Boat Profile:
The Metal Man - Jim Day
What kind of person converts a 14 foot aluminum skiff to an offshore fishing machine?
We've already mentioned the additional freeboard, so let's look some of the other features on the hull:
Check out the transom bracket (right). The Western hull had a tendency to ride bow down, so Jim was extra- careful not to add to this problem. The bracket is canted up towards the rear about 1 degree, to allow the hull to rock back a bit.
Jim cut out the thwart seats, and added more aluminum below decks to add back the required rigidity (left).
Aluminum hulls need to be carefully designed to avoid electrolysis. Part of this process is to make sure that salt water can freely drain and/or be flushed out. In the picture to the right, notice that this reinforcing rib is not sealed on the end, to permit water to drain out.
These gunnel trays (left) were added to stiffen the hull. They also act as convenient tackle trays. Jim built a custom center console from 1/8" aluminum. More on this in a second.
Jim added a fixed 17 gallon tank in the bow (right). He also built a removable 23 gallon tank for those extra-long trips. The built-in tank is under the lighter colored panel
Anchoring a small boat in deep water can be problematic. Rode management is a big issue, as is stowing the anchor. Jim added an anchor bracket to the raised bow, and an anchor rode locker to the front.
The front of the console is a fishbox (far left). The front seat cushion can be removed and replaced with a milk crate for additional storage (left). Note the rod racks on the front face of the console. The small black object on the front of the console is the autopilot fluxgate compass.
Jim also built this small instrument tower around the console. Jim laughingly refers to it as an "I-Top" (as opposed to a Tee-top). The purpose of the tower is to provide a safe mounting position for the boat's radome, and also raise the antenna height for better reception.
Jim added these custom rails around the stern. The height was chosen to provide anglers working the back of the boat with mid-thigh support.
Page 3 of 5 pages for this article : < 1 2 3 4 5 >
