BLUE GF18 by Jason

[JimW]

Over the last two weeks I had the C19 under a 20X10 canopy for it's annual rework period.
- Touched up the bow area where I learned about (1) proper trailer bow eye height, (2) why a hold back strap is good to have so stop signs don't push the bow into the trailer bow roller and damage the bow.
- Fixed the bow storage areas so they drain completely and use standard sized (extra) bilge plugs.
- Cut anchor locker "doorway" bigger to allow for anchor storage (I hate the way that anchor looks up there).
- Primed and painted inside of quarter seats (couldn't see in them it was too dark).
- Primed and painted my two transom corner fixes that were exposed before.
- Tapped and bolted console rail attachments to reduce lowest idle RPM resonance (noise) that drive me crazy.
- Made and installed some primitive rope handles to the cheap quarter seat and front console seat hatches that broke off the first day I had them!
- Gave her a nice thorough cleaning. She hates the mess I make when we hunt shrimps together!

To do:
- varnish the wood coaming to prevent epoxy fade.
- rotate trailer tires (and wheels) to burn up the other edge of the tires.
- install a second small motorcycle battery (or my deep cycle trolling battery) as battery #2 for night fishing. Weight issue and decision. Maybe just install a #2 positive lead for quick install when I know I'll need it.

Boat seems to be holding up very well.

Maybe next year: repaint floor?

[fishingdan]

- Touched up the bow area where I learned about (1) proper trailer bow eye height, (2) why a hold back strap is good to have so stop signs don't push the bow into the trailer bow roller and damage the bow.

Jim,

Again, thank you for sharing your experiences. What is a "hold back strap"?

Thanks,
Dan

[JimW]

Two straps running from ths bow eye, back to one of the trailer frames. Keeps the deceleration load from resting solely on the bow (point) to bow roller contact patch. This contact patch is only about 1 square inch. A one G stop would put about 1000 psi on the spot, assuming 1000 # of friction between trailer bunks and boat. I suggest this for anyone who "built up" their bow with fairing compound. If you have biaxial fillets and just a minimal fairing coat, I think the bow will survive this.

[roob76]

hey jason, have you thought about trying trim tabs to cure the porpoising problem? i bought a set for my gf14. unfortunately i haven't had a chance to try them cause the boats not done yet(primuing outside currently) but i i think they should help the preformance of the boat. a buddy of mine installed tabs on his 20' boat and was able to take the hydrafoil off the motor and reduce drag on the motor since they helped so much. i bought the self adjusting smart tabs for my boat for 100.00 shipped.

just thought i'd put in my $.02

boat looks great hopefully my paint job comes out as nice as yours did!

[jasonmcintosh]

I would have put trim tabs on if they didn't cost so much. Never heard back from anyone about how well the "smart tabs" work.

Between adjusting the motor location, putting the hydrofoil on, paying closer attension to where I put stuff in the boat, and lowering my performance expectations, the boat's doing fine.

I can get up to 28 MPH on a calm day, but rarely do I want to push the flat bottom much over 22 MPH just because it becomes too rough of a ride.

Jason

[Deedaddy]

Jason I will let you know how well they work. I just ordered a set of smart tabs for my GF14.

[jasonmcintosh]

Went snorkeling this past week at Sombrero Key, just off of Marathon, FL. It's a little over half way down the keys.

Took my GF18 about 5 miles off the coast. Water was about a 1' chop near shore, increasing to 2-4' waves beyhond the reef. I'd guess we had a solid 1-2' waves on the way out and were just starting to get something like 2-4' at Sombrero Key.

Had to take it slow of course. Probably did something around 10 MPH on the way out (probably going at about 45 degrees into the waves) and 16 MPH on the way back. Pulled the kids behind in a tube. They had a blast.

All in all, not the greatest trip for the GF18, but the family's gotten used to the ride and we took it slow and easy. Kept a close eye on the forcast and clouds. Wish I had JimW's C19 for this type of run, but have to use what you've got.


I've got one picture at different zooms from the snorkel site toward Marathon and the 7 mile bridge. The lighthouse is obvious, but my wife and son are snorkeling in their blue life jackets out there (can't see them yet).



Here's a bit of a blow up. You should be able to just see my wife and son, but the next shot will give you a better idea of what you're looking for. (They're just to the right of center.)



And here's the final blow up. My wife and son are a bit blurry on the far right, but if you look cose at the horizon you can just see the 7 mile bridge on the left.