It’s been another whirlwind off-season, and once again FishingNosara is locked and loaded for another great season of fishing.
Big changes are afoot all around the Nosara Paradise Rentals campus. The bathrooms in most houses have been completely refit with new tile and countertops throughout.
Casa Tranquilo got the upgraded bathroom and new kitchen counters.
Casa Neptune got a new set of window bars:
Special thanks are due to our world-class crew. Nothing would be possible without the teamwork and positive attitude that our staff exhibits in all of their work.
As you know the FishingNosara build team can’t leave well enough alone, so we are ready to upgrade the top on our 23-foot panga Adventurer.
We built this boat five years ago and after 500+ trips in the Costa Rican blue water, the bimini top is nearly worn out. This is the same top that West Marine sells for like 400 bucks, and it’s fair to say we’ve gotten more use value than we ever imagined.
With our bigger boats we have grown to rely on Custom Marine in Jacksonville to build custom tops and bow rails. The work they have delivered on our other boats are second-to-none.
For example:
Harvester
Wanderer
For the Adventurer top we have a few unique challenges to overcome, mostly relating to the boat’s small size. The gunwale are narrow, so we are compensating with thicker baseplates (3/8″ instead of 1/4″).
Harper, Troy, and the boys at Custom Marine have tracked down a special order of extra-thick walled aluminum tubing.
In addition to the thicker materials, the top as a whole with be raked inwards. This triangulation will help distribute the forces evenly and hopefully prevent the sides from sagging.
The top on the Adventurer is taking shape and the rapid progress is exciting.
In this photo, right is the fore of the boat, left is aft. You can see the craftsmanship where the two middle pipe segments create a uniform curve from aft to fore.
The next steps are to add 2 antenna plates, 7 rod holders, and a custom canvas top. A collapsing/telescoping front hoop will be added to create 36″ of additional forward sunshade.
After a week of astounding progress, the bulk of the new top is complete.
The forward sunshade is getting a redesign, as Troy and Harper want to make it telescope into the top for storage rather than fold down. It should be a pretty stunning project once completed.
Here you can see that the telescoping front sunshade is starting to take shape. The two round tubes on either side of the top are the receptacles for the shade.
Here, the telescoping front sun shade is now complete and all that’s left is the custom canvas top.
The new top is complete and we are readying it for shipping to Costa Rica. Now that it’s finished, check out these fine welds:
Here is detail on the telescoping retractable front sunshade:
Brian has it all wrapped up and ready for freight.
The Adventurer’s new top was installed in late November.
The off season maintenance projects are all barreling down the backstretch and heading for the finish line. Speaking of finish, check out this awesome epoxy coat on iconic fighting chairs from the Wanderer and Discoverer:
So clear you can see your face in them! That’s also the goal for the skylights in Casa Tranquilo and Casa Surfeando:
Casa Caribe’s bathroom remodeling is complete. New tile and a new sink pedestal are the highlights.
Of course the best part of the offseason is when we get to add new fish-fighting weapons to the fleet. Remember that we started to build the new livewell for the Explorer using a bucket for a mold:
Now the form has taken shape been bulked out with seven-layer of Woven Roven fiberglass:
We fabricated the lid and lip by hand, slowly removing material until we got a snug fit.
Satisfied with the fit of the lid and the tank’s placement in the aft-starboard of the livewell, we proceeded to ad layers of chopped-strand fiberglass for a nice finish.
It is currently in place secured with epoxy, and once it cured it was ready for gelcoat and final assembly.
The new livewell looks great, especially now that the rest of the Explorer is freshly gelcoated and ready for action.
Look out fishies…The barroom-brawler Explorer fights dirty!
The other boats are in the process of final gelcoat and polish. It’s great to see the bulk of the fleet shined up and ready for battle.
Work continued into week 3 with more progress on the refitting the fleet for the 2020 season. Captain Carlos reports that the repairs on the Discoverer are complete and they are in the process of deep sanding and cleaning.
The hull repairs under the bathroom floor are complete, and the floor has been fiberglassed back in place.
We also plan on using this opportunity to clear some obsolete wiring and tighten up the wire runs on the big battleship. Back aft, the teak wood covering panel has been removed and replaced with fresh 5200 sealant.
The Adventurer has been similarly stripped and sanded.
