Well, as we approach the 5-week mark until our departure, planning and prep starts to really take shape. This year, I'm committed to not buying any more tackle (I'm overloaded!), but I'm turning my attention to boat organization. Last evening we went over to Cabela's to look at rod holders and the like, but didn't really find what I was looking for. I'm not necessarily looking for a rod holder for when we're trolling or drifting, but rather when we're NOT fishing and going from HERE to THERE. We always seem to struggle keeping the camp boat organized. Too much tackle, probably 3 rods per person, bait containers, net, fish finder, anchor, cooler ( ;D ), and whatever else ends up in there besides our beer-bloated bodies.
I'm confident many of you have suggestions for this, and I guess I'm asking for them. I've seen some pics online with plastic milk crates featuring PVC rod holders, BoatMates organizers, etc. Any suggestions out there? Any homemade creations that help you keep your "Kipawa office space" tight, and rigged right? Pics are appreciated if you've got them.
Whew...37 looooong days to go....
Good Luck
Two more sleeps.
Quote from: RHYBAK on June 18, 2014, 12:31:44 PM
Good Luck
Two more sleeps.
You're really not adding any value here now, are you? :'(
Just think, only 10 sleeps until you're on your way home! Har har...hardy har har.... ;D
Lol..... Then to the cottage for what????
MORE FISHING ;) ;) ;) ;)
I do make the boat a mess sometimes! ;D
T-Bone
Since I'll be fishing WAY before you ,I'll try to take a picture of our boat and post it for you.
Good Thread T-Bone,
I'm interested in whatever suggestions also.
36 very long days to go...
Quote from: RHYBAK on June 18, 2014, 01:27:30 PM
Lol..... Then to the cottage for what???? MORE FISHING ;) ;) ;) ;)
Once again, I fail to see how this helps me. Clearly you're not working hard enough where you have so much time off scheduled. ;)
However, given that you may have a helpful solution to my inquiry, I will reserve any disparaging remarks until I know for sure.
And Mattie...you're no more messy than those other jamokes we're up there with. It may be time for me to don my Captain Ahab hat again in the boat. Ask Marco about that fun.
No Extra time scheduled off.
Just my regular work Monday to Friday and fishing Saturday and Sunday....almost every week.
Ya rhybak but at least I get to go to kipawa to MY cottage there almost every other weekend!!!!!
having said that...my boat also looks like a tornado hit it and I usually fish alone. I can use some of those tips too lol
T-Bone, we use metal coat hangers bent like a capital N and duct tape them to the side of the boat with the left side up and down part over the side of the boat. They easily can support 3 rods and reels and keeps them out of the way when they're not being used. We also tie hinge clips (heavy duty) on the bow and aft tie up ropes. It makes for a much faster escape from the boat when bugs are bad. Just click them onto the metal dock hoops and you're out of there.
Thanks Oarin...I'll set that up...great tip. Any others out there? I know some of you probably like things set right in the boat. Any tips are welcome...doesn't have to be the next big contraption. Thx.
T-Bone, if you try the coat hangers don't cut them, leave it connected where the twisted part is so there are two wires(?) holding the poles. Just cut off the hook at the top. 31 more days!!! Bought the rib eye steak and a bunch more stuff today! If you don't have a vacuum sealer for your meats and sauces you should consider it. They really keep the stuff fresh and compact. I'll be anxiously awaiting Rybak's report.
T-bone
Great topic! I always try to.keep.as much crap off the floor as.possible
Tripping on crap always.makes the boat feel more cluttered to me.
To accomplish this I use zip ties, caribenerrs along with coat hangars cut and bent into handmade hooks over the gunwale to hang bags or keep the landing net in place...
It really depends on what kind of boat you have and how permanent you want the organization to be....get creative.
I walk around home depot and lowes on my lunch breaks to stretch my legs AND to think of ways to repurpose stuff (for instance a grey electrical conduit box makes a great little cigar holder and ash tray for about $2.50. The kayak clip on style drink holders work on most gunwales for 3.50.... etc
side note maybe this thread should get moved to the boat section?...
You're asking the $100,000 question. Every morning I spend sorting out the boat. Untangling fishing poles that got twisted up on the boat ride home. Fishing hooks stuck in life vests, stuck in the net, dried up worms and leeches, food wrappers, ( 4 kids ages 4-17 is an adventure fishing in itself!) Getting water out of the bottom of the boat. It has just become a tradition! :D I grab a beer or two and start to work.
I swear ever single year that I am limiting what I take with me each trip... But that never holds true. I have PVC pipe sections as rod holders to try and keep them off the floor of the boat. That never works because I have more rods than holders. I built a bench seat in the bow of the boat that hinges up and it holds many supplies, tool box, ropes, spark plugs, flares, all that kind of stuff. At the end of the day, fishing with all the kids, my most important feature is my cup holder... and a Kipawa sunset. Then all is good with the world... and tomorrow I can clean the boat once again!
