# Skeeter Lagoon



## Punkrawqer

Fished Mosquito Lagoon on Sunday. Got into a school of about 100 reds. Caught 10 between Clint and I. 8 were keeper to slightly over size and 2 were rats. Tested out my project Banana River Skiff with a 25hp 4 stroke Suzuki. Ran great and hauls butt! Great day! Here are some pics.


----------



## out-cast

Nice feesh dude. Now how about some boat porn, pics of said skiff


----------



## Punkrawqer

Indeed my friend! I will get them on here asap!


----------



## Yoreese

Glad to see your out on the water fishing!


----------



## TidewateR

awesome! ...now let's see that boat!


----------



## jboriol

Nice fish!

Good to see another Banana River Skiff project! I don't think there are many of us left out there.
Shoot some pics, I would like to see your deck lay out.


----------



## HaMm3r

Very nice!  Much better than the days I've been having...


----------



## Punkrawqer

Alright here are some pics of the BRS. Clint gave me the boat after he had built the front deck, rear deck, and poling platform. He also cut out the hatch on the front. I have painted the decks and recessed the front hinges on the hatch. I am going to do a build forum when I get the money and time to finish the re-build, but it is very fishable and fishes great!







Got this 2000 Suzuki 25hp 4-stroke for a killer deal...






















Fiberglass poling platform works great for the time being, will be putting a custom designed aluminum one on, just gotta get it built  








Got plans for gunnels along with rod holders underneath the gunnels...Also the floor needs a fillin' and sanding. 








Front hatch, those are rain drops in the deck, started to rain when i took the pics...lol


----------



## Yoreese

How you like the Zuke?  Where are you getting it serviced? I'm thinking of getting a 15hp for the Gladesmen.


----------



## cutrunner

Isnt that "banana river skiff" one of those pond weed control boats? And wasnt it for sale on this site for 700$ some time ago?


----------



## Punkrawqer

Maurice: I love the Zuke. Start in half a second (electric start) don't know where I'll have it serviced yet. Any recommendations?
Cat runner:
Why yes, you are a very observant person. It is the pond weed control boat recently for sale on here. The only reason I put BRS is because not everyone knows the story about the weed control boats but more people know about the BRS's. Dave Exley explains the history here http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1282409440


----------



## Yoreese

I think Boaters Exchange in Rockledge may service them but they are not stocking the small Suzuki motors.


----------



## cutrunner

Oh i remember the boat cuz i wanted it so bad i could taste it.. Spent a bunch of money on a different boat the day before and got screwed.. I shouldnt have jumped.. :'(


----------



## Punkrawqer

Thank you for not buying it.  it is a great skiff!


----------



## jboriol

It will make a great little fishing machine and be fun to fix up!

I lived in Ft. Myers and worked in Naples a couple of years ago and would occasionally see the weed control boats and think..."man that would make a cool flats boat" Little did I know that I would eventually end up with a BRS, a.k.a. "weed killer boat"

Despite a very basic level of finish, I believe that hull design was ahead of its time. Dolphin are awesome and they refined the finish, materials, etc, but if you put the BRS hull next to the Dolphin Renegade it is cool to see how little they have changed aside from a slight deadrise (see below).  I guess David Exley had some pretty cool ideas regarding skiff design back in the day.

Keep us up to date with modifications.  I hope to start my deck overhaul this time next year, but I want to have some fun first.


Old School 1979 BRS








Newer 2003 Dolphin Renegade


----------



## cutrunner

I cant tell a difference. Whats the beam on that boat at the widest point(and where is it the widest) an real length?


----------



## Punkrawqer

> It will make a great little fishing machine and be fun to fix up!
> 
> I lived in Ft. Myers and worked in Naples a couple of years ago and would occasionally see the weed control boats and think..."man that would make a cool flats boat" Little did I know that I would eventually end up with a BRS, a.k.a. "weed killer boat"
> 
> Despite a very basic level of finish, I believe that hull design was ahead of its time. Dolphin are awesome and they refined the finish, materials, etc, but if you put the BRS hull next to the Dolphin Renegade it is cool to see how little they have changed aside from a slight deadrise (see below).  I guess David Exley had some pretty cool ideas regarding skiff design back in the day.
> 
> Keep us up to date with modifications.  I hope to start my deck overhaul this time next year, but I want to have some fun first.


Can you post pics of your deck and gunnels so i can get an idea of the orig BRS?


----------



## Punkrawqer

> I cant tell a difference. Whats the beam on that boat at the widest point(and where is it the widest) an real length?


That's was the point, there is very little difference between the 2003 Dolphin Renengade (minus 4 degree deadrise on the Dolphin) and the 1979 BRS. The 15'10" BRS has a 5' beam...


----------



## jboriol

Here's mine as it is now, not sure how the original BRS was set up either.  Several years ago my BRS was redone with plywood decks that were not glassed in, just carpeted over.  The inside was painted with Brightside paint, but they did not sand down to accept the paint so it is chipping pretty badly on the topside.

I plan to take out center and side console, extend the front deck and mount a 12gal fuel tank, fiberglass the decks, add new floor, stringers and foam.  I will go back with a side console and very clean deck layout.  For now it fishers OK and I'm not ready to rip it apart just yet.

Does your hull flex with no middle bulkheads?  That was my concern with removing my center deck until I looked at yours.  I think adding walkable gunnels supported by rack holders tied into the floor and stringers would keep everything stiff enough.  My sides toward the bow have some thin spots that I would like to reinforce as well.


----------



## Punkrawqer

It has slight hull flex. But very worth it for the extra room. Nothing like noes or anything drastic. My plans are filling with epoxy/filler all the rough spots and cracks and then seadeking the top...


----------

