Li'l Tuffy Remodel

[going_phishin]

Hey Everyone,
I'm not sure if anyone would be interested but I thought I would put up my first boat and it's remodelling to suit me. We have done a bit to it since we got in on Wednesday and I'm really happy with the results so far.

I intend to have a full casting deck with a live bait tank in the back, an esky up the front and a compartment so I can put my feet down when travelling. There is going to be another section where I can put my fishing bag and a compartment up the front for the minn kota and humminbird 727 depth sounder battery.

We took her out today for a test run with the 6hp mariner and I could get it up on the plane with Mum and I in the boat but only did about 4 knots with Dad ;D ;D ;D forgot to take the hand held gps out so I didn't know what speed I was doing but she really held the water in tight turns :P.

Will post a few photo's now and if anyone is interested I will put the rest of the remodel up as it gets done.

Cheers
Josh

First photo is when Dad brought her home on Wednesday.

[going_phishin]

This next photo is of the boat with the name and rego put on as well as cheap advertising for Humminbird :D (maybe a cheap 727 Mr Morgan :-[) cant see the back but Minn Kota have advertising space as well ;D

[going_phishin]

This one is with the motor on the back courtesy of Troy from Buccaneers in Hervey Bay.
Thanks again Troy [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[going_phishin]

This one is of the christening today.

[going_phishin]

This is Mum and I pushing off and ready to go. :D

[going_phishin]

this is me sanding the begining of the casting deck yesterday (Saturday)

[going_phishin]

In this one I am sealing the deck.

[going_phishin]

Starting the framework Saturday.

[going_phishin]

Sealing the framework.

[going_phishin]

Compartment for my feet when driving her.

[going_phishin]

Framework in place this afternoon.

[going_phishin]

Ugly bug showing Mum how well my legs fit in :P

[going_phishin]

First fit of the casting deck last thing this afternoon.

[marlinqld]

geez you have put some thought and work into her.............interested??????????

mate everyone will be, so you better keep the pics coming as the work progresses......... a meet and greet on board might be the go...... as you are the master of the vessel, you're shout LOL..... ;) ;D ;)

Mike

[mirage]

Hey Josh,
What a great effort. I'm sure you will have lots of fun in her and catch plenty.
Make sure you post some photos of the finished product. :D
Scotty.

[Homer_Jay]

Great effort Josh!

Sure beats my first boat..... A 6'6" Cruisecraft with a 2 HP Mariner...........



Ahh thoses were the days....... not a care in the world.

[going_phishin]

Homer...my hero ;D ;D ;D

I am not...repeat...not..in the market for a Mercruiser for Li'l Tuffy :D

I have been watching your posts 8-)

Cheers
Josh

[Fishin_Dan]

Nice work Josh! That's a fantastic little boat! You're certainly doing a good job of it.

Have a chat with Gary Fooks as well on here. He's got the same boat, and his setup really nicely. You might be able to get some hints from him.

Are you attaching the frame for the cast deck to the boat? If so, how?

[marlinqld]

hahahahahahahahaha LMFAO ;D ;)

what a shot josh,........right between the legs and in the goolies .......he got ya good homer LMFAO........

i love humor like that josh..keep it up mate, you'll do well in here ;) ;D :o ::) :-? :o ::) :P :P ;) ;) ;D

[going_phishin]

Hey Fishing_Dan,
No I'm not attaching the framework to the boat. I'm putting it onto the casting deck and thinking about putting screws in the casting deck to the seats in about 8 spots. Have you got any better ideas 'cause I welcome anyone that does.

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Hey Mirage and Marlin_Mike,
Sorry didn't see your posts :-[ yea I have thought about it quite a bit and am hoping it turns out right in the end and will certainly post pics of the whole thing finished. Yea about the meet & greet we will have to find out how to attach a pontoon on the back so everyone can fit on.

Cheers
Josh

[StevenM]

Josh

Thats a cracker of a boat mate

Keep the pics comming of the progress and finished product.

Onya

Cheers

Steven

[going_phishin]

Hey Mike,
I thought it was pretty funny too.....but jeez I feel for Homer_Jay :'( :'( :'(

Cheers
Josh

[murf]

hi Josh
top looking job you are doing
you will have a setup that will make a lot of fishos envious
Great stuff
Cheers Murf
PS you should see my river boat :) built before Noahs Ark but does the job. although the bailing bucket gets worn out.