Quote from: Oarin on June 18, 2014, 09:15:30 PM
T-Bone, if you try the coat hangers don't cut them, leave it connected where the twisted part is so there are two wires(?) holding the poles. Just cut off the hook at the top. 31 more days!!! Bought the rib eye steak and a bunch more stuff today! If you don't have a vacuum sealer for your meats and sauces you should consider it. They really keep the stuff fresh and compact. I'll be anxiously awaiting Rybak's report.
Oarin
This year I'm off with the videographer.
Hoping you'll have a nice video to watch before you leave.
Quote from: 600 miles north on June 19, 2014, 06:57:13 AM
Every morning I spend sorting out the boat. :D I grab a beer or two and start to work.
600...you're busting me up!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!! I love it! Cripes, even the sots that I go up with wait until late morning to start cracking the Bleues!!! That's awesome. And truth be told, the "cleaning the boat out" ritual is commonly met with a sour face and long, slow walk down to the dock. Never fun. But maybe that's the problem...we're not sucking down suds when we're doing it. ;D
Good ideas Dog...thanks. I'm pretty good at 'MacGyver'ing' stuff, so a trip down the aisles of Home Deport is a good place to start.
Thanks.
Well, here is my 2 cents:
I've owned a place on kipawa for 11 years now, and along the way, i've expanded the cottage 3 separate times, went from boat to different boat, atv to side by side, car to pickup, built thousands of contraptions, etc, all with the intent of making camp life easier, less stressful, and "better". Trust me, i've analyzed it from every angle. I will admit, most of those things "helped", and i'm happy I did them, but truth be told, we all still get flustered at times. Camps and boats get dirty, bugs bite, things are never perfect at camp. The more I tried to make them that way, the less I got to enjoy, so last year I came to the conclusion, that BY FAR, the best camp/boat/anything upgrade was simply
MORE BOOZE ;D ;D ;D
I'm half joking, half not. I guess what i'm trying to say, is the mere imperfections that make camp life difficult, are also what make it perfect.
Long story short, take it from a perfectionist, save the $50-$100 you were gonna spend trying to make the boat better, and grab more booze ;) It's surprising at how well booze masks small issues and relieves stress. LOL. Good luck Tbone! Have fun, that's all that really matters.
A portable bilge pump is a must have for us. Puckster,my neighbor also uses it to drain the water from the toilet at his cottage each fall. He says it works great. We also duct tape a foot long, 4" wide piece of styrofoam to the side of the boat by each of us to hold the jigs and lures we plan on using each trip. We have a water proof plastic bin that fits nicely in front of the middle seat to hold emergency gear, rain gear,spot light, tools, etc. T-Bone take a picture of your boat when you get it done. I'd like to see what you came up with.
Totally agree on the battery bilge pump. We got one a few years back and it really simplifies the morning after a big Kip thunderstorm. Most of the junk ends up being ciggie butts and bottle caps. We have tried coffee cans for this, but they end up rolling on the boat as well. Maybe taping them up in the front and back of the boat will help?
And for those of you who know Tbone, Ahab is his alter ego. The worst of it is when you are his anchor boy. I have fished with Ahab where we move more times than we fish as "we aren't on the spot". On the bright side by the end of the week your arms look like Popeye.
ALWAYS A NEVER ENDING FIGHT TO PREVENT A MIDWEEK CLEAN OUT
So T-Bone, what are you going to do differently with your boat? Take a picture of your setup, I'm always looking for new ideas. Thanks, Oarin.
All this talk about keeping the boat organized is making me feel like a messy slob! Ever do or see that cartoon of a painter, painting himself in a corner? Uh, now picture the boat, that guy that can't get out until he moves a rod or two, a tackle box or two, a camera or two, a cooler, etc. , that guy is me! By Wednesday I gotta clean out the boat's gunnels and put away harnesses, jigs and lures that I was too lazy to do on the water. I've been asked by everybody except my son why I take so much stuff. My simple reason is that my Kipawa or any other fishin trip is so very special to me, the planning, day dreaming, anticipation, coupled with the cost of the trip demands that you have to be prepared for anything, so don't screw it up! You don't get these days back and besides, I'd rather be lookin at it than lookin for it!
C.C.
One more thing that's important is to have the cell # of your outfitter on your phone or in your boat. Capt. Guy reminded me of that today. You never know when some catastrophe can pop up and you need help. We have flares, a flare rocket, SOS flag, etc. on board. Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Learned that lesson in the Gouin Reservoir. Oarin.
Here ia a picture of my boat after a typical Kipawa fishing excursion.
Here's the picture of mine and Tbone's boat after a couple of days on the water. Looking forward to trying the coat hangar trick!
