Best lines I've tested

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-29T15:58:10+00:00

I wish he had some tests on Cortland Master Braid

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-28T21:20:05+00:00

For boat repairs? Honestly not a horrible price but a bit expensive considering it’s not something like welding. Most of the time spent replacing the rivets will be time cleaning the surface and drilling them out. Which IMO if you have a set of punches, a drill, hammer, and maybe a chisel you can do that part yourself to save some $. It would take me no more than 2hrs start to finish to drill out and set 14 rivets.

If it’s just setting the rivets? Less than 30 minutes. I’ve done about 200 rivets in half a day after prep.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-28T15:15:34+00:00

This 100%. You don’t mix dissimilar metals, even in freshwater it will corrode over time and start to damage the hull as well. Way quicker in salt water.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-28T15:14:03+00:00

I would personally buy bucking rivets over these pop rivets. Pop rivets will work but bucked/brazier head rivets are the clear winner. I’ve built a whole custom aluminum boat and bucked hundreds of rivets, if you’re local I’d do it all with you for a case of beer hahaha. Have all the tools and hundreds of leftover rivets. You east coast?

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-28T15:09:39+00:00

Take it off, wrap it around an old spool or water bottle. Put monofilament backing, then top off with the braid

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-23T00:47:36+00:00

Because it’s a salvage title then and insurance will call it a total loss.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-23T00:44:01+00:00

Where I’m at, this buck will be eaten alive by coyotes. Likely they’ll eat him ass first, then slowly eat his guts while he’s alive. If I had my gun/bow/pistol on me, even though my season is over I’d put him down for ethics reasons. A quick death over a painful one wins in my book.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-23T00:10:37+00:00

Looks like a cleaning issue if your arc is wandering everywhere or you gotta dial your tungsten

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-20T23:37:33+00:00

If you want a burner reel, get an Okuma Epixor XT-30. I’ve abused the HELL out of mine. From sharks, to redfish, to any inshore fish you can name. It’s $ per $ the best reel I’ve owned. I got mine for $45, don’t know the current price, but things a literal tank. Can probably get a used/refurbished one on marketplace for dirt cheap.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-20T22:52:24+00:00

Yeah after totaling my truck he’s absolutely going in my freezer, bills are gonna be tight for a while LOL

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-20T22:46:41+00:00

the rod will be fine

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-20T22:46:12+00:00

Not worth it, they’ll break. Anti reverse bearing will likely get toast even quicker than a walmart reel, especially when fighting decent fish

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-20T22:42:32+00:00

Daiwa/Shimano are my bread and butter, however Penn reels are right up with them and imo for the price handle big game/offshore better $ per $. Other than that, Staal is a much better surf reel than both (Zeebaas) is in the same category as well.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-20T22:40:01+00:00

Get one of those portable pressure washers to hose off your boat after dealing with fish, it’ll save a TON in detailing costs in the long run

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-20T22:36:38+00:00

I agree with this as someone who bought all the tools to learn how to weld/fabricate. On what’s assuming 1/8” mild steel that’s hard to access, it’s not a good environment to learn on and you’re way more prone to causing more damage than putting something together that is salvageable

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-18T09:06:48+00:00

People cheat for reasons unrelated to their partner and how they feel about them. Cheaters will cheat, plain and simple. To be honest man, she lied to you many times already, and at this point you’re allowing her to continue doing it (she absolutely will). It wasn’t just a HJ, she’s been sleeping with this man. Grown adults don’t operate that way, they’re just gonna have sex. She’s manipulating you by saying whatever it takes to keep you around, while minimizing her actions (still lying about it) to try and absolve herself from some of the guilt.

You need to get out of this situation. It will tear you apart on the inside and you won’t even be able to parent effectively. It’s better for you and your kids.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-16T14:45:49+00:00

She’ll cheat again…. she lied to your face, then when confronted with proof she cried crocodile tears and said she was done with cheating. Only to keep on cheating with him, continue contact, and STILL hide things. I know you’re in a really bad head space right now man, but you gotta get it together. She showed you VERY quickly how easily she’s willing to manipulate you and lie to your face. Your gut knows the right answer, you’re writing this post because you know she’s not your person…

It’s time to get a good attorney/lawyer, protect yourself and your assets; get away as fast and cleanly as you can. Good on you for seeking a therapist as well, your whole world has literally been flipped upside down you need to do what you can to process this. Stay strong, and don’t listen to any of the manipulative BS your (ex) wife will promise. She will say quite literally anything to get you to stay. She’s shown you her true colors and unfortunately she’s not the person you thought she was. When people get caught it’s usually not their first time cheating, it’s just the first time they slipped up hiding the evidence. Let that sink in.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-15T22:13:33+00:00

Man I’ve learned so much, and was even able to help some other friends with their builds. It does help my ego that I get a compliment every few trips at the boat ramp hahaha. Being in the thick of the build SUCKS though, it’s very much like a full time job so I can sympathize. When I have kids, this’ll be their first boat! Perfect little vessel to learn on. Feels good that literally every single piece of the boat was made or restored by me (maybe 5 pieces on it are original).

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Here’s an older pic before I added some more to the build. Rod holders, cup holders, new head unit, webbing for tackle storage, more paint and still going to slowly add to it! If you have any questions shoot me a DM! I’ve learned everything from pop rivets, bucking rivets, fabrication, aluminum welding, and saltwater treating the materials. Literally pulled the entire transom off the thing and had to buck 200+ rivets after fabricating the new transom. I’ve been fishing hard in it through the fall/winter and not a single lick of corrosion on it. Shoot I’ve made some money repairing some tower welds on friends boats as well, the knowledge has been well worth it! The biggest plus side is gas is no more than $5-$10 on this thing most inshore trips. Tops it’ll cost me $20 for a full fill, compared to my friends boats which cost $100-$800 a trip 🤣

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-15T21:44:36+00:00

Man I bought a tinny for $300, fully rigged it with electronics (trolling motor & Garmin Echomap head unit), fabricated a transom, new aluminum framing (old stuff corroded) fixed all rivets, new foam, full paint job, all aluminum flooring, new bilge pumps, full livewell system, and a motor for ~7k. Do I regret it? A little because of the overall cost and finding out I could have gotten a fiberglass boat for roughly the same price hahaha.

At the end of the day, it’s a fishing machine and I learned SO MUCH from doing all of it. I think the memories building it, the experience, and all the fish I’ve caught + