (1)
  • Kayaking (22)
  • Powerboating (18)
  • Sailing (71)
    • Races & Regattas (14)
    • Sailboat Cruising (15)
    • Sailboat Reviews (7)

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