# 2001 HB Waterman



## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Picked this baby up about 2 months ago and finally getting around to posting some pictures of it. Bought it from a guy who had it up on his Hatteras for years and then left it sitting down in Ft Pierce not getting much use so was very eager to sell for a great price. First trip out on it had a minor motor issue so I ended up replacing the thermostat, fuel filter, spark plugs, and impeller and it runs like a champ. Thanks to MattyVac for the help on the motor. About 100 original hrs on the Merc. Pushes the boat about 35mph no problem and the thing poles like a feather in a puddle of water. Swapped it from the galvanized ramlin trailer onto a newer aluminum Ramlin (huge difference).

Plans for it:
-Black powdercoat the poling tower
-Add welded tab on back of tower for a tibor holder
-Sea dek for poling tower top
-Front casting platform in black powdercoat
-Adding non skid to the deck areas that are "leather-like" (2 tone paint)
-Sea dek reel pads to replace carpet
-Will touch up some wiring, although it's all still very neat and in great shape
-Awlgrip in the hatches
-Custom decal for front bulkhead

Deciding on how I want to do a grab bar in the cockpit. Probably going to custom fab one to mount on the back of my yeti. No floor in the skiff so won't be getting into running a wire chase of any sort and don't feel like adding phenolic feet right now. 

Pics...















Any ideas yall have are always welcome. Hope to see some of you on the water at some point, the lagoon is where you'll find this baby floating around...


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## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

Some people have all the luck.


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## rdgregg (Dec 27, 2012)

nice! dig it


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## hillcharl (Feb 7, 2011)

You are a lucky man. I got the chance to cruise on an older waterman this past weekend. It rides like a dream! Enjoy it.


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## blondmonkey777 (Oct 18, 2012)

He'll yeah buddy that thing looks sweet! You gotta bring that thing up to jax for some flood tide action


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

What a beauty! 60hp carbs are available for that motor..just say'n  ...Those yamaha 3 cylinders are sweet little motors and are highly prized in my area. You can make them in 40's. 

Nice find! & thanks for sharing


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Nice rig brother! It amazes me how someone can spend all that money on a skiff and then neglect it even in the slightest bit. Craziness...


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Appreciate the kind words from everyone. It definitely is an awesome skiff and I plan on keeping this thing for many years to come. First fish on it was a 28" trout so it definitely has some good mojo right off the bat. Trevor, I definitely need to get it up to Jax... just gotta find a free weekend which is much harder than it should be! 

The tension on the motor steering is stuck incredibly loose so the motor will turn to one side if I let go of it right now, gotta get that fixed up soon. MattyVac, want another project?? Gotta get out on the boat together soon anyways...


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

trimming out & also dialing in that thrust fin should help some


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## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

> Appreciate the kind words from everyone. It definitely is an awesome skiff and I plan on keeping this thing for many years to come. First fish on it was a 28" trout so it definitely has some good mojo right off the bat. Trevor, I definitely need to get it up to Jax... just gotta find a free weekend which is much harder than it should be!
> 
> The tension on the motor steering is stuck incredibly loose so the motor will turn to one side if I let go of it right now, gotta get that fixed up soon. MattyVac, want another project?? Gotta get out on the boat together soon anyways...


Just text me whenever...I replaced the tension bar on my 25 once.


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Yea definitely will be doing some R&D with the fin to see where it runs best and doesn't want to torque as bad to one side. But still, the tension lever on the motor swivel does nothing when you move it left or right, so gotta figure out what the deal is with it and get it working correctly. Also need to get a tiller extension for it but am debating on length I want to go with. Probably going to keep it rather short because it's still alot of fun to stand back in that pocket and steer right there while leaning back against the poling tower... so many options and ideas running through my mind it's hard to focus.


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## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

A Yeti 35qt. cooler will fit perfectly between the two rear storage compartments, but you may have to route your livewell pipe differently..

Nice Ride!


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## FlyFisherK (Jan 27, 2012)

That thing is badass. I love the simplicity of it. Welcome to the Hells Bay family!!


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## Ginclear (Aug 11, 2013)

Congratulations ! You now own the definitive poling skiff . I would be jealous
but I'm in the same boat . Literally . My son and I bought ours in Feb. from a
guy in Atlanta who bought the skiff in Oct. , 2000 , put it in mosquito lagoon
one weekend , took it home , washed and flushed it , put it in a conditioned
airplane hanger , got married , started having kids , took the motor off , ( a 2s
Merc 25 ) and used the skiff occasionally in a local bass pond with a trolling
motor . Essentially mothballed .

