Thread subject: Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos :: Hello Dauntless 15 owners
Posted by dauntless-n-miami on 06/21/10 - 10:19 AM
#1
Hello W/C and members and I hope (to whom it applies) those fathers had a great day yesterday. It's been a while since my last login and was wondering how those Dauntless 15 owners are doing. I've spent the last 3 months up-grading and repairing a few minor issues with my Dauntless 15 for the summer usage. Another week and I should finally be done with her hopefully for a long, long while. Hope to here from some of you...
Posted by Tig on 06/21/10 - 1:21 PM
#2
Great to hear that you are still enjoying your Dauntless as much as ever.
This spring I raised my engine, which reduced spray at the stern. I also installed the bimini and rod holders I bought last fall.
With the warm spring we have been doing quite a bit of fishing and even some water skiing.
The "to do" list is short this year. I do plan on buying a new prop, as soon as I decide on one. Other than that I will be using the boat and washing it down once in a while.
Edited by Tig on 06/21/10 - 1:34 PM
Posted by dauntless-n-miami on 06/21/10 - 8:24 PM
#3
Great to hear that your enjoying the Dauntless Tig. Unfortunately I discovered a few problems with my Dauntless and it all started when I removed the access cover located in the splash well. I removed and re-installed every bit of deck hardware (with the exception of the rub rail) and properly sealed them all. I built and installed custom fab'ed transom saver plates for the upper and lower O/B mounting positions (I did remove the O/B for this) installed 1/2-20 Stainless bolts with Brass nyloc nuts and sealed the assembly correctly. I fab'ed thicker and abit wider stainless backing plates for the bow and stern u-bolts (or eyes). What really turned into a major project was re-installing the Bennett trim tabs with hydraulic rams. Tig, if you have viewed the wood diagram for our boats you probably noticed the lack of any wood or composite material at the bottom edge of the transom for mounting any hardware. My trim tabs were originally mounted very very poorly. A good number of screws were stripped and held in place by poorly applied sealant only. Some sea water has entered the transom through the hardware. Hopefully I was able to air-out these areas enough while they remained unassembled. The fix for the trim tabs was hi-tech Tig, I epoxyed in these very unique flanged brass thread inserts (10-32 internal thread) that I purchased through McMaster-Carr but, not before I fabricated drill templates to correct the mounting hole positions and a mounting jig to correctly set the inserts during the bonding phase. Boston Whaler will be proud of me I think. The swim platform also needed some attention and as of Saturday has been re-installed and sealed. During these 3 months of "re-do" I also did a few gelcoat repairs on stress cracks and surface chips to spruce her up another notch. Even the swim ladder has been re-engineered from the O.E.M. folding 2 step to a folding 3 step and fits in the same space. Well thats it for now , can't wait to hit the water with her this summer.
Angel
Posted by pederj on 06/22/10 - 4:25 AM
#4
Hi fellow D-15 owners. The family has been enjoying the boat this Spring. I am taking it down to Jekyll Island GA this week for a few days. Hopefully I will find the redfish and trout. I have not done a whole lot to my D-15, except wax it. I did add a Ritchie F-83 compass. I also moved the rod-holders from the front of the center console to the starboard inside transom. I moved it because it was not that comfortable on your back, and it interferred witht he cooler opening/closing. The new mounting location is out of the way and is in a part of the boat I dont really use. I did not have to drill any new holes. I made a mounting bracket out of aluminum that is held in place by the lifting eye bolt. I attended the Lake Lanier Whaler rendezvous in May with my son. We had a great time, met lots of nice people, and saw a bunch of cool Whalers.