Hey Bill, thought I'd find you here! We're feeling the itch too, and we don't even have an opening day! DH has spent the past three days getting the boat ready. It developed some algae on the carpet while it was at the repair shop (he forgot to take the cover for it, so it was out in the rain for 3 months), but he's scrubbed most of that off. Just ordered a new windshield and GPS/fish finder thingie; oh, and that reel he wanted (now what am I going to get him for his birthday?) and parts to repair a reel that I broke. Still having a problem with the trailer brakes though. He can't seem to get that figured out. Time to b.o.a.t. I guess!

Now we just wait for the water to warm up. I think he found out a few days ago that the Columbia is about 37 degrees. brrrrr!

Are you getting a new boat this year?

I'm going to try. Right now it depends, I have two conventions I'm going to-- Coverings in Chicago in april, and then my wife has a convention in Orlando about 3 weeks later for her dolls, so we'll see. Right now, I'm about half way done carpeting and replacing the decks my boat, and probably next month, once it starts to warm up a bit, I;'ll finish it, one way or the other, just so I can get a little more money for it.

When I'm done, that front deck will come all the way back to both consoles.

Yeah-- you believe the cost of the windshield??? I don't know how much yours is costing, but when I first bought this boat, it was missing both windshields, and it cost me almost 700.00 to replace them!!

I thought he was gettin the GPS for Christmas?

As for the trailer brakes, that's one to let the pro take care of. Not something you wanna take a chance on!!

Nice carpeting job! Altho, I'm surprised you didn't tile it! :)

Actually, the windshield wasn't that expensive at all. I think he got a price of around $70 last fall, then when he ordered it last week it had dropped to about $45 or $50. $700 sounds outrageous! Your windshields don't look that much different from ours:

{{gwi:1518095}}

He's been talking about getting a new GPS since he bought the boat. It's never worked quite right. He finally decided on a new Humminbird model with side scanning.

You are so right about the brakes! Luckily he noticed it when he brought the boat back from the repair shop, so it hasn't been on the road since then. He said there's some kind of mechanical "key" he can use until he gets it fixed. But then this morning I heard him talking to somebody about a solenoid, so I think that's what it needs. But there's still a wiring problem he needs to troubleshoot too.

Altho, I'm surprised you didn't tile it!

One wisea$$ in my club actually suggested it-- that I use blue pearl granite!!

As for the windshields, I know-- I got ripped off bigtime. I needed them, and this guy was the only dealer in the state, so I had no choice but to go to him. I figure what goes around will come around. :-)

Nice little toy!! Is that a V-Max hanging off the back?

Hey Bill, you get the deck to cover the whole front of your boat, and you'll turn that baby into a musky fighting machine. LOL.

I've got 70 + days until the southern WI opener. The three weeks of near 0 temps has made it hard to think about fishing. Today we hit the high 30's and I started thinking about it. Hoping for a jaunt down to Indiana mid-March for a little Webster Lake 6 muskies per acre of water fishing if the weather cooperates. They call it the aquarium.

Kevin

Practice C,P,&R

Kevin-- I've already GOT it-- 2 sheets of 3/4" marine grade plywood sitting in my garage right now. :-) Just a matter of cutting it out, epoxy coating it, and installing it. :-)

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Yup, that's a V-Max. Good eye!

VERY sweet!! :-)

Bill--How's that decking and carpeting coming along?

Our trailer is fixed, new windshield is on, the Curado is being tried out in the driveway, and the fancy fish finder will be here next week!

The weather is starting to break. We had a couple warm days (in the 60s) this week, but the water is still pretty cold.

I haven't even gotten back to it yet. Today is the first day in over a week where the temps were above the teens, and for most of the week, once I was done with work, they were subzero!! There's a latex glue that's used to glue the carpenting down that's very much like thinset additive, and I guarantee you it wouldn't work very well in these temps. Another week or two, I'll start finding the time to get it finished.

Trust me-- once it's done, there'll be pics! :-)

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THREE WEEKS FROM TOMORROW!!!!!

HELL YEAH!!

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It's gettin close, and now that it's warm enough to work on the boat, I've got to work all weekend!! Imagine that!! Someone wants to move into their new house! THE NERVE!!

My hubby went out yesterday for the second time this month (got totally skunked the first time). Yesterday he caught three good size bass and a pike minnow. His fishing buddy caught two bass. He said the Curado is working great! And no problems with the boat!

Bill, I found a new boat for you:

{{gwi:1518096}}

You'll be able to get away from the dock real fast with this baby!!
V-Max Schmee-Max

Too bad you have to work this weekend. :-(
Don't these people know you have priorities?! sheesh

That's okay-- another 4 weeks, and they won't have a choice! Last weekend in april and the first weekend in may are my first two tournaments. Ain't NOTHIN keepin me out of em!!

As for that boat, man, can you imagine the console? gauges and throttles for each of those outboards?!?!? Definitely no need for a steering wheel!! LOL Other than all the outboards, it actually looks like one of the lobster boats from up THIS way!

We're almost there!! The boat came out of the garage today, and went in to get "spring ready", so it'll be set to hit the water as soon as the ice is out!

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Yahoo! I hope you have a fun, safe, and successful first day!

Hubby went out today. Froze his butt in the morning, then the wind kicked up. Got one about 15" and missed another one. Not a great day.

Let us know how you do Bill!
Good luck!

Well, today's the day-- opening day of open water season!! *scratchin my head* Now, if'n I could just find me some open water!!

Hmmmmmm!!

:-)