We did many of the things to ours that you plan to do to yours . Sea dek on
the poling platform and rod racks ( also pads to cushion reels on the sides . )
We put an HB pushpole decal on the bulkhead . We also welded a tab for the 
Tibor caddy on our safety rail . Of course ,we also had to have receiver tubes 
welded to the platform for the rail . We already had the Bluepoint rail , we 
had it made for the other skiff , a Waterman 18 . We swap it out as needed .
Highly recommend the rail , by the way . It allows you to apply more power to 
the pole when you need it , relieves fatigue from the constant tension required
to keep your balance if you have no rail , and you really don't want to fall off
the platform . 

We had Carbon Marine make a 24 inch tiller extension , and that seems to be
the optimum length for the two of us , although I'm 6' and my son is 6' 4" .
It allows us to sit on the platform if we want , and steer . I don't know about
the grab rail idea . We thought about adding one to our 16 , too . And maybe
one of those Pallot half consoles . But after fishing from the skiff as it is for
6 months , we love the simplicity of it and don' feel the need for a grab rail .
We use the 35 Yeti sometimes , and when there are 3 anglers , use the 65 as
a bench seat . The flexibility is nice . And with no gunnels to protect the rods
it's good to keep the cockpit as uncluttered as possible to avoid tragic 
missteps . We do miss the gunnels , but it does make the rods more 
accessible , doesn't it ? But we do wake up screaming from nightmares of
stomping through $ 2000.00 worth of fly rods . 

I would add a removable trolling motor puck . We did . We swap a 55 thrust
MinKota between the skiffs . You do need to take care mounting the puck ,
though . You can't just screw through the deck . Well , you can , but with
reinforcement . ( See the maintenance section . ) 

If you ever repower , think about the Etec 30 . It gives you about the best 
power to weight ratio out there . That skiff will draft amazingly shallow .
Ours drafts just under 3" with a 25 2s . That is a big deal in Texas . Lets
us get to fish hiding in the super shallows from the flats burning rodeo 
clowns .Of course , our top speed is 27 mph . Not a big deal to us in Texas ,
our trips are usually 4-10 miles , round trip .

Can't you just use your Yeti as a casting platform ? Well, on the other hand ,
a casting platform would be nice . We thought about a lot of other things , 
too . Like a compression plate , and a jack plate . Still undecided about the
compression plate ( Shawing ) . Probably not going to jackplate it . But ,
the best thing to do is use your skiff for a while , put it through it's paces
before you start adding and changing things . And , take up fly fishing , 
that skiff was born for it !


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Blueskimmer, sounds like you've got a sweet ride as well! Thanks for the input, always great to hear how people set theirs up. Out of all the HBs I've been in (which is every single model, multiple times over), the old school waterman is my 2nd favorite. I love the simplicity and for the lagoon it is an absolutely perfect boat. My top favorite is a 98-01 Whipray. The Whip has a tad bit more freeboard to it and rides a little higher on the water compared to the Waterman. The rough water it can handle is very surprising. If an opportunity ever comes to swap the Waterman for a Whip, it will be hard to pass up.

Input on the tiller extension is very much appreciated, time to give Joe a call. Got the boat all detailed this past week and put the custom cover on her, letting her take a few weeks off due to traveling with work on the weekends (plus it's way too hot to be out there for very long right now). Looking forward to fall reds coming up here very soon... patiently waiting.

Btw, anybody interested in a 2001 Ram Lin galvanized trailer let me know. It's pretty rusted on the hubs and fender steps. I'm going to talk to ram lin about having it fixed up before selling, unless someone wants a rusty trailer just how it is now...



> Congratulations ! You now own the definitive poling skiff . I would be jealous
> but I'm in the same boat . Literally . My son and I bought ours in Feb. from a
> guy in Atlanta who bought the skiff in Oct. , 2000 , put it in mosquito lagoon
> one weekend , took it home , washed and flushed it , put it in a conditioned
> ...


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## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

Interested in the trailer. Will PM phone number and contact info.

Thank you,

Bob


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## swampfox (May 9, 2007)

Damn it! Two Watermans within miles of me. And I missed em.  Of course I guess the problem is I quit looking since I got my Lostmen.  But I have always wanted a original Waterman. I still have a original HB catalog. I drooled over pics of the Watermans for years. Congrats


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

> Damn it! Two Watermans within miles of me. And I missed em.  Of course I guess the problem is I quit looking since I got my Lostmen.  But I have always wanted a original Waterman. I still have a original HB catalog. I drooled over pics of the Watermans for years. Congrats


Fortunately this one never hit the market. The owner asked me to help him find a buyer, and I ended up buying it myself. Funny how life works sometimes. 

