We came out of the water on Tuesday and the Volvo mechanic was out and finished by 10:18 Wednesday. I am due back in the water today and will be fishing this weekend although the weather looks a little dismal. I have to say when I saw the caller ID I thought for sure they were calling with bad news about a more involved and costly problem. When the mechanic explained the problem to me I was very disappointed that the other Volvo dealer I had been using did not pick up on the problem and just fix it when they were re-installing the outdrive. This new Volvo mechanic had the same feeling. All it turned out to be was an adjustment to the end of the shift cable where it attaches to the outdrive. I will definitely be switching to them for my annual drive service and winterization due to their professional, courteous and quick service.

I spoke with my marina and a different Volvo dealer. They will be hauling the boat next Wednesday and working on it then, hopefully it will be a one day repair. But the point of the matter is I have had the outdrive service three times, once by one dealer and twice by another. Both times the second dealer did the winter service, storage and re-installation of the drive I have had to come out of the water the week after going in because of some kind of drive or transom shield problem. Now this could possibly be coincidence but I have also heard from many other sources that there have been a lot of complaints lately about this particular Volvo dealer. Between past experiences and what I am hearing I have decided to make the switch….what is the worst that could happen, I still get bad service? Hopefully my issue will be resolved quickly and all future service will not cause other issues…only time will tell.

This weekend we will be fishing aboard one of the local charters or party boats, not sure on all the details yet but I do know it will not be on my boat. Which pretty much sucks in itself. Oh well, I would rather break down in the bay close to home now then 15 miles offshore later in the year. So it is good to get the wrinkles out early and hopefully the switching Volvo dealers will eliminate future wrinkles.

Unfortunately I am not going in the water tomorrow. A friend’s charter boat was delayed in getting ready and the marina is scrambling to get them in the water. They should be good to go tomorrow so then it is on to me. A couple of problems have come up, one that needs to be handled before getting wet. The through hull fitting for the plug has a screw missing or the head has snapped off. So we have to address that since an issue with a 1 inch sized hole in the bottom of the boat is pretty important. Once that is taken care of we will be in the water. This should be by Thursday, Friday the latest. Just in time for winter flounder.

What a mistake it was taking the cover off the boat last week. 2-3 inches of ice and melted and re-frozen snow covering the cockpit, swim platform, gunwales and forward deck. What a pain the but to break it up and get it off the boat. when it partially melts and re-freezes it sure grabs onto the non-skid deck and does not like to let go. Hopefully the thin coating of snow and ice that I did not remove in the nooks of the non-skid will melt by Tuesday, launch day!

Well if all goes well we will be splashing the boat Tuesday the 20th!

Yes it is! The cover came off today and final preparation is just about done for launch day. I fished the wiring overhaul project as well as the finishing touches on new wiring for new devices and toys. Loaded on most of the gear and safety equipment. Removed the rosin paper that I had taped down in the cockpit to keep it clean over the winter while working on the boat. Boy did that work well. The cockpit sole is just as clean as the day it was washed and polished. I was hesitant that the rosin paper might bleed since it was red but there was only two stains about the size of dimes that were only a very faint pink color. Most likely they will fade in a week or so of sunlight.

I finally finished moving my second sonar unit to the cockpit. It will be so nice to not have to squint and duck to look into the pilothouse and read the one at the helm. It will also just be cool to watch your hooked fish come up on the screen next to you! I also finished installing the new radio. I have never used a Uniden VHF but have had several of their other products with no complaints.

I went with a wireless second station mic so I can roam anywhere on the boat and hear what is going on and keep in contact with fellow fisherman.

Another good use of the wireless mic is when someone goes up on the bow to work the anchor. They can take the mic with them and I won’t have to shout through the windows for them to hear, it doubles as an intercom system. It will also serve me well while back at the dock hanging out in the picnic area waiting for the larger boats returning from offshore. Instead of having to run out to the boat to hail them on the radio we will be able to do it from the comfort of a lounge chair.

I would have liked to get the new cockpit lighting, CO2 detector, new power points and freshwater shower installed before going back in the water. Because most likely once in the water projects get put on the back burner unless absolutely needed…fishing becomes the number one priority once we get wet!

After nearly two years I finally moved the black and white sounder from the helm to the cockpit. There is nothing I hate more than drilling holes in fiberglass. For some reason no matter what I do I get chipping and cracking around the hole. I tape off and drill through the tape, use new sharp bits, keep the drill straight and steady. I have come to the conclusion I am just not meant to drill holes in my boat. With that said if I ever need holes drilled below or near the water line rest assured that it will not be me doing the drilling. Anyway, at least it is not cored or structural, and the mounts cover the unsightly details. She is all mounted and wired up to power and NMEA wires to the GPS. I just need to tighten the screws down once the silicone sets and tie down the excess wire under the second station in the cockpit. It will be so nice to just turn around and see bottom contour, depth, water temp, and location without having to run inside. Which I usually end up banging my head in the process. We should also be able to click off waypoints from the cockpit now as well. It is going to be a whole new experience this year…cockpit sounder, wireless VHF mike and remote control of the stereo all from the cockpit. Now all I need it three extra hands so that I can play with all my cool toys and fish at the same time!

Well it was pretty cold…but once the heater was up and running for a little while the pilothouse and cockpit were somewhat warm. I stripped out the wiring from the old radio and fishfinder. I then cleaned up some wiring I left a little long in case I wanted to make changes and then began wiring up the new radio. I also connected all the NMEA wires for the GPS, fishfinder and radio so everything can communicate to each other. I still have to apply power to everything and make sure the connections are all correct but if I interpreted the manuals right the connections should all be good. I then re-tied all the wires back into one nice neat wire bundle. In the process of relocating the VHF antenna wire I discovered the solder on connector was not soldered all that well. Next trip down I will re-solder that connection and maybe I will see improved radio range from what I already think is pretty good range.

