Both Sides Now

Joni Mitchell once famously said that she'd "looked at love from both sides now."

Well, I don't know much about love, but I do know about fishing. And from the looks of things, these Shaw boys have it from both sides.

Gigi brought up some old photos of the Dilda side of the fam, of which Grandpa Dilda (in yellow) and Great Grandaddy Rowlin (in blue) feature prominently. I figure the above photo was taken somewhere off the Masonboro-Wrightsville-Figure 8 Island coastline, and given the sparkle in G'pa Dilda's eye I'd venture this was just about 1979 or so.

Well, these Shaw boys sure do get it from both sides, now. Happy hunting, fellas.

Pawleys 2014

Man. Had a blast at Pawleys this year. Took the boat out, Bud caught a fish with Jackson, went crabbing, great weather. Awesome time. This is what it is all about.

She's Alive! ALIVE!!!

The Whaler Lives:

The Tax Evader stalks osprey and gators in re-maiden cruise following the 2011 renovation efforts:

Dad and Pete took her out to the Black River and Sandy Island on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Dad and I ran down Jericho Creek to Georgetown, and back up the Waccamaw to Hagley Landing. No issues, runs like a top, new seats are imminently more comfortable and moving the gas cans up helped fore-aft balance and opened up room in the back for a cooler and other storage.

Still some work to do to get everything ready to fish, but all in all it was very nice to see her running out over all of that black water. 

*** Update ***

Sid and Alex made it out on the Evader too - cruising the Waccacaw in style:

Some video footage of Jericho Creek headed down to Georgetown:

Whaler Project: Almost Done

Tonight we went from this:

To this:

Console installed. Seats installed. Battery installed, charged, electrical system op-checked. Cleaned out and ready for a shakedown cruise. Only the bow hatch and anchor left to go, and then home to Holden's for a tune-up.

Whaler Project: Installation

Over the last few nights, I've gotten the helm kitted back together and things are starting to look a bit more ship-shape. Next step is to finish the hard-install of the seats, console, and hatch to the hull proper, reconnect the battery cables, and see if I can get this baby cranked up. There is definitely a lot more finger-crossing and breath-holding at this stage. But she sure is gettin' pretty!

Whaler Project: "Progress" Is My Middle Name

Despite near-insurmountable obstacles, and no real updates since the last blog post on this topic in February of 2010, I am pleased to report that the Whaler renovation is moving crisply along in anticipation of our trip to Pawley's in July.

Over the last few weeks, blessed with clear skies and daylight persisting until well after 8:30pm, and unshackled from the drudgery of NYU's Taxation of Property Transactions, I have gotten the original console removed, including disassembly of the Teleflex kit which had me totally stumped for about 2 weeks. I've removed the rear bench, the front hatch cover, and prepped the gas tanks and battery for their new stowage amidships. This weekend, I cleaned out the ant nest in the rear storage compartment, cleaned out the hull, removed the anchor (got a new anchor!).  I also managed to get the new console cut for install (whoever invented the Dremel tool, thank you!) and began working on the new rear bench positioning that is about 6 inches higher that before.

Next steps:

• complete the rear bench install with gas and battery beneath; mount Tempress seats on the bench.
• install the new console with mahogany faceplate for steering and gauges.
• re-mount front hatch cover and re-install anchor rode and new anchor.
• Crank the engine up and see if this puppy still runs!

Whaler Project: We Got Seats!

Check out the brand new Tempress All-Weather Boat Seats in Marine White:

It's time to start putting this thing together! (if only the sun will come out..)

Whaler Project: Console

I have spent quite a bit of time shopping around for a suitable after-market console for the 15' Super Sport, but I couldn't find anything under $500. The best I found was the Todd Helmsman, which came with a windshield and grab rail, but it was still not cheap. I decided to troll EBay, and was fortunate enough a few weeks ago to find this steal for $175 with shipping:

Awesome. Can't wait to get this guy installed. I am thinking it will stay on the right side, same as the existing mahogany OEM console. I am getting a quote for a windshield - I think I can find a nice little Lexan job for not too much. This should handle the steering wheel, depthfinder, compass, GPS and gauges without any trouble. Oh, and a beer holder for the Cap'n..

