Northwest Fishing Reports

I am trying to modify my Outcast Stealth Pro pontoon boat. The Humminbird sonar that I use has a strap that as you see in the photos goes around the body of the pontoon, for stability, etc. I have used this setup on float tubes, etc. but the difference is that my float tube has various 'D' rings, which I attach zip ties to in order to further stabilize the heavy sonar/battery.

I was wondering if anybody is aware of where I might located a 'D' ring that glues on to the pontoon. If you look at the one pic. you will see exactly what I am talking about. The is a 'D' ring that is from the factory glued on, and is the support for the seat straps. If I had a couple more like this I could greatly improve the stability of the fish finder, and have less of a chance it going for a swim. This kind of thing must be available somewhere, when you think about large rafts that people go river rafting with.

edit: trying to navigate this new website, with uploading pics.. just a moment.

OK, the size limit on photos used to be 1 MB, this photo i am attempting to attach is 556 KB, unless I'm losing my mind, that is barely over a half of an MB.. so why is it saying file invalid? (Of course it is a jpeg file, which was always no problem)

Can you attach it to an e-mail and send it to me? I can try uploading it as well if you'd like.

coming at ya!

Just needed to make them a bit smaller, it's a pixel-size issue, not a size or file type issue. Not sure what the minimum requirements are though, I just guessed at a percentage of the original, and it worked

I see, OK, thanks!

Yeah, it was previously allowed up to 1 MB, have to do some tests to see how big a file can be uploaded currently.
I used to do image adjustment within a PC, now I'm on a Mac. Having trouble within 'Photos' on Mac, with resizing images. (If you know about this within a Mac eviroment, please send me an email. )

Well, I supposed I should have just Googled 'Glued on D rings'... as I just did, and hit the motherload .

I've never used a mac before. My uncle on my mother's side is a graphics designer in the Atlanta area and he uses a mac, I can send him an e-mail to ask, but I bet someone on the forums uses apple products, would be much faster getting info from them, his business is run through his e-mail so he is a little slow to respond to non-pressing issues, lol.

How sturday is the battery case? Have you tried a small ratchet strap to cinch it down? Also, looking at that picture, another idea would be to purchase a small section of non-slip matting to put underneath the assembly, then you should be able to crank it down without worrying about it slipping much. I'll do some digging around for possible attachments to the pontoon itself, but that set-up doesn't look familiar to me.

Edit: Nice, glad you found a solution so quickly! Let us know if you end up using something, as extra tiedown and support points are always beneficial!

It is quite sturdy, and the strap is adjustable. I just usually like to have zip ties running to D rings, as a secondary backup. As you know, when cold water and air in pontoon interact, it can make for a little looser fit.
I'll get through the photo sizing on Mac. things like that are one of the best things about Youtube tutorials.

I'm using stabond adhesive from nrs to repair a catastrophic 3 foot tear in my fish cat 9. I purchased a roll of extra pvc "kayak material" and sta-bond 2 part adhesive from nrs's website. Nrs is good to deal with, and fast/fair. I was recommended to use this glue for pvc, or dissimilar material bonding. Mek for prep work and clean-up btw.

But anyway, I just stumbled upon this * http://www.outcastboats.com/osg-accesso ... r-kits.asp * it made me think of you....

Thems is some nice d rings....

.....My repair though.... pain in the ....

Not sure how experienced you are with inflatables/repairs, but for anyone else that stumbles upon this post, my best tip is to use a heat gun.

For my large repair, I couldn't get the whole thing coated on both sides with 2 thin coats of glue evenly by the time the other end was already too dry to stick.

After 2 thin coats on both the boat and patch were dry, I positioned them in place easily, and used a heat gun on low to heat and stick the patch down with a small roller! so much easier than trying to judge the right amount of glue stickyness/dryness.

Be careful with methyl ethyl ketone as a cleaner, it is a very strong solvent, and if it gets anywhere near ABS plastics, it will melt it. When I worked for a production shop, we used MEK and ABS plastic in a paint mixer to make our own glue. I suppose as long as you don't let it pool you won't have any issues, but I would be careful.

True, its a quick wipe. If it pooled on the fabric at all, you'll have liquid pvc coating coming off of the material. It also evaporates so fast, you have to cover the glue and mek immediately after/during use.

The other conundrum is these glues need less than 50% relative humidity to bond properly.... we might see that in august. Otherwise it has to be done inside, in a heated environment. But you'll need major ventilation for the fumes.... which will bring in the humidity!

I have a heated shop, and used a special "organic vapor respirator cartridge" in my gas mask. Still dizzy from the gasses making it past my sideburns!

That same method you mentioned for abs glue was recommended by a website for making a protective clear coating for inflatables. Mix cut up pieces of vinyl tubing and mek to make a protective rubbery film for stitching, seams etc...

That's actually a great idea for protecting weak points. Makes me wonder if it would work with silicone, since it is waterproof and very flexible. In theory you could probably do the same with PVC to form a tougher protective layer on the bottom of your pontoon to protect from abrasions during launch and pick-up. Some very interesting ideas to play with, I might have to pick up some extra stuff when I go to the hardware store next week to attempt to build a mount attached to my footpegs for my trolling motor!

Well, in my opinion, silicone should never be used on anything that will possibly ever need to be painted, glued or adhered to again. Nothing will ever stick to the surface that gets contaminated with silicone again. I hate the stuff, and use silicone products sparingly. BTW armoral and many automotive detail products also have silicone, you'll have a hard time getting any patch or glue to bond if your pontoon has ever been contaminated with it.

Quad, that D ring is held by a piece of tubing that is sewn to a piece of the material the tube is made from and then glued in place with multiple layers. You can probably buy the materials at Seattle Fabrics..... 85XXX on 99. The normal recommended glue is Hypalon (SP) rubber. You can get it from any of the Zodiac or Avon dealers, its like neoprene glue on steroids. If you can get a piece of the material the toon is made of, go to town. I can go into detail if you need.

Bodofish wrote:Quad, that D ring is held by a piece of tubing that is sewn to a piece of the material the tube is made from and then glued in place with multiple layers. You can probably buy the materials at Seattle Fabrics..... 85XXX on 99. The normal recommended glue is Hypalon (SP) rubber. You can get it from any of the Zodiac or Avon dealers, its like neoprene glue on steroids. If you can get a piece of the material the toon is made of, go to town. I can go into detail if you need.

Bodo, I actually found the exact same D-ring with it's little patch of circle material, as on the original Outcast pontoon. This was sold at the Avid Angler. I picked up two, used the whatever crazy intense glue stuff that they recommend. Did the prep, (rough up surfaces) and found success with adding them on. Now I can completely secure the sonar better.
As well as I glued on another Outcast rod holder plate to the other side. Now if I only had my anchor setup ready... I 'd be chironomid fishing!

Excellent!! I hope to see that at the outing next weekend.