05-31-2009, 09:31 PM
Thought some of you that have the Discovery might be interested in some modifications.
I have done some modifications to the Discovery to make it usable by my wife or my daughter. Heck, now I can even use it in a pinch on smooth water. Could this be the smallest and lightest fishing e-boat in the world, he, he......
1. Footbar added. Used a 7/8" dowel thru the upper "D" rings which fits quite snugly. Duct tape at the "D" rings to insure it stays there but not really needed. Footbar must be removed when using the boat backpack straps unless you bend forward while walking to lauch point.
2. Made 2 trolling/still rod holders behind the seat by using 9" X 1/4 " steel
rods from the pontoon horizontal tubes to the lower horizontal cross tube positioned right at the bend. Auto hose clamps hold in place and rod handle pocket size is controlled by where the screw clamps are positioned. Don't have a fly rod around to see if it can be adjusted for that.
3. Adjusted seat so it clears the water by 4". Rather than wrap straps from pontoons around the lower cross horizontal seat tube, I tied knots in the pontoon straps to shorten them. This makes assembly faster and restores the original pull angle of the straps so pontoons don't stay turned inward as much.
4. Added 4 -1.5" key type split rings to the loops at the end pontoon loops. The ends of fishing rods are placed thru the rings making for a more secure stowed flat position.
5. Reinforced the meshed seat which stretches and sags uncomfortably after a couple of hours. This was done by tightening all seat straps encircling frame and sewing a tack stitch to the strap ends so they don't slip. I also added an additional taught strap made from scrap seat belt to the bottom part section under the mesh for greater support.
Enjoy.
Pon
[signature]
I have done some modifications to the Discovery to make it usable by my wife or my daughter. Heck, now I can even use it in a pinch on smooth water. Could this be the smallest and lightest fishing e-boat in the world, he, he......
1. Footbar added. Used a 7/8" dowel thru the upper "D" rings which fits quite snugly. Duct tape at the "D" rings to insure it stays there but not really needed. Footbar must be removed when using the boat backpack straps unless you bend forward while walking to lauch point.
2. Made 2 trolling/still rod holders behind the seat by using 9" X 1/4 " steel
rods from the pontoon horizontal tubes to the lower horizontal cross tube positioned right at the bend. Auto hose clamps hold in place and rod handle pocket size is controlled by where the screw clamps are positioned. Don't have a fly rod around to see if it can be adjusted for that.
3. Adjusted seat so it clears the water by 4". Rather than wrap straps from pontoons around the lower cross horizontal seat tube, I tied knots in the pontoon straps to shorten them. This makes assembly faster and restores the original pull angle of the straps so pontoons don't stay turned inward as much.
4. Added 4 -1.5" key type split rings to the loops at the end pontoon loops. The ends of fishing rods are placed thru the rings making for a more secure stowed flat position.
5. Reinforced the meshed seat which stretches and sags uncomfortably after a couple of hours. This was done by tightening all seat straps encircling frame and sewing a tack stitch to the strap ends so they don't slip. I also added an additional taught strap made from scrap seat belt to the bottom part section under the mesh for greater support.
Enjoy.
Pon
[signature]