Thanks for all the kind words, had some good times on the skiff this past weekend in the lagoon. Put about 40 miles on her and only burned about 1/3 tank (5 gal). Will blow your mind how well this boat will handle tiger basin when it starts to kick up...


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## grovesnatcher (Sep 25, 2007)

Hi 
I just got my 99 whip and its in the shop getting a face lift. When your talkin the lagoon are you in the Titusville area? If so let's fish I've not fished the waterman. I'd like to check out the differences. Mine has a 25 hp merc. Should be ready in a couple weeks. Thanks Shannon let me know


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

I actually know the guy you picked yours up from and have seen that boat in person. Big congrats to you on that one! I've heard about the program you run and it's very refreshing to know that boat will be used in such an exceptional manner. Major props to you for all you do. 

I learned the lagoon in a 99 Whipray with 30hp Yamaha tiller that my buddy owns. It truly is a boat that will amaze you on a daily basis. Not only does it pole like a dream, for a 16ft skiff with no floor it can handle rough waters like a much larger skiff. Compared to the Waterman, the Whip will run a little higher off the water, which is one thing I love about it. Realistically though, both yours and my boat are just about the same, the Waterman is just a little less finish work. I'll PM you about getting together to fish at some point. I love my job but do tend to travel a good bit on the weekends for it so might be a little while before we can connect!

Tight lines.



> Hi
> I just got my 99 whip and its in the shop getting a face lift. When your talkin the lagoon are you in the Titusville area? If so let's fish I've not fished the waterman. I'd like to check out the differences. Mine has a 25 hp merc. Should be ready in a couple weeks. Thanks Shannon let me know


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Been a busy fall/winter with work, and haven't spent as much time as I would have liked on the water, but still managed some good fish on the fly over the past couple months. Here's a quick pic of one from a couple weekends back on the lagoon (COLD and WINDY). 

Had an opportunity to start getting some stuff done on the skiff so here are the current plans for right now:
-Add bilge pump and bilge sump area at rear of skiff (currently has no bilge pump which worries me sometimes)
-Remove livewell plumbing and glass in holes from through hull pickup, plumbing holes on side of well, and overflow drain on outside of hull. 
-New cream awlgrip inside well
-New black rubber hatch pulls
-Removed cushion snaps from rear hatches and glass in holes
-Glassed in holes from rod holders at front of gunnels
-Moving front push pole holder back to relieve some tension on the push pole
-Toe rails on front deck
-Color: since this is the leathery deck setup with the semi textured outside areas, I'll be doing the outside areas on the deck in a castle tan, and all the non skid and surrounding leather areas in a cream. Haven't seen it done this way on one of these so I'm looking forward to it being a little different.
-Black powdercoat on hardware
-Replace rear drain plug with garber drain
-Replace carpet at reel seats with black sea dek
-Repainting bulkhead drains and rod tube rings black

I'll be posting progress pics throughout. Here are a few to start...

Last trip out on it

Taking it apart

Glassed in holes from livewell plumbing

Patchwork from push pole holder and rod holders

Cut out core for bilge sump area. Glassed in


More to come...


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## tgaud11 (Sep 30, 2008)

Wow...I never saw this original post from August. Great skiff and great find. One of my favorite skiffs of all time. Hope one day own one myself. For now my IPB 16 is doing a good job though!!


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## silverking91 (Feb 23, 2007)

Love that boat, Brian. I look forward to seeing her when she's done. I've been keeping an eye on the Waterman in the classified section but it's just not the right time for me. (I'm broke) Might see you in Miami, are you gonna get a chance to fish when you're down?

Cody


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks guys! Pretty productive day on it. Got the castle tan done and just pulled the tape. Will let it set over the weekend and then spray the cream non skid on Tuesday. Hardware is at the powdercoaters...

Btw, after I get all this stuff done on the top side, the hull will be going castle tan soon... 




Tape peeled off


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## grovesnatcher (Sep 25, 2007)

Brings back recent memories and excitement, looks great!


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## shiprock8 (Sep 23, 2013)

Looking forward to seeing more pics and the end product.


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## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

Would have thought you'de do garnett and gold color scheme.


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## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

> Would have thought you'de do garnett and gold color scheme.


Brian,

You can get Garnet in Awlgrip! My Challenger was Garnet, before I restored her... Still pissed that I didn't re- spray the same color... Go Noles! Class or 89..


