In the interest of inspiring ideas in others, I thought I would post pictures of one of my spring projects–making a boat cover support for my Sea Nymph 14R.  We have been getting a LOT of rain here in North Dakota this spring, so it was a timely project.

Here goes:

All of the pieces were glued together from 1/2″ PVC pipe and fittings, with a slight mod to allow the middle pieces on the right and left to slide into the oarlocks using 1/2″ CPVC which I elegantly taped together since it didn’t glue up well to the white PVC.

I built it to break down into three pieces for easier storage when it’s not on the boat, so I simply didn’t glue a couple of the joints where the pipes meet in the middle of the boat.  It is made to make use of a little bit of tension to bow the spine along the length of the boat.

Rather than provide too many specifics, these pics should be enough to inspire you to build a setup that will work for your boat.  I used tees on the bottom of the legs so that there would be  a good “foot” for each leg, but there are other ways to accomplish the same thing.

I must admit to being a gadget guy.  Whether it’s rigging my walleye boat or my kayak, setting up my Mathews bow or getting ready for a Boundary Waters trip, I love the tools that get the job done.  But I don’t like gadgets just for the sake of gadgets.  They have to serve a purpose and accomplish that purpose admirably.  Some of the gadgets that I have carried consistently through the years on adventures have included a well-worn Spyderco VG-10 Delica, a Leatherman Crunch multitool, and a Pelican flashlight.

When I got the chance through the Outdoor Blogger Network to review a multitool, I thought, “Great!  I’m just the guy for this.” Then I saw the Gerber FIT tool in question and I was admittedly a bit disappointed, because it didn’t meet my idea of a multitool with pliers, such as the aforementioned Leatherman.  Here was a lighter-duty tool with a large Swiss Army-style blade, scissors, and a flashlight.  My first impression of it when I received it was that it was a bit large for the keychain-type tool I had sort of stereotyped it as.  The flashlight was very bright, with easy battery replacement.  The rest of the tool appeared to have the usual Gerber quality, but I was still a bit unsure as to what I would use it for.

Then I threw it in my bass tackle bag and took it fishing.  The knife blade and scissors handled whatever line cutting needed to be done, and the flashlight came in handy when inspecting kayak storage wells for gathering up my gear in late evening.  At first I thought the size was a little bit big for the kind of tool it is, but the size turned out to be an advantage, along with the locking blade and screwdriver.

To run through the features, it has about a half-inch diameter LED flashlight powered by a triple-A battery.  The switch allows for temporary or constant lighting.  The knife blade is thin and sharp out of the box, although it is more substantial than the average Swiss Army style blade.  It is hollow-ground with about an inch of serration at the base.  My biggest complaint about the entire tool is that the nail nick on the blade is very close to the base (or the pivot point), which means it takes more effort to get the knife out.  It is also relatively buried in the tool, so if you have trimmed fingernails, it can require some wrangling to get the blade out.  It is definitely not a one-hand deploying blade.

The best feature of the tool is the screwdriver bit holder, which takes standard interchangeable hex bits and includes  a double-ended Philips/straight slot bit.  It also has a bottle opener at its base.  This tool locks with the same mechanism as the knife blade, making it quite useful and stout.  There are also two smaller screwdriver bits buried at the other end of the tool, with a less-than-ideal tab for helping them swing out. I’m assuming that all of these features loosen up as the tool wears in.

On the side opposite the knife blade, there is a scissors that folds across the length of the tool. It is very rudimentary, but sharp and useful compared to many of the Swiss Army style scissors I have encountered.

Finally, there is a tweezers on one end of the tool that slides in Swiss Army-style.  If I ever am in need of tweezers when I am in possession of this tool, I am sure I will be glad they are there.

Overall, the Gerber FIT Tool is typical Gerber quality, with a good flashlight, an excellent screwdriver feature, and a decent locking blade.  It does not have a pocket clip or case, so is best used as a tackle-box tool, purse accessory, or maybe a pocket tool if you have big pockets.  For a tool its size, I would rather have pliers than a scissors, but keep in mind the battery for the flashlight is a full triple-A and not one of those wimpy hearing aid batteries.  Having a good flashlight takes up space, and I’m guessing the designers chose the flashlight as one of their priority options along with the screwdriver.

Below you can see a comparison of the FIT tool with my Leatherman Crunch and CRKT Zilla Jr. Tool for size and feature comparisons.

Disclaimer: I received the Gerber FIT tool mentioned in this post free of charge for review. No other compensation was paid in exchange for the review.  The opinions expressed in this post are my honest, independent thoughts and experiences.

One doesn’t normally associate a company like Frabill, famous for its nets and ice fishing shacks, with clothing, but I think after this year things may change.  The Frabill FXE Stormsuit looks like one heck of a piece of raingear and has been promoted heavily in commercials by the likes of Al Lindner, so I’m guessing it will take off.  The object of my discussion here, though, is the Frabill hooded sweatshirt.

Hooded sweatshirt? Isn’t that the garment all of us own, but much of the time find on the clearance rack at Walmart?  Not anymore for me.  Frabill has come up with the perfect hooded sweatshirt.