Keen-eyed fans of this boat will notice the new gunwale mounted rail-mounts up front…These will be integral to a forthcoming secret weapon that we are adding to the 23-foot switchblade’s arsenal of fish-catching weapons.
Speaking of secret weapons, the 27-foot Explorer is getting a new toy this year with a fully-integrated livewell. We used a discarded bucket as our form for the first fell layers of material.
We are going to install this on the starboard side over the back of the splashwell, which will make it accessible to the rigging station and also help control the outflow of the tank.
Next week our shipment of gelcoat arrives and we are looking forward spraying and polishing. Speaking of a fresh new look, the staff has pressure washed and re-stained the fascia of the main office.
Here’s a before/after look:
Looking fresh!
Thanks for all the kind words on social media as we continue our work. We’ll keep everyone updated as we get the boats and houses in tip-top shape before the new season starts in November.
Work continues to prepare Nosara Paradise Rentals and FishingNosara for another season of fun family fishing adventures.
The Explorer has been completely stripped of equipment and old gelcoat. This is the first time the tower has been removed since is was installed in 2010.
Captain Fico expects the Explorer to shine like new dime by the time the season starts in November.
The Discoverer is also getting our attentions this offseason. For years we have monitored a small crack in the front-starboard area of the hull, and have spent many hours laying on the ground fixing the crack from the outside.
Now we have the chance to cut open the bathroom floor and inspect the repairs from the inside. A few heavy layers of fiberglass should put this problem behind us for the life of the boat.
Casa Privada’s kitchen is getting a long-overdue facelift. Check out this sweet new countertop and backsplash.
Before:
After:
The 2 bedroom house Casa Caribe is also getting new tile and fixtures for her bathrooms. Plus the kitchen is getting a fresh look.
Still basking in the glow of our record-setting 102 trip month of August, the team continued to fish into mid-September. However the time has finally come to refit, repaint, and reload the fleet for an exciting 2020 campaign.
Outside of basic maintenance we don’t have any large-scale projects in store for the fleet this year; however once we start pulling them apart we will certainly find stuff to address.
The Explorer is already stripped and ready for new gelcoat, and the other boats will get the same level of attention over the next six weeks.
Elsewhere, we are upgrading the bathrooms of several of Nosara Paradise Rental’s older units.
It may be the ‘off-season’ but we don’t take days off around here!
This is the time of year when we perform maintenance on our houses, boats, and vehicles. The houses may be empty and the boats are on the hill, but as usual there is a flurry of activity around the Nosara Paradise Rentals campus.
Both of our offices have a fresh face for the new year with new varnish on the exterior wood and new paint.
Meanwhile we have heard your feedback on Casa Privada’s bunkhouse and are adding a full bathroom. No more coming into the main house late at night when nature calls.
We have big things planned for the boats this off-season as well. As usual, all boats are being sanded, cleaned and resprayed with fresh gelcoat. Here is the flagship Wanderer, all stripped down:
It’s a lot of work, but this is what is required to keep the fleet in tip-top shape.
This rare Costa Rica-sourced Guapinol (Hymenaea courbaril) wood will replace the existing transom on the Wanderer (above).
Also, the Harvester is getting some long-overdue attention. Remember that last year we left her in the water for the off-season, meaning that this is the first repaint since her initial campaign in January 2016.
The barroom brawler Explorer is also getting spruced up for the new year. Top of the list is rebuilding and re-painting the consoles…they will look great with the new windshields that are coming soon.
The Adventurer is always getting new tricks up her sleeve. Last year we installed a single live tuna tube (unheard of on such a small boat), and this year we are adding a bottom machine.
Here is the custom stand that Captain David has constructed to accept the bottom machine.
Even the Transporter is showing some wear and tear.
Knocking around Garza Bay all day long has necessitated some structural repairs on the floor, and the outer gunwale is being replaced with this PVC section fiber-glassed into the hull.
Stay tuned next month for updates as we get the fleet back in the water.
The Discoverer suffered a setback during her trip on February 4 as one of her Yamaha F150’s blew up.
This oil pump assembly cracked, and in a matter of seconds seized up the crankshaft, flywheel, and stator.
We expect to have the battleship repaired and back in the water this week.
Big thanks to our pal Jamie at Tidewater Boat Works in Jacksonville to help us locate some hard-to-find parts for this repair, and of course big praise is due to Oldemar our Costa Rica Yamaha Mechanic.
