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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.

Time to Refresh the Old Bridge

June 1, 2019 By Tom Leave a Comment

The bridge over my pond drainage ditch has reached the end of its useful life. I have not inspected the old power pole pieces that support the deck for a long time but they look ok from the sides. The rest of the deck is warped in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

Hawk Testing Chicken Run

May 28, 2019 By Tom Leave a Comment

Hawk On Coop

One of the local hawks dropped by yesterday afternoon to see if it could get at our chickens. It looks like the answer is still no. Trying to get in from ground level didn't work. Maybe there's a way in the top of the coop? Or a way in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Trail Camera Pictures

Daytime Raccoon Visit

May 27, 2019 By Tom Leave a Comment

I get lots of night shots of raccoons and possums wandering around the yard and most don't seem that interested in sleeping chickens that are locked in a coop. This one came by in daylight and took a couple of circles around the chicken run looking … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Trail Camera Pictures

Dawn Patrol

May 26, 2019 By Tom Leave a Comment

Paddled the old Blue Canoe up to the dam today.       … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kayaking

It’s Not Easy Being A Bunny

May 25, 2019 By Tom Leave a Comment

My trail camera took about 1,500 pictures of that blade of grass yesterday. Scrolling through them all took a while. It looks like my cat was hunting for baby bunnies again. He didn't show up for dinner last night, apparently preferring free … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Trail Camera Pictures

Solar Pond Fountain

May 24, 2019 By Tom Leave a Comment

Fun to watch how the flow rate varies when clouds pass over. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

Klepper Foldable Kayak Adventures

October 29, 2015 By Tom Leave a Comment

Prairie Creek Morning Light

In the late 1990's I bought a Klepper Aerius Expedition foldable kayak with factory sailing kit from Sweetwater Kayaks in St Petersburg, FL. I thought it was the neatest thing in the world and still do, but it gets little use because my rotomolded … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boating Fun Tagged With: klepper kayak

Sun Cat Wily Conch For Sale

September 27, 2015 By Tom Leave a Comment

2013 Sun Cat Nationals

We bought our beloved 2006 Com-Pac Sun Cat, Wily Conch, back in 2009 and have enjoyed owning her very much. At right is one of my favorite moments, sailing in the 2013 Sun Cat National Championship Regatta with my friend, Pete. While working as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying & Selling Boats, Boat Repairs & Upgrades, Sailing Tagged With: Com-Pac Sun Cat

Repowering the Old Pontoon Boat

September 8, 2014 By Tom Leave a Comment

Adjusting With A Tractor

I repainted the whole deck after the repairs detailed in the first post in this series. I once again used Behr deck paint from Home Depot, but this time tried their non-skid additive. It is a fine powder, almost like flour, and gave the deck the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades Tagged With: tohatsu, tarpon, tohonda, honda, repower, pontoon, console

New Life for an Old Pontoon Boat

July 28, 2014 By Tom Leave a Comment

NorthStar Double Bimini Top

We bought an old 24 foot Lowe pontoon boat from a local fishing guide. He had coated the pontoons with , replaced the deck with 3/4" ply, added a small center console and 20 gallon plastic fuel tank, and powered it with an old 75 hp Mercury. His … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boat Repairs & Upgrades Tagged With: deck, plywood, bimini, repower, pontoon, lowe, repair, console

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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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