Pawley's Island recap

Except for jack not sleeping, we had a great time at the beach. Can't wait to get back down there next summer when the little rugrat can run around naked on the beach. I think Dean in particular enjoyed getting in the boat.

We did manage to get the boat out, despite having the kid down there. I think we made 5 trips, which is pretty good for a week. Unfortunately, we didn't have much luck fishing. Not too surprising, considering our lack of natural talent and the mid-summer heat. got a good-sized blue, hooked a couple sheepshead and a bonnethead, and this one little flounder:

Better luck next time, hopefully. Maybe once I get the Whaler upgrade complete, we'll be in business!

Bonnetheads

We got out on the sand flats at the north inlet of Pawley's Island yesterday, and I got hooked up on my first bonnethead shark. There is a nice channel that runs between the mashgrass edge and the sand flat just inshore of the inlet, and we snagged a couple of sheepshead early but both but they got loose.

The water was flat and clear and only about 2 feet deep, and just as we were thinking about moving on I saw a 3-foot shark moving from the flat into the channel. I managed to flip a shrimp on a float rig right in front of his snout. Two quick turns and he bracketed the bait and snatched it up. As I set the hook, he took off and the light drag setting I had been using stripped dozens of yards of line on his first run. Not 5 seconds later, all of the tension left the line and I cussed the fish for snapping off before a good fight on light tackle. Then, to my surprise I saw the little guy swimming right back alongside the boat, bright orange float rig still hanging from his mouth!

I assumed the line had snapped somewhere above the leader, and I was determined to haul him aboutd by whatever means necessary. I set down the rod and grabbed the cast net, tossing out an ugly hast tangle of mono right over his head. He saw the cast and took off like a rocket, moving before the net hit the water. Unfortunately, my assumption that he had snapped the line proved incorrect as my new Penn reel started to head overboard. We managed to grab it on the gunwale before it went in the drink, and then the line really snapped. It would have been fun to land that shark - probable 15# or so. From what I've read, Bonnethead fishing is pretty fun.

Editor's note: the pic above is neither my shark or my boat. Just a grab off the linked article.

Whaler update

This is what we are starting with:

My Whaler Renovation, Part I: The Plan

I am fortunate enough to the luckiest sort of son, the type whose dad owns a boat. A 1987 Boston Whaler Classic 15' boat, to be exact, with a 60HP OEM Evinrude outboard. After much soul-searching and deliberation this spring, I decided that the time was ripe to pump a little love (and money) into this able craft, all in the name of comfort and fishability.

ContinuousWave is a terrific resource for Whaler aficionados, and I was able to find numerous examples of other Whaler-refit projects as well as this little gem: an original wood-locating schematic. Armed with just enough knowledge about boats to make me truly dangerous, I've set out to make the following improvements this fall:

1. Install a fiberglass side console to replace the low-slung original mahogany;
2. Elevate the rear thwart seat to allow under-seat gas stowage (this hopefully will improve trim fore-aft), and install cushioned boat seats for the captain and first mate;
3. Fabricate a rear casting deck, which will increase stowage aft of the rear seats but also provide a platform, flush to the gunwale, from which to cast, pole, dive, etc;
4. Replace the anchor with one that fits the bow stowage locker;
5. Install foward cooler brackets to hold a large cooler - perfect for storing fish on ice, and providing a seat in the bow.

During the refit, I hope to retain as much of the attractive (but uncomfortable) mahogany fittings as possible. In addition, I am eyeing the following big-ticket items for future conquest: a poling platform for push-poling the flats for tailing reds; a new four-stroke outboard; and a custom fabricated bow rail of heavier-gauge aluminum that is more substantial but less obstructive than the current wraparound bow rail design.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post some pictures later this summer. Target date for completion: October 2009. Redfish, here we come!

The '87 Whaler in its current condition,
Capt. Jim at the helm (Edisto SC 2007).

Edisto 2007