;DI love this thread. Great stuff guys! I would love to have a couple of these boats in addition to mine
Sorry if I already posted but all the photobucket blank photos makes it really tough!
Use the blue "Add image to post" feature on the bottom left corner when you are posting instead of PB.
Meet the princess Warrior..this is an 18' 1978 Jon Dory yellow tail... I've owned her since 1980.. I've fished for every thing available in New England .. but her main job..my passion.. is shallow water striped bass.. at night... not schoolies but trophies.. when I bought her she sported a 1977 80 HP Merc tiller handle ..no console. I retrofitted a center console from a 17' Mako... upgraded the tired old mill to a Merc. 90 6 cyl. inline "tower of power".. I fished her for a few years as she was but was dismayed how easily the transom could ship water it 2 guys were in the stern area...one morning on my way out tuna fishing ( yes I tuna fish from this rig) she "ate" a plastic bag ...lacking the over heat protection of modern outboards she locked up tight..after cooling down she eventually started and got me home.. but the engine was shot... putting an end to my season...That winter... I took on a huge undertaking.. I cut up the floor and installed a 35 gallon Plastic fuel cell.. stiffened the hull with glassed in ribs.. added an anchor locker fore ship...I raised the transom to accept a 25" outboard..and installed a 1995 merc 115 ELPTO... I swapped out the mercury water sepperating fuel filter for a racor with a clear bowl that could be drained periodically... the cable steering was replaced with Bay star hydraulic steering... I added a Blue seas duel battery system and wired a third battery for my trolling motor.. running # 2 cable all the way to the stern plug.. I added a wash down pump and onboard charger... a set of 10" Bennet trip tabs competed the build..she pretty much stayed that way until 2008 when I had to change engines when the flywheel magnets came unglued in the '95 115 ruining the stator ,trigger and of coarse the fly wheel ... the flywheel was no longer available and the only fix was to change the entire ignition system ( I had no faith in buying a used one)... it was cheaper to find a used motor... I installed a 2004 Merc 115 ELPTO ( same engine as the 95 ..just newer) I found it in an estate sale..low hours fresh water engine owned by a sight seeing Grandpa.. timing is everything!.. that winter I tore my MCL ice fishing .. standing was painful so I added a leaning post that spring.. in place of the 40 gallon oval bait tank...the electronics have constantly been changed and are going to be upgraded again this spring.. I currently have a garmin mapping GPS ( I don't remember the model) and a Garmin fish finder that I hate ( again don't remember the model).. so I bought a Lowrance ( I've always run Lowrance the Garmin was a quick fix mid season purchase)..Hook2 9TS.. I cant wait to install it ( if it ever stops snowing).. also this season.. I'm adding a HT marine jack plate and a Power tech RBX4 propeller... the wide bow on this boat is great fro a dry ride.. but she always has had an issue with hull slap at speeds over 25 knots... I'll never buy a new boat. so this is my "new" boat fix for the season... I'll post additional pictures when the upgrades are finished.. again.,,providing it EVER stops snowing..
Roccus, how do you like that motor? I just picked up a boat with basically the same thing in 150hp, mines a 2003. Don't have many good pics yet, she just came home the other day.