Thread: New project - Sprint 277 bass boat gonna be a crappie boat

OK, y'all may have seen some info on this project already. Bama S (Lee) was given a boat by his good friend Eric Cagle. He sat in it one time and could not get up. Bass Boat got low seats, and Bama S has bad knees. He was gonna fix it up but it just wasn't gonna work for him. He asked me if I wanted it. I made an offer, and after speaking to Cagle, Lee said sure. So I went to the Crappie Expo in Birmingham Alabama, with Lee, watched Eric Cagle place 7th (I think, I don't see the final results posted yet). Spoke with Eric, and came home with a boat!


First things first, I replaced both hubs (complete with bearing and all of course). Glad I did, they were not in good shape. Ugliest axles I've ever seem. Looks like bearing seats were previously cut off with a torch. Heck I had to chisel one bearing seat off. I had to do this for the 400 mile trip home.

Let me back up. Eric Cagle only bought this boat for the engine. I'm not sure he even looked at it close, he just had the engine moved to his other boat (his other boat is kinda his back up boat, not even the primary one he fishes/guides with). Lee picked it up and bought it home, and he barely looked at it. And now I took it home. It was a lost boat looking for a home. Or maybe it just was looking to retire in the sandal state, Florida! doh

So now I got it. Made it home without incident. Sure glad I replaced the hubs.


Got it home late last night.


I removed the carpet off floor to investigate.

Good looking boat. Came with two Lowrance fish finders, and a 24 volt trolling motor. Plus a couple of battery chargers as well. Seats are nice. Carpeting could use work. Gelcoat needs work as well. But wow, what a deal I got, Thanks Lee, thanks Eric. This will be a fun project. It is solid everywhere except the main lower floor. It's a little soft. I felt around in it and I can feel soft runners. I'll lift up that floor soon but for now I need to get it and keep it dry. And that's hard in Florida, especially this time of the year with the daily rains. So I covered it up, with the ends open. This should keep the water off that floor, and keep airflow through it.


Oh, the boat came with a ton of those "big ants" (not necessarily carpenter ants as I know those, these were those big black ones), has an ant nest I guess. I bombed it, three cans, ain't nothing gonna be living in that boat for a long time! lol.

The boat is in the garage. And the jeep is out. Let's see what's under the soft floor. Running dehumidifier and fans on the boat now. We will see what we got in this new project real soon!

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