I Need A Shrink !

[Bushwacker]

Do these things stretch a little as time goes on?

Chuck - if the material is sunbrella, I've found that it DOES stretch over time. My bimini top was tight when new but now has some sags in it, but it's over 10 years old. Here's what it looks like now:


Your enclosure looks great, but I know what you mean about the clear stuff being hard to put up! However the isinglass won't stretch! About all you can do with that stuff is lay it out in the sun to let it warm up so it's a little more flexible.

I thought the windshield was tall enough on the 25 that you wouldn't have needed a clear filler piece above it. That piece is the biggest problem on mine because it's over 2' tall! I wanted plenty of shade over helm so had them bring front of bimini pretty far forward. Hard to see in the pictures but the front clear piece attaches to top with a nylon zipper just forward of center bow, so it's slope matches windshield. Those nylon zippers don't hold up well in our strong UV in S. Fla. so will insist on brass zippers if they're still available when I have it redone. Denny

[grgrmouse]

They definetly stretch over time. Mine was pretty tough to get on each year the first time I put it all up. Wax on the snaps helps them break loose after a long Sturgeon season too ...
Greg

[strick]

Thanks for the tips fellas- The material is sunbrella. I suspect he made it tight fitting in anticipation for stretch down the road. The fella really did a good job on the enclosure. He even put some leather reinforcement in critical areas.

Denny- The windshield is very high on the 25 so about all I really need the clear in the front for is to look up at the sky.

Greg- I'll be sure to wax all the zippers!


I took the boat out again today for a couple hours with my 11 year old son. He really had a good time and I'm glad he liked the boat. When I was his age I used to go fishing all the time with my grandfather in a similar sized boat so I got a flash back in time watching Clayton in our boat today. Weather was overcast with light showers and 15-20 knot winds.

On today's trip I filled the fresh water bladder in the bow with about 14 gallons water to see how the boat would handle. The extra weight made a noticeable difference. The bow seems to have a little more punch to it with the forward weight and there was less water slap on the bottom of the hull then on the first voyage. On the next trip I will fill the forward tank 1/2 full and see what that does. Between the two tanks I can hold close to 130 gallons fuel total. This boat is actually very stable at drift and anchor. More info and pictures on the next trip.

strick

[SBD]

It came out INCREDIBLE!!!! Love the enclosure. Congrats...wish I was done!

[strick]

Made another run in the seafari today. This boat is beginning to be a lot of fun as I learn how it handles. The added weight of the fresh water tank in the bow and 20 gallons of fuel in the forward tank has helped with stability quite a bit. The boat is very responsive when up on plane. Lisa and I took her for a spin this morning. After an hour or so I asked her what she thought and she replied that it was the best boat I've had so far....so I guess it's the best boat I've had so far [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Here are a couple more pictures of this morning and a couple videos of me playing around as I learn how it handles. Warning there is a lot of rock and roll in the videos as they were shot from a floating dock and with a crappy camera.









http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/642.AVI

http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/643.AVI

http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/646.AVI

strick

[McGillicuddy]

Strick,
She looks great! Dare I say that your 25' marine life assault vehicle appears "nimble?" Wow!

Great vintage video.

P.S. Starting to get used to that $3500 rocket launcher

[Bigshrimpin]

Made another run in the seafari today. This boat is beginning to be a lot of fun as I learn how it handles. The added weight of the fresh water tank in the bow and 20 gallons of fuel in the forward tank has helped with stability quite a bit. The boat is very responsive when up on plane. Lisa and I took her for a spin this morning. After an hour or so I asked her what she thought and she replied that it was the best boat I've had so far....so I guess it's the best boat I've had so far [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

That boat looks beautiful in the water!! Lisa's comment just opened the door for a new Center Console project. Love the video's . . . is that rio vista?

[Blue_Heron]

Very cool, Chuck. She does look sweet in the water, both idling and on plane. Can't wait to get mine wet.
Dave

[strick]

I keep getting compliments about the boat from fellas at the dock and gas station. This is only the third time out and I've probably already got 17 compliments. So that's an average of 5.6 compliments per trip . One guy even yelled out his car window "Nice boat" as I was doing 60 down the freeway. Too funny.

Gillie- Yes she is. This hull is not a slug by any means. I'm really happy that I put the duo prop on her. I think it helped the performance quite a bit. I did a lot of talking to member Big Fluke about how his 25's ran and "Bigshrimpin" forwarded me a letter that he got from Potter a couple years ago in regards to the boats capabilities. So the homework seems to have paid off.

Lisa's comment just opened the door for a new Center Console project. Love the video's . . . is that rio vista?

Tim- Yes that's Rio. We had a a couple adult beverages at "The Point" Marked a lot of bass in the channel but I did not bring any fishing poles. I've been having nasty thoughts about making the other one into a cc. I REALLY NEED HELP BAD! Thinking about bubble wrapping it and getting it of my property for a while might help.

Dave- I was hoping the videos help with motivation. Your gonna like this boat! give me a call any time.

strick

[cdavisdb]

My oh my!! I go off for a couple of weeks and look what happens! Strick, she looks absolutely gorgeous!!! I'm almost embarrassed to post any pics of mine. When you get the vacuum gauge mounted, I'd like to compare readings.

It does get your attention when you turn, but it seems to lay over to a certain point and no farther. Keep turning sharp and it gets like a power slide in a car, she practically spins around, way faster than seems reasonable.

Connor