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More scouting.....thank goodness the season will be here soon

9/10/2019

With the archery season opening soon, we are swapping out game camera SD cards and getting an idea of the deer and hogs in some of our preferred public lands hunting areas. I even convinced my hunting partner Paul to go on a few scouting trips. Paul is a high quality guy and hunter but for some reason doesn't have as much fun in the insane heat and humidity as I do. Who knows why Paul doesn't have as much fun as I do. I think it may have something to do with the fact that he sweats more than any other human I know and likely, his superior intelligence allows him to make better decisions than I can. Paul is a professional writer and he's agreed to write some future posts! it will be interesting to read his perspective on all this effort before and during hunting season.

No trophy deer yet on camera but this a very nice public land buck by our standards

There is still some high water but its receding fast.

Bike unloaded and ready for another sweat drenched 6 or so mile ride to swap out game camera SD cards. Its early September and the humidity and temps are both in the 90's and the ride will be made even more miserable....I mean FUN! .........and made even more fun by the addition of mosquitoes and yellow flies! I also never see anyone else out here.....how lucky am to have this refuge to myself!!!

A flooded trail crossing

Repair notes:

This was a fast and relatively average to poor, bordering on redneck quality job.
All materials were purchased at Lowes and Home Depot.
Total time spent: a few hours.
Total cost: approx. $50.

A marine grade filler was applied

Then sanding and multiple coats of cloth, resin and sanding

Then a final light sanding and spay can / palmetto paint job

The first trip we put in near Cedar Key and worked our way up a couple creeks that would have been inaccessible in a larger boat. We found 15 or more Redfish and a couple nice trout.
Gear used:

Old 1980’s Gheenoe, classic model purchased at a garage sale for $150.
Trailer assembled from parts
Yamaha 6 hp purchased new

First Impressions:

Gheenoe’s are excellent backwater boats. Their shallow draft, excellent stability and maneuvering are boats you can take just about anywhere in relatively protected waters. And you can pull, push or paddle them if needed.
The Yamaha 6 hp 4 stroke is a good balance between weight, portability, economy and power. The engine is not yet fully broken in, so it hasn’t been run a full throttle but I’m guessing it will move the loaded Gheenoe between 10 and 15 mph. The 6 hp is not a speed demon but seems fast enough and in the rocky backwater creeks, speed is the last thing you need. Easy to tilt up, shallow draft, and easy pull start are more important to me. As far as fuel economy goes, I don’t know how many hours I can expect from the 3 gal. remote tank because after a two or three hours running time the gauge hadn’t budged from full.
The ride of the Gheenoe is great in smooth water and fair in a chop. The boat and motor are sensitive to load distribution and the loads should be adjusted to be when heading into the wind and waves to keep the boat dry. I expected and did notice some hull cavitation when in rougher water. The hull could be strengthened in some areas but I doubt I will make many hull modifications.

Paul with a couple nice trout from the first trip