BASS Tech, Episode 1
Experience what went into the first ESPN2 episode of BASS Tech
Here's catch number one: His loving wife Diane has let him buy anything and everything he needs for any of his outdoor pursuits. He's got the big Triton bass boat, any lure and tackle he could possibly want, guns and bows and arrows for hunting and so much camo he could hide from a satellite surveillance. But she's drawing the line about his need for an Aluminum rig. In her eyes, John's got a boat...and if he can't go fish Lake Conway in the boat he already has...then John isn't fishing at all. So John, being an intelligent person and all-around gentlemen in good standing where gentlemen get good standing, does what any other like-minded Bass Afficianado would do, and comes to get some help from the boys down at the Bass Tech.
At first it seems pretty cut and dry, John needs a flat bottom aluminum boat to fish a tournament but his wife doesn't want him to get one. G suggests a divorce lawyer. John reissues his request in another way...he'd like a flat bottom aluminum boat AND his marriage to stay intact. Easy enough. The boys handle this kind of request all the time. John then drops a bombshell on them...he can't spend hardly any money at all, and oh yeah...he needs it in TWO DAYS.
The cogs start turning, smoke starts pouring out the ears, and soon enough, G has an idea that will result in 48 hours of new technology, boating innovation, and just a little bit of cussin'...
John tells the boys to do what they can and that he's counting on them and he's on his way. G, Skeet, Stoney, Ables, and Chigger follow him out the door and head for the lake to check out this prospective junker of a sunken boat. On their way out there, G states his case over and over that it may not be as bad as they think and that they just need to check it out and see what they can do. Once they get there they see our project...a algae covered, moldy, scum infested, dirty, sucky old boat with holes in it, pieces busted out, and a lot of potential for not getting the job done. Chigger throws on his waders and ties it off, and they drag the boat up on the bank to see just how bad it really is. This is where the cussin' comes in if you're keeping score at home.
Skeet shows where some rivets are gone and, seeing as how it was sunken once, that leaks may be a problem. They take the rig back to the garage and Ables primes it and paints it a nice Dark Crimson Red. The boat looks nice, but it's still not leakproof. The boys come up with the idea of correcting our little leak problem on the boat through a process called Rhino Lining, which is a spray-on bedliner usually used for truck beds. It's tough stuff: can't beat it, can't scratch it, can't mess it up once it's on there, plus it seals any holes that would be leaking and muffles the boat from the inherent sound that come from walking around on aluminum. No leaks, and no scaring off the fish swimming underneath the boat by stomping around on aluminum. Phase one is complete and the boat looks nice...now the boys have to figure out how to make it run like a champ with all the features a guy like John would want and need.
All the talking's out of the way, Skeet and G start working on the front end, installing the trolling motor and some of the electronics, Stoney's on the back end, installing the bilge pump and wiring, Ables is out back cutting the wood for the raised floor decks and Chigger, well, he's sweeping and getting in the way. A Clean Shop's a Happy Shop!
After a couple of hours of work the boys have the front deck installed and the foot controlled trolling motor rigged up. The Lowrance depth finder is installed, the decks have been built and laid in and the seats are ready to go. Now it's time to finalize the electric wiring and G takes charge. (NOTE: Skeet Reese would like to publically announce that he had nothing to do with the wiring of said electronics. It was alllll G.) That's where the boys hit a snag. G has crossed his wires and spends the next two hours trying to figure it out while getting more and more frustrated and stubborn about it. Skeet, of course, starts harassing G about being a genius of the electrical wiring kind and G fires back with some wonderfully offensive dialogue about Skeet, leading to G's near demise due to a boat oar to the noggin. Cooler heads prevail and Skeet retaliates by merely making fun of G even more. Finally Ables and Stoney come to the rescue and figure out the problem and after a few minutes of troubleshooting, we've got electricity!
It's nearly the end of day two, and the final thing to do as time winds down is to get the Mercury motor up and running. They measure it out and fit it to the back of the boat, hook up the gas lines and....it works! Skeet slaps a few BassTech stickers on the boat, some final clean-up is done, and they're finished with the transformation of a boat that's junk to a rig that's "crunk."
Product used on this Episode
Mercury 25M Horsepower Outboard Motor: http://www.mercurymarine.com/mercury_25_classic
Motorguide Digital Tour Series Trolling Motor: http://www.motorguide.com/index.pl/motorguide_tour
Lowrance LMS-332C Recording Color Sonar/GPS: http://www.lowrance.com/marine/products/LMS-332C.asp
Lowrance X125 Tournament Grade High-Res Sonar: http://www.lowrance.com/marine/products/X125.asp
High-Res Sonar
Rhino Lining: http://www.rhinolinings.com/RL/main/
Interstate Batteries: http://www.ibsa.com/estore/default.asp