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Update time. 
-Got the castle tan all done, had to lay on another coat to cover a few light spots. 
-Bilge pump installed and ran the tube into a 90 degree fitting, this way the tubing didn't look all crazy and take up a ton of room. 
-Filled in the gap right behind the rod rack on stbd side that is caused by the fuel line chase, to allow for carpet or sea dek to form to the wall better. In the pic you can see how it looks in front of the rack and then how we changed it behind. 
-Front hatch is getting something special
-Awl grip inside the well area
-First base coat is on the cockpit floor at the moment, will be going into the spray booth this afternoon for the cream awlgrip non skid to be sprayed. 
-Hardware should be done at powder coater today as well
-Glassed in drain hole on portside exterior from livewell
-Glassed in hole on underside of stern from livewell pump

Pics...










Should have some more this afternoon


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## shiprock8 (Sep 23, 2013)

Very nice! I like the color.


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## Capt. Eli Whidden (Jun 7, 2012)

Sweet rig. Same year as mine. 

What config do you have you for your livewell? As in piping?


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Update...

Have things pretty much wrapped up for this phase of the project at the moment. Put her back together and I'm very happy with how things have turned out so far. The black hardware set it off and the tower will be getting done very soon, along with some rope wrap on the steps of it, and along the starboard side legs where the push pole usually hits it while putting it into the holders. Need to get sea dek on the rod racks in the next couple weeks. 









The front hatch got a little custom touch of mine. We sanded it down and painted it castle tan first, then buffed it smooth. Laid down a Waterman logo on it and sanded down flat. Then sprayed the awlgrip cream non skid over it. Pulled the decal to leave us with the Waterman logo coming through. Turned out sweet but there are a few small spots to touch up still. It's a unique touch and not something I've ever seen before, very happy with the end result.


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## grovesnatcher (Sep 25, 2007)

Looks great!


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## shiprock8 (Sep 23, 2013)

Very cool! Love that decal!


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## swampfox (May 9, 2007)

Man that looks awesome! I have been eyeing a old Waterman. Hey do you think you have enough room to flip those hinges? And get the pivot down on the gap. So it would be flush.


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## Ginclear (Aug 11, 2013)

Congratulations on the restoration ! You've managed to keep the classic look while personalizing the skiff 
at the same time . Made it your own . Very tastefully done . I love the castle tan trim and , man when  
that hull gets the same color , wow ! The Waterman logo reveal is a nice touch . I've never seen that done .  
How the heck did you do that ? Didn't the decal disappear when you painted over it with the cream color ?
Did you wait till the awl grip cured before removing the decal , or pull it while still soft ? Inquiring minds ,  
you know . The bilge pump and sump is a great idea . We want to add a pump to our 16 , but hadn't thought 
about grinding out a sump . How tricky was that little project ? Did you do the work on your skiff , or did 
Hell's Bay ? I guess that is a lot of questions , but there aren't that many pre 2002 Waterman skiffs around , 
so you've got our attention . When you finish that skiff out , it will be in a class by itself . Welcome to the 
pompous , elitist , skiff snob club !


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks man and if you have a chance at one, go for it! You won't regret it. I'm not sure if that will work with the hinges but will check on it.


> Man that looks awesome! I have been eyeing a old Waterman. Hey do you think you have enough room to flip those hinges? And get the pivot down on the gap. So it would be flush.


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

> Congratulations on the restoration ! You've managed to keep the classic look while personalizing the skiff
> at the same time . Made it your own . Very tastefully done . I love the castle tan trim and , man when
> that hull gets the same color , wow ! The Waterman logo reveal is a nice touch . I've never seen that done .
> How the heck did you do that ? Didn't the decal disappear when you painted over it with the cream color ?
> ...


Thank you for the kind words and I'm very happy with the current results! It feels good to have it "my way" finally, and will make it even more enjoyable than it already it is.

For the logo, we sanded the front hatch and painted with castle tan gel coat, buffed smooth. Then laid the decal on there and sanded it down a bit, but still left it at a point we would be able to peel it off after the awlgrip was sprayed. Pull the decal before it cures, this way it doesn't pull the paint around it up with it. 

The bilge sump is necessary since the boat has no false floor, cockpit liner, stringer, etc. This allows the water to fall down into it and the bilge to pick it up. For mounting the bilge we used a highly adhesive glue, rather than drilling into the floor. 

The skiff will look awesome when the hull goes tan, but for the meantime I will be plenty happy with the current setup. I only have to look at the top half when I'm fishing it anyways!


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## Chasintail22 (Jun 22, 2009)

Update: 

Got together with some buddies a couple weeks ago and it looked like a HB dealership. I had to figure out why my motor wouldn't trim at all and my buddy needed to do his carbs. MattyVac determined the trim motor was shot so I ordered a new one and will install with him asap. Helps having 3 Mercury 40s all in one spot for reference! Should have it back up and running in no time so I can finally get her back on the water...


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