How do you improve on an old classic like the hoodie?  Well, you put a six inch zipper at the top so you can avoid bunching it up around your neck, and you include a nifty pocket inside the pocket with a velcro closure, so your cell phone or keys or whatever else you might be carrying doesn’t fall out.  Then you leave the rest of it alone.

I got mine for 35 bucks on sale at Fleet Farm. Heck of a deal.  I’m not sure I wouldn’t pay the full $49.99 price tag when I need to replace it, but I’m hoping they have a sale when the time comes.

Happy hoodies!

A story from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota:

Minnesota Ice Fishermen Catch Scuba Diver on Lake Waconia: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Having just finished a shopping spree in which I found deals on a flat-panel TV and a Blu-ray player (and caught myself up a bit on home theater), my thoughts turned to how much technology has changed in the last 20 years or so. Applying that ponderance to reloading and shooting, let’s check out two of the newfangled contraptions that will probably be commonplace soon:

1. Hornady’s electronic case cleaner: This one intrigues me, since the technology has been around for a while, but not applied to case cleaning until now. The main reason I see for using Hornady’s new gadget is to clean those pesky primer pockets. Perhaps it’s just an aesthetic thing, since my reloads have always gone pop even with cruddy looking primer pockets.

2.  Burris Eliminator laser rangefinding scope.  Bushnell and Nikon also have laser rangefinders built into riflescopes, but this one looks to me to be the most viable setup yet.  One notable feature is that it illuminates a dot for holdover.  I’m hoping that one day these features can be available in a more svelte design, and I’m guessing that by the time I’m done hunting, I will see that happen.  For now, I’ll use my more compact mil-dot and stadia-wire reticle scopes.

I had too much fun this summer to blog at all. Now, however, the urge to blog is coming back. Of course, I have the best excuse ever for being absent from the blogosphere this summer and fall–a new bouncing baby girl. She’s the best kind of distraction.

Highlights of the summer: the birth of my youngest daughter and buying my oldest daughter a brand new Savage MKII heavy barrel .22 for her birthday and taking it to the range to watch her cut ragged holes.

Regrets of the summer season: not enough fishing, and that’s about it. Luckily, the baby will be big enough to sit up in a forward facing seat next summer (they’re easier to strap onto boat seats). If you’ve ever seen the Princecraft commercial where the father is doing exactly that, you know what I’m talking about. Baby needs to fish.

I’ll be back to the blog again soon….one of the things I’m contemplating is analyzing news reporting and bias with regard to events such as the recent tragedy at Fort Hood. Has anyone noticed that no one wants to call it terrorism?

It’s resolution time.  For those who can’t come up with their own resolutions, or who want to peep into my sordid life, I submit the following resolutions, along with how some of them can be accomplished.  From losing weight to catching muskies, I know I probably need a game plan to bring these to fruition.

#1:  Lose 20 pounds of belly insulation.  How?  Mike Huckabee’s show on Fox gave me the solution one day.  In his “ask me anything” segment, a woman asked him how he lost so much weight.  His answer was twofold:  First, if it comes through your car window, don’t eat it.  Second, if it didn’t exist a hundred years ago, don’t eat it.  Brilliant!  Think about it.

#2:  Improve attitude.  My daughter recently returned from an ice fishing trip with me.  Her characterization of the trip, rather than “wow, we caught some nice sunnies!” was “boy did Dad swear a lot at his equipment.”  Oops.  Bad Daddy. This shouldn’t be hard to accomplish, as long as I stay away from cheap tools and poorly-built equipment and vehicles.  

#3:  Catch a good muskie.  I shouldn’t need any help with this one.  Just prayer and time on the water.  Maybe I can make a deal with God related to swearing less and being a better example to my daughters.  

#4:  Finish all projects I have begun or identified as a necessary project.  This would include building a hutch for our computer desk, putting in a sump pump, replacing our water heater before it craps out, finishing a fillet knife project begun last year, reloading several hundred rounds of ammunition for various bang-sticks, and painting our back door.

#5:  Learn more about fly-fishing, including tying some flies.   I have my father’s vise and some of his equipment, but so far my only accomplishment has been a Freakishly Bright Yellow Rubber Leg Bass Chugger on a Ridiculously Large Hook.  Since bass will bite on a beer can with treble hooks (no, really!) I think I need to expand my repertoire to trout flies.

Enjoy the new year, and make your own resolutions!  Stealing mine will probably damage your karma or something.

Click for video:

Crow Creek, MT in July

Better music than the cheesy commercial Christmas songs that have been on the radio since Halloween!

Merry Christmas everybody!

Cabelas (www.cabelas.com) Prestige #5/6/7 fly reel is on sale right now for $14.99. By appearances, these are made by Okuma (they look identical to my little Okuma 3/4/5 except for, of course, the size). These make a good beginner reel since, for the price, they’re disposable. My little Okuma is still ticking after four years.

Announcing a new section on my blog: Fishing Blogerati Reviews

The first review is of Buster Wants to Fish, a blog I have been enjoying as of late.  I decided to start out with a glowing review to make everyone think I’m really nice.  Then I’ll go into a good-critic, bad-critic routine and balance out the niceness with pummeling.  Heh heh.