Some winter projects

I recently had a birthday. I am now 75 years young. While I’m not quite as old as the hills, there are days when I feel like it. Saying one is 75 doesn’t seem all that old sometimes, but putting the number in the context of being three quarters of a century old does sound a little long in the tooth to me! I teased my oldest sister a few years ago when she turned 75, so I guess “turnabout” is fair play.

I’m starting to line up indoor projects for this (my wife says already here) coming cold season. The biggest one, so far, is working over a small trailer I bought from a neighbor.

I’ve been keeping an eye out for a small flatbed trailer that would hold my inflatable boat. I bought the inflatable way back when I had a saltwater boat. We used the raft to commute to shore from the anchored boat or to haul stuff out. The saltwater boat is long gone, but I kept the inflatable as a fishing platform on the local lakes. The downside was having to inflate the raft every time I used it.

I started noticing folks towing their already inflated rafts on flatbed trailers, like snowmachines use, or other small style trailers. I have a 16-foot flatbed that I use to haul my 6x6 with but talk about overkill for an 8-foot inflatable! Anyway, I noticed my neighbor had a small aluminum trailer with a ramp on the back out in front of his house recently with a “For Sale” sign on it.

I stopped in one evening after he got home and inquired about the trailer. He had used it for years to haul his lawnmower around and no longer needed it. We agreed on a price, and I took it home. The trailer needs some work but should be easily fixable with some welding on one fender and new wiring and lights. The other good thing is, with the ramp, if I wanted to haul my four-wheeler someplace, it should fit just fine on this trailer.

I’m also looking at the various reloading projects I have sitting on the bench. I’ve been neglecting them for the summer, so it will be time to get caught up on replenishing the ammo supplies. I’ve got a couple of guns that could use some touch-up bluing and a holster I need to customize to fit a revolver I like to carry.

I’ve got a “custom” surf fishing rod holder for the back of my 6x6 which I need to finish up with a couple of additional rod holder tubes properly positioned on the rack. I also need to coat the ends of the tubes to protect the rods from being scratched when held in the tubes. I need to rewind the surf fishing reels with around 50-pound braided line, replacing the 20-pound monofilament line currently on them. I started with the mono because that was suggested by a knowledgeable surf fisher, but I want to now go heavier because I can be rough on the line when I’m fishing.

Higher up on my winter “to do” list is going through my icefishing gear. That shouldn’t take too long. The important thing will be finding where all the parts and pieces of my ice augers are. Everything got moved around and stashed while my storage building was being rebuilt, so now I must figure out where everything is. I know where my old gas-powered auger is, but I need to find where the propane powered one, my manual auger, and the auger I can use a cordless drill to power are located. Then I need to make sure everything runs properly.

I’ve still got to get the awning replaced on my motorhome, but that is dependent on how soon Cache Camper gets the necessary ordered parts in. The RV is already winterized and ready for storage after the awning is done. My wife asked why I wanted this work now, rather than waiting until spring. Everybody and his brother will want RV work in the spring, so now is a suitable time, when things are not quite as hectic.

I need to check over the snowblower, lube it, and make sure it’s running. For a combination of reasons, I didn’t get to use it much last year and the snowplowing costs skyrocketed. My doctor says I could use the exercise and it’s always a good thing when I can save money.