When I was running a new accessory, always on wire I noticed a pretty heave smell of gas. My fuel filters were very loose and actually dripping slowly. Only thing I could think of is that the gaskets had shrank from the recent cold weather. I tightened them up and they did not leak the rest of the day. Hopefully the cold weather is what caused this and hopefully only a little leaked out and still have a mostly full tank.

Why yes! I just finished cleaning the portable head. I left it in the garage a few days in hopes it would clean itself but for some reason it did not. I made an executive decision…paint or clean the head. You would think that would be a no brainer and most would opt for painting but I have been painting for two days and nights and needed a break. It actually was not that bad, the tablets I have been adding each time it was emptied and filled with fresh water kill off any smell at all and leave a somewhat pleasant smell. It is the slush, chunks and color that are less desirable. Probably TMI but thought I would share. Well at least it is done and I can get on with the more fun and enjoyable projects.

I guess if you can’t be on the water then the next best thing is being on the boat! I finished removing all items from the boat. It is amazing how much stuff you end up with, it is equally amazing that the boat still floats with all this stuff. Anyway I began the cleansing of the interior as well as electronics musical chairs. I removed the bracket and wiring for the old fish finder to make way for the new Uniden VHF. I installed the wireless second station charging cradle on the v-berth bulkhead and could not complete the wiring because they do not include an in-line fuse. Can you believe that, you spend over a hundred bucks for a second mic and they can’t even give you a 2 dollar fuse holder. It is just as well since I really should install an new buss bar with power that is always on regardless of batter selector switch position. This mic needs to recharge and there is also a need for accessory power for other devices to keep memory so I will add that to the distribution panel next time. I also decided to try replacing the gimbel pins on two of the rod holders with stainless hardware in lieu of replacing the whole rod holder. Only time will tell if this will hold up to wire line trolling which is what busted out the pins in the first place. Hopefully they will hold up that way I can order a new Avet reel instead of two rod holders. I also vacuumed the whole interior, something that was long over due. Once all the other wiring and work is done inside I will wash down all interior surfaces and oil the teak. Hopefully between working on the house and 47 days left before launch I can get all the planned projects done this time.

The outside of the boat is done and now it is on to the pilothouse and the rest of the inside. I hope to get down this weekend to do some more work in preparation for Winter Flounder season. It is only 63 days away and you would be amazed how fast 63 days slips by when your boat is not completely ready to back in the water. It is amazing how much stuff you acquire throughout the year. I now know why my fuel consumption went up…I have about an extra 100 pounds of gear from the previous year. Anyway I will be cleaning the fiberglass interior, cushions, windows, carpets, head, teak, etc. I was thinking of trying Interlux’s teak products…Premium Teak Restorer and Premium Teak Oil. Anyone have experience with them? Please post comments good or bad.

I did not want to come out but decided it was for the best. She is hauled, blocked and winterized. Now it is time for the annual cleaning and polishing. We did not fish as many days this year but caught a heck of a lot more fish and the decks are filthy.

I am a firm believer of putting the boat away clean. I get criticized by everyone else at the marina but I typically launch in the end of February or beginning of March and usually, maybe not this year, but usually it is damn cold that time of year. So with this mild weather I have gone ahead and washed and waxed the entire outside of the boat. I may need to apply a non-skid traction agent to the decks yet but can do that later. I recently switched to Interlux’s product, Premium Teflon Marine Wax with Cleaner. The boat came out much better than last year, it is whiter, shinier and smoother. Last season I had used the Meguire’s boat/RV product. I know many people recommend the Collonite products but they are much harder to use and if you miss the small window to remove the wax it is a real pain in the but to polish off. I guess we will just have to wait and see how it holds up with weekly fishing trips. I am hoping the Teflon in the product will really help prevent bait, slime, guts and the like from sticking and staining the decks, gunwales and other nooks and crannies of the boat. Now it is on to cleaning the interior and installing new electronics and gadgets.

I got a call from the Volvo Service Center…They have finished the repair and I can go back in the water. They did not say for sure that it was covered by warranty but would submit the paperwork to Volvo on it. The dealer where I bought the boat and their mechanic seemed the think there was no doubt that they would not cover it under warranty. He also offered to go to bat for with Volvo if there was any issue. A great dealer that will stand behind their product is hard to find. Unfortunately they dropped the Sea Sport line…but they are still standing behind the product that they sold. Which is even harder to find these days.

I am being hauled out tomorrow and hopefully the repair work for the steering will begin later in the week. If not I was told they would start next week. Woo hoo!!!!! So hopefully by Easter I will be back in the water and in time for the end of winter flounder and the beginning of the spring bass run. Assuming the bass don’t show up this week.

Well we pulled the boat and winterized the motor, head and fresh water systems. The Volvo dealer came and winterized the outdrive. I spent half of a very cold day building a frame for covering the boat. This year I am just going to trow a tarp over it. Maybe next year I will shrink wrap it or get a heavy winter canvas for the task. At least the frame is built and should provide enough angle to eliminate snow build as well as enough room to work on it without removing the cover.

Hopefully winter will be mild, I have several tasks I would like to accomplish over the next month. Unfortunately I won’t be able to much in the spring due to us finalizing a house purchase and with moving and repairs/improvements to the house I will have to concentrate on that in the spring. At least winter flounder season was pushed back….I should be done with the house by opening day!

All the gear has been removed, cleaned and stored. My office now looks like a tackle shop with all my rods stripped, cleaned and ready for winter maintenance. Santa was very kind this year brining a pair of wire line outfits for trolling bunker spoons and umbrella rigs.