[going_phishin]

Hey Hi_yo and Murf,
Yea those photos will be on here as soon as I can get them taken ;)
That is a bit of a worry Murf......I'd be getting a new bucket 'cause if your old one is getting worn out it wont be long untill you don't have anything to bail out with ;D ;D ;D

[finga64]

What a beauty matey.
Gees you've been a busy beaver haven't you!!!
Mate, One problem that i can see. With all the extras how are you going to fit in the bucket loads of fish??
I guess the motor bike in the shed is on the back burners now eh.
Great job matey. You doing well. Never know you might be able to get some sub-contract work doing boats up ;)
How come there was no pictures with dad?? Couldn't the camera keep up with the pace??
Cheers then
Scott

[darryl_l]

Hey Josh,

Just watch the weight with all the casting decks, eskys, live wells etc you'll never be able to tow it behind ya pushie ;D ;D ;D ;D

Nah looking good mate there'll be no holding you back now

Darryl L

[going_phishin]

Hey Finga,
Yea mate she's getting there though.....but fish, I have to fish :-/ :-/ ;D
Are you looking for a motorbike for your young bloke.....'cause mine's for sale because water winch cables tend to do damage to my face and tends to turn you off motorbikes :'( :'( :-[ :-[
Dad reckon's he moves to fast for a still camera and you need a video camera ;D ;D

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Hey Darryl,
Yea I think I might have to give dad a couple of shoulder massages so he will take me the 13km to the ramp.....each day? ::)

Cheers
Josh

[Pirate_Pete_Tas]

Cool Going Josh

The guys at http://www.polyboatowners.com/forum would love to have you join them. There are a few tuff tenders amongst them but they have done nothing like you have yet.

[going_phishin]

Hey Marlin_Mike,
I would just like to congratulate you on going GOLD on my thread!!!!

Cheers
Josh

[finga64]

you crack me up Josh ;D ;D
What's your bike??
I've got a towbar on my motorbike...might be handy for the boat...only one problem...no reverse to get down the ramp :'(
Hey, did tigga get a ride today??

[going_phishin]

Hey Pirate Pete,
I have been looking at there forum while I was looking for a tuff tender and I did make myself a user, but apparently I can't get on until the moderator sends me an email saying "you're on", and I haven't heard from anyone for days now.

Cheers
Josh

[finga64]

When's the school holidays start Josh.
I know why your working so hard. Just so everything is dunkie dorrie by the school holidays.
You'll have to work hard at getting some browny point so someone can take you and tuffy down to the river ;)

[going_phishin]

Hey Finga,

It's a PW80....how about some photo's of the tow ball setup :-/ :-/ Then I can slip through all the cane farms and go night fishing ;D ;D ;D

Yea I'll have to find a way to put reverse on the bike :P

Tigga would sink the boat 'cause he is so huge ;D

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Hey Finga,
The skewl holidays start next week but I'm trying to get her ready for the Lake Monduran Family Classic on the 14th and 15th of October so I don't have to go bottom bashing for catties with Mum & Dad >:( >:(

Lucky Mum & Dad work from home but I also have some of the fishing club members wanting to come out 8-)

Cheers
Josh

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

The boat looks great Josh! Excellent pics and good ideas with what you are doing. You'll be out and into em in no time mate.

Cheers and congrats

Dave

[TonyM]

She's looking fantastic Josh, Well done! :)

The layout of the compartments looks good, should be plenty of storage when it's done! 8-)

I secured my casting platforms to the tuffy by screwing them into the seats, although I did 2 seperate decks for front and rear to keep the weight down a little. The rear of the front deck is supported by a timber brace attached to a Poly lug welded to either side which meant I didn't have to use vertical supports. If you ever need to bring the weight back a little using the lugs should help, although I think the setup you've got should work well for you. I mostly fish 2 adults so keeping the weight down is more of an issue for my tuffy.

I'll shoot some pics of that when I send you the ones of the Minnkota mount.

Keep up the good work, hopefully I might see you on the water at Monduran ;)

[gunnabuild1]

Looks good mate have fun and enjoy it.

[Homer_Jay]

what a shot josh,........right between the legs and in the goolies .......he got ya good homer LMFAO........

i love humor like that josh..keep it up mate, you'll do well in here


Yeah yeah he got me...... but at least i will have a nice big mercruiser anchor. I wont drift out to sea!! .......... now where did i put those paddles :-/

[Foolish_Chicken]

That's a great project Josh. Should look the goods when finished.

Mike

[going_phishin]

Hey everyone,

TonyM: Hey mate the idea of the poly lugs sounds good and we are going to screw the deck into the seats as well. #Dad felt using 40mm x 20mm pine would keep the weight down and I'm only using 12mm ply 'cause I'm only light. #As you can see from the photo's I'm sealing all the timber to stop warping. #Looking forward to the photo's especially of the minn kota setup.

Thanks for all the comments from all the other members. #There seems to be a fair bit of interest, so I will keep posting.

Cheers
Josh

This photo is of all the compartments cut and ready to be sealed.

[going_phishin]

Hinges in place.

[going_phishin]

Sealing the edges.

[going_phishin]

;D

[shayned]

That should be a cracker when it's finished, keep the photos coming.

[going_phishin]

Hey Shayned,
Congrats on just going gold and thanks for your comment.

Cheers
Josh

[Fishin_Dan]

Josh. It's great to see that you are actually getting stuck in and doing it rather than letting the old man do it all. You're doing a great job, and more kids need to learn to DIY! :D

[going_phishin]

Hey Fishing Dan,
Dad is helping a hell of a lot, though I'm doing most of it myself, and I'm learning heaps while doing it.

Cheers
Josh

[IcemanII]

Impressive work there josh, Great project !

[going_phishin]

Hey everyone,
Got most of the carpet on today except we ran out of glue for the last 2 bits >:( #I will put pics up with all the carpet on tomorrow.

Then it's only the handles to go and she is basically finished apart from minn kota and depth sounder and a few other refinements.

Cheers
Josh

First 2 photos show the trimming of the carpet to fit.

[going_phishin]

2nd

[going_phishin]

Ready to fit!

[going_phishin]

All but back 2 fitted.

[going_phishin]

This one is of the leg compartment while driving.

[going_phishin]

This is the compartment for my fishing bag.

[going_phishin]

this one is for my esky.

[going_phishin]

this is the compartment for the battery.

[finga64]

Where's the rod holders matey #:)
And I hope the esky is the kill tank #;)
Looking good. You'll be ready well before the holidays #:)
Have you still got 10 fingers after all the trimming?? ;)

[marvin]

Congrats Joshy on your own creation, keep keen, Marvin.

[marvin]

Congrats Joshy on your own creation, keep keen, Marvin.

[going_phishin]

Hey finga,
The rod holders are built in at the back you just can't see them very well in the photos.

Yea I'll get it done before the holidays easy just got to get the depth sounder which I'm getting off Troy from Buccaneers in Hervey Bay.

I think they are all there hold on let me see 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9...where has the other 1 gone! Oh wait never mind it's right here. ;D

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Hey Marvin,
Thanks for that mate.

Cheers
Josh

[finga64]

I think they are all there hold on let me see 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9...where has the other 1 gone! Oh wait never mind it's right here. ;D

Cheers
Josh


Mate, you missed the pinky you were counting with didn't you :)

[fullscale]

josh it has been my absolute pleasure to get you on the water you are the next generation and its ppl like your self that we should all try and incourage to get involved in this amazing recreational activity we call fishing . i would just like to say thats a credit to joshs parents they have raised an amaizing young man more polite then most of my customers ,its been a pleasure josh and hope to here from you soon.

cheers troy

[going_phishin]

Hey finga,
Yea that's the one I missed.....I was getting scared for a minute then ;)

[going_phishin]

Hey Troy,
You Definetly got me faster on the water but hopefully in the next week or so you will get me seeing what's in the water ;D ;)

Cheers
Josh

[navlight]

Well done champ,

You are a handyman with huge talent.

Dont let anyone tell you different. The boat looks tops and I rekon that you are going to have a great time enjoying it.

;Regards

navlight :)

[fullscale]

mate i will get that`sounder to you àsap ;)

[marlinqld]

but what is in the esky josh????????????? red cordial i hope ;D ;D ;)

[going_phishin]

Thanks Navlight....I have learnt heaps from Dad over these past few days.

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Hey Marlin_Mike,
Red Cordial?!?!? I thought they drank rum at sea ::) ;D

Cheers
Josh

[navlight]

A great trainer with a great apprentice.

catch heaps mate ;)

navlight

[poor_mans_barra]

Well done Josh, If you put as much effort into your fishing as your boat your parents are going to be sick of eating fish.
Again well done, it's good to see a young man with desire.

All the best.

PMB

[oddbudman]

Nice work Josh, the transformation is looking amazing. :)

oddbudman

[shayned]

Hey Marlin_Mike,
Red Cordial?!?!? I thought they drank rum at sea ::) ;D

Cheers
Josh
I might be wrong here but I believe that only happens on Cheech Charters and only on special occassions, everybody else just sticks to the red cordial like marlin mike. ;)

Nice effort mate and good to see you spending time with dad learning some skills, you'll thank him for it down the track. Now how about some photos of some captures.

[Breamfish]

Howdy! Saw your post on Lil Tuffy, I bought a Tuff Tender recently for throwing lures for bream and I've been thinking of ideas for a casting deck, so I'd be very interested in how your setup turns out! Have fun!

[lattic]

Well done mate, good to see a bloke your age getting amongst it, good luck to ya.
muz

[marlinqld]

shayned, just thinking of his age thats all..............dont want to teach him any bad habits too young......or do we??????? ;) ;) :o ::)

Not into the red cordial myself shayne, But i can remember byears ago the old faithful bottle of stones green ginger wine to keep warm on a cold nights fishing LOL.......

[going_phishin]

Hey everyone,
I don't have any photo's tonight because I had a to go look for a job to pay for extra stuff I need for my boat & Dad went offshore fishing so I couldn't do much work on her.

Cheers
Josh

[finga64]

Huh, your learning real well now Josh.
Fishing and having money-never the twane shall meet. (I think that's right??)
or as some-one here has as a monica...having a boat is like having a cold shower whilst tearing up $100 bills.

[going_phishin]

Hey finga,
I'm starting to realise that but I should be almost done spending money on the stuff I need but then I'll have to start saving for my car again ;)

Cheers
Josh

[marvin]

Great effort Joshy, Stay keen. Marvin.

[Angla]

Great to see you altering the new boat to suit your needs Josh. We all do that when we get a new toy.

From here on the toys just get bigger and better and more expensive. ;D

Work just fills in time between fishing trips.

Angla :) :)

[going_phishin]

Hey Everyone,
Got the deck on her all finished today.....(and rego sticker arrived today)yay! I got a little iFinder GO gps to put in and you can see the holder in front of my right knee. The Humminbird 727 is arriving tomorrow with the wide scan transducer arriving next week.

I have no money left for anything else so now I really need to get a job ;D

Cheers
Josh

First pic is with all the lids open with black velcro's in place and hatch rings installed.

[going_phishin]

This is one of all the lids down with the gps holder just in front of me.

[marlinqld]

is that your hahn can josh? LOL ;D ;) :o ::)

[going_phishin]

This one is of me holding my Live Fibre Blade 4kg baitcaster and Shimano Callisto ready for the weekend 8-)

I like this photo 'cause it makes me look really tall ;D

[Homer_Jay]

Mate thats turning out a top little rig. Its a credit to you.

Hope you catch plenty

[going_phishin]

Hey Marlin Mike,
No (damn!) it's Dad's 'cause he went out reef fishing last night and he is totally shattered bodywise and needed a beer or 16 ::) :P

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Hey Homer,
Thanks....she is looking good even if I do say so myself ;) How's the mercrusier going?

Cheers
Josh

[Homer_Jay]

All fixed mate.... i hope, will give her a good run on the weekend

[going_phishin]

Hey Homer,
Let us know how she goes......at least a good run should get your confidence back up :)

Cheers
Josh

[lippa]

thats bloody wonderful!!!!!

good onya little fella!!!!

wish the kids in this neighbourhood were a little like you!!!

cheers

lippa

[Homer_Jay]

Thats right Lippa... Good to see a young fella getting into something usefull with his time.
The kids around here would just go flog it if they wanted somthing like that!!!

[blaze]

Hi Josh
Its a real credit to you mate, you have done a good job. One concern I have is the hinges on the lid for where ya legs go, my thoughts are that it will bounce about on to your legs when underway, does it lay flat onto the deck. If it dosnt maybe you could make it do that or make it removable. Credit to you dad to, really good to see father and son teams.
Top job
cheers
blaze

[going_phishin]

Hey Blaze,
Thanks for that.....we thought that was a good point made by you and now the hinges have been taken out and made removable.

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Hey everyone,
Went out fishing for the first time today. #Not everything is finished (I don't have the transducer for the depth sounder yet and I don't have the minn kota on) but the casting deck, boat and motor worked beautifully. #I'm rapped with how it went.....the casting deck was the perfect size & the boat got up on the plane with ease. #Even fishing from the edges couldn't get her off balance and her top speed is 15 knots.

Cheers
Josh

This photo is of me driving her.

[going_phishin]

This next one is me flicking to the shallows.

[going_phishin]

If you want to see my first fish look under Freshwater Reports soon (only forktail catty but a good point scoring fish for the club comp this weekend).

A lazy Saturday afternoon on the water relaxing.

[davez104]

Unreal. Bet it feels good now that all that hard work is starting to pay off. I also bet you'll catch just as many fish out of that rig as the boys with their big toys, and it'll cost bugger all to run.

Enjoy it, she's a beauty

Dave.

[NeilD]

Thats a great report on your renovations and a top job on the refurb itself. Looking forward to seeing lots of reports on the fish your going to catch out of it

Congratulations on a top job

Neil

[Pirate_Pete_Tas]

Cool going Josh

Li'l Tuffy will give you years of enjoyment. :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[going_phishin]

Hey Davez104,
Yeah it feels awesome just to have my own boat and she will last me for ages.

Hey Horse,
There will be lots of reports in here about all the fish I catch from her.

Hey Pirate Pete Tas,
All I need to do is upgrade the motor when I get my license and she will still be right.

Cheers
Josh

[gone_phishin]

G'day All

I just thought I'd say g'day and thank all those who have encouraged Josh so much through this thread. He has learnt so much about boats, carpentry, trailers, motors, and is starting on the electrics now..but apart from this he has learnt a lot about human nature and how generous people can be with their knowledge, time, and even some goods from some great members...you all know who you are and Josh has already thanked you personally but I would like to add mine as well though not mentioning any names for privacy reasons.

He is a fine young man and will go a long way in whatever he chooses to do in life as long as he keeps going the way he is. The sport of fishing has grabbed him by the throat and he is so intense it is sometimes hard to keep up with him....but his ethics are as strong as well, and is deeply into catch and release, and sustainable fishing.

I have added a short video of his first launch of "Li'l Tuffy" more so to try out the video hosting on YouTube and new video parking facilities here on Ausfish. Not a lot had been done to the boat at that stage but it was his first trip ;) Hope it works out....still testing at the moment :-/

Kind regards
Geoff

3X8jhHXbyBE

[gone_phishin]

Damn...I made the video for private use only on YouTube.com :-[ but thanks to Steve (Ausfish) I think the video will now show :D. Can someone let me know if it is ok :)

Regards
Geoff

[gone_phishin]

Bugger...could you take a screen shot Scott so I can see what's happening? I just checked Josh's 'puter and, though it took a while to load after pressing the run button, it does show the video....hmmm, maybe I'll talk to Steve again :-?.

Regards (and many,many thanks ::))
Geoff

[Pirate_Pete_Tas]

It worked for my

Cool effort

[gone_phishin]

Thanks Pirate _Pete

I was just muckin' around with the video thingy to see how it would work...should have played for about 1:56 mins...does that sound right?

Regards
Geoff

[gone_phishin]

Yeh Finga,

I reckon fishing should be mandatory at school....just to teach kids patience and silence 8-) The look on Josh's face today when he got his school mackeral, that he went out specifically targeting, was a delight to see. Gotta admit though that he saw his Mum catch hers and rapidly shifted spots...even to the point where when she rolled her line over the last ferrel, he was able to reach over and unravel it for her ;D ;D ;D
Regards
Geoff

[lippa]

video worked a treat!!!!!!!
if there was an OAM for "havin' a go"
your boy has my vote.
and congrats to you to 'ol boy
the boy has obviously been giving the right direction.

cheers

lippa

[gone_phishin]

'ol Boy :(....damn lippa...I'm only as 'ol as I feel :D

I may have given him the right direction, but you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink..he has to do that himself, and at this stage...he has.

Regards
geoff

[marlinqld]

Worked for me. Geez it goes for a little boat and motor.

hes gonna have some fun in that....

Mike

[GAD]

way cool , you'll enjoy yourself with that , and boy it was a quick little plastic rocket.

Greg

[seafarer3]

Good on ya Josh .....
mate 100% effort there...
Looking forward to seeing the end product..
Good to see the younger GEN getting into something constructive..
Also your parent's for making it happen..
Would lov to get my son into doing the same

Cheers
Scott

[SURF_SNIPER]

thats awesome, reminds me of my first 10 ft punt. was great fun.

good luck, she's a top little boat

[imported_admin]

Geoff

Great post, good to see that level of enthusiasm and commitment by the young bloke.

PM me your address and I post out the following pack of goodies.

[marlinqld]

Nice gesture Steve. ;D Great to see young Josh getting into it........... ;D

[gone_phishin]

G'day Steve

I've sent you a pm with our address but would like to just thank you publicly. Will leave it to Josh to respond as it is his thread. He (and we!) couldn't have done the thread without Ausfish...shows what a great site she is ;D Hopefully this may get a few other kids ( and Dads ::)) going on a similar project.

finga

If you are ever in Bundy, you've just gotta give us a call and come out for a beer or 6 :D Actually that goes for all the other Ausfishers that have encouraged Josh so much....geez I could end up stonkered if everyone took me up on that :o :o

Kind regards
Geoff

[going_phishin]

Hey everyone,
Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me along the way.....I am going to enjoy every minute out water as she is a beautiful boat. The final touches will be done over the holidays eg. Minn Kota, depth sounder and of course Ausfish stickers :) I will post the pics up of her when she is complete :)

I would also like to thank Steve for his kind offer as I will thoroughly enjoy all of it especially the Platypus Lo-Stretch 'cause I have been waiting for it to hit the shops. The guy who is in the advertising for the Lo-Stretch with the 2 GT's is one of my mentors ;D For some reason his favourite name for me is Li'l Sh!t :-? :P :-/

Hopefully this encourages other kids like me :)

Cheers
Josh

[Tony_N]

Yeeeesss Steve - good one

I guess the cooler is for Geoff and his contribution to this very heartening project. :)

This whole episode brings a very warm feeling to this old heart - congrats to the young fella, his dad and all of you guys on ausfish.

Tony

[Grand_Marlin]

Nice work Josh ;)

Mate, stick around and we will have you remodelling all types of boats before long ;D

I reckon a 4.3 Markham Whaler would make for a good rebuild for you :D

Cheers

Pete

[Homer_Jay]

Onya Pete, Trying to convert more to the cat fold.... ;D ;D

Start them young hey!

Just make sure you warn him about how much they cost to run. Or is that the trick you hook them in with a single outboard cat so they get hooked on the ride and dont realise the costs till they upgrade to the big ones.... ;D ;D

By the way how is yous going? Havent seen any pics for a while.

[fishin_till_late]

Champion little boat, goes well too!
you'll have some good fun with that little ripper.
Congratulations hope you fill it full of fish soon.

cheers jono

[going_phishin]

Hey Everyone,
Steve's parcel arrived today.....THANKS STEVE ;) So first of the last set of pictures in this thread is the bow of Li'l Tuffy with Ausfish stickers having pride of place :) :)

Cheers
Josh

[going_phishin]

Electrical box....THANKS SCOTT ;)

[going_phishin]

Showing the stern.....THANKS TROY ;)

[going_phishin]

The complete package......THANKS DAD ;)

[marlinqld]

Blody flash rig there young josh..................... good on ya mate


Mike

[shayned]

Hey Josh,
From a distance, if you squint those stickers sort of look like a pair of cleaned catfish. :D ;)
Good job mate, if you keep going at this rate I'll be coming to you for reno advice soon.

[BrandonH]

Great effort Josh and your dad :) :) :) you will have loads and loads of fun times in li'l tuffy i am sure :) such a great rig!! i wish i had something like that at your age :'(

Can't wait to start seeing some trip reports from you in your new rig :D

Great jesture (spelling :-?) Steve!!!! he has done a wonderfull job on the thread and given a lot of members warm fuzzies from it ;)
I no longer wonder why this site is so popular!! Just hope it never changes :)

Cheers
N
tight Lines
Brandon...

[finga64]

It's turned out a right beauty Josh :)
A place for everything and everything in it's place :)
Hey matey, When does dad get his box trailer back?? ;)
Can you do some pictures with everything in place under the decks??
It'll be good to see how everything fits in. :)
Cheers Scott :)

[gone_phishin]

G'day Finga,

It's now like the RACQ ad...box trailer...what box trailer???? My poor old Troop carrier is now being used as a general purpose weatherproof box trailer >:( >:( ;)

Regards
Geoff

[StevenM]

Looks great Josh

You will get endless hours of fun from that baby

Cheers

Steven

[Slient]

outstanding rig and top report... 8-)
You got a quite talent... ;)
Forwarding to see your often fishing report now... :D

happy boating
Silent

[TonyM]

Absolutely brilliant Josh! :)

p.s. I haven't forgot the pics of the bow mount installation on mine for you - camera is at a mates place and should have it back tommorow ;)

[spelchek]

I know this thread is old, but is there any chance of re-posting the pics? Im interested in setting up a 'tuffy' for myself and would love to see your mods.

[going_phishin]

g'day mate,
I lost the pics in one of the change overs on the site and I will find them this afternoon and post them up.

Cheers
Josh

[spelchek]

Cheers Josh, cant wait to see em. Sounds like an awesome customisation judging by the feedback here :)

[gone_phishin]

I'll try and repost them for you Spelchek...Josh has a bit of homework to get through, but I've found them so will attach now, and try and give a short description of each one for you.

Cheers
Geoff

1 Bare boat at start
2 First cutting of main deck
3 Same
4 5 6 Sealing of main deck with waterbased enamel paint
7 Fitting first of frame
8 Sealing completed frame insert
9 Framework in
10 Casting deck fitted onto framework for the first time
11 Marine carpeting started using contact adhesive
12 This photo is out of order but is a shot of the start as well

[gone_phishin]

13 Checking leg room
14 Marking hinge spots on deck lids cut from original ply sheet shown in photo 2
15 Sealing casting deck with deck lids removed
16 17 First fittings of deck lids back into casting deck...with hinges in place
18 19 20 marine carpeting of deck lids and casting deck
21 First fitting after carpeting
22 Deck lids all fitted
23 Leg lid (later hinges were removed and lid velcroed in place)
24 Storage area lid opened

[gone_phishin]

25 Battery storage compartment lid
26 All compartment lids open
27 All closed...showing casting area
28 29 First test run (and fish)
30 Electrical wiring box and sounder/gps in place (thanks Scott!!!)
31 32 The finished project ( except that Minn Kota wasn't really hooked up)
33 34 35 36 His first capture...an old catty on 1 kg line, but it was his first fish on his very own boat!

Cost to Josh for the remodel...about $200 to $300 from memory
Satisfaction in seeing my young bloke complete a project like this...priceless!!!

The boat has been well used...read overused....since then and I'll see if I can scratch around and find some action pics for you.

Geoff

[gone_phishin]

Can't find any more action pics after a computer wipeout a couple of weeks ago but have a look at Josh's avatar...Going_phishing...the complete works!

If you need any help with any of it Spelchek just yell for Josh or myself and we will gladly help all we can...just like so many Ausfishers did throughout the original post... even if it's just encouragement to keep going.

Geoff

[finga]

I'll try and repost them for you Spelchek...Josh has a bit of homework to get through

That's the stuff Geoff make him do his homework. Get the priorities right. :D
Gees he must be peeved. Homework after how long back?? ::)



So how many more days 'til the end of school Josh??

[gone_phishin]

He had homework first night back last week Scott:whip::whip::whip: year 11 and going strong

Geoff

[going_phishin]

G'day Scott,
Long time no talk! I have 181 days of school left excluding fishing comp days;D The boats doing the job really good, and that box is still there and going strong. I haven't been able to get her out much lately as we have been going out in the big boat (what a shame;) ) You coming here anytime soon?

Cheers
Josh

[finga]

G'day Scott,
You coming here anytime soon?

Cheers
Josh
No!!! ::)
You have school so there's going to be NO excuses for missing a day or 10 taking me fishing ;D

Maybe in one of the holidays this year though :)

Cheers little matey
Scott :)

[spelchek]

Josh, that is an absolutly fantastic 'makeover' - I am in awe of the job you did.

Bout time you started loking for a new project dontcha think? I know a bloke who'll take 'lil tuffy' off your hands so you can get into a new one ;)

Thanks for the ideas/inspiration for when I get mine.