I like all the room you have available in your boat Marco ;D. Reminds me of a load I once had in my canoe with three guys, and it still had freeboard.
Ryback, there's plenty of space in your boat, did you clean it out for it's photo op?
Sarg.
No special treatment.
That is what my boat looked like all week.
Marco
That looks exactly like CaptainCrappies boat on a good day.
Rybak; You keep it fairly clean, no empty beer cans and other small loose stuff like lures and candy wrappers.
So that's what the captions boat looks like.
15 more days till I start my drive ...
Quote from: SgtCrabby on July 08, 2014, 11:30:00 AM
Rybak; You keep it fairly clean, no empty beer cans and other small loose stuff like lures and candy wrappers.
So that's what the captions boat looks like.
15 more days till I start my drive ...
Empty beer cans have their place , contained near the gas tank.
Diabetic ,therefor no candy wrappers.
Two very good energetic kids on our trip that cleaned our boats after every trip.
Than makes for a very clean boat at all times.
Our anchor was kept in a milk crate that also serves as a temporary empty holder.
Boat clutter is always a problem. This year I made some vertical rod holders. I'll let you know how they work out.
Marco...that's not cool. >:( But, I guess there's a little self-deprecation in there...so OK.
Not sure if there is a magic bullet here, so we'll see how it goes. Maybe, like anything, a little effort along the way is easier than a huge effort once or twice. I'll know soon enough, right Rhybak? 8)
Getting so close I actually need to start thinking about it...not just daydreaming...
T-Bone
You should actually make a deal with you're boat buddy.
You guide and drive the boat.
He cleans up after every trip.
Yah...right
Ah, Now we know your secret Rhybak; two very energetic kids that clean the boat.
I'm not bringing my grandson to clean the boat yet, he would make Marcos boat picture look empty.
And I'm not making a deal with my boat buddy - he drives AND cleans up (don't break a good thing).
Marco, that boat pic is a hoot! It is better if the boat is organized but no matter how neat it starts with me, it gets outta control real fast. There was a time when I was wondering where the night crawlers were going. Until it rained and the water drained back as I left the dock and sped up, in the small bilge area (Under the boat's floor) the mystery was solved. Those buggers were getting out of the worm box due to the lid not closing completely. Must have been 3-4 dozen in that water! I do have a "Boat Box" that has all my tools, cables, spot light, flashlight, rain gear, drift sock, bug spray, hand soap, binoculars, stringers, spare eyeglasses, bug suit, maps, extra batteries, first aid kit, aspirin, antacids, fish scale, and some of that butt wiping paper... just in case, and some crackers to munch on too. There's more stuff in there but it's underneath the stuff I mentioned. I usually have a minimum of three tackle boxes with me. One labeled Walleye, one labeled Musky/Bass (the musky also doubles as northerns while I'm at Kipawa), and one labeled, Misc. It's a combination box filled with stuff that won't fit in the other boxes. I have been leaving my soft side tackle box at the cabin, to leave some space for me, my fishing partner, his unnecessary stuff, and all my other stuff. 31 Days!
C.C.
So my big contribution to boat organization is somewhat selfish. At least twice per trip I knock my beer over in the boat which always brings me nearly to tears. Drum roll please...so I bought this...
NortonJoe, we danced around the spilling beer thing too. We came up with cutting a piece of 4" wide pcv pipe about 4"s high, duct taping a piece of plastic to the bottom and then duct taping it to the side of the boat. It's not pretty, but no more spilled beer. Oarin.
Quote from: rhinoboy on June 19, 2014, 10:07:45 AM
Well, here is my 2 cents:
I've owned a place on kipawa for 11 years now, and along the way, i've expanded the cottage 3 separate times, went from boat to different boat, atv to side by side, car to pickup, built thousands of contraptions, etc, all with the intent of making camp life easier, less stressful, and "better". Trust me, i've analyzed it from every angle. I will admit, most of those things "helped", and i'm happy I did them, but truth be told, we all still get flustered at times. Camps and boats get dirty, bugs bite, things are never perfect at camp. The more I tried to make them that way, the less I got to enjoy, so last year I came to the conclusion, that BY FAR, the best camp/boat/anything upgrade was simply
MORE BOOZE ;D ;D ;D
I'm half joking, half not. I guess what i'm trying to say, is the mere imperfections that make camp life difficult, are also what make it perfect.
Long story short, take it from a perfectionist, save the $50-$100 you were gonna spend trying to make the boat better, and grab more booze ;) It's surprising at how well booze masks small issues and relieves stress. LOL. Good luck Tbone! Have fun, that's all that really matters.
lololololol
Wiser words have never been spoken
And I love T-Bones original reference to his boat as "Kipawa Office Space"
Priceless...sorry to dig up an old thread, couldn't help myself!
Currently getting my boat ready for a Kipawa trip so the thread made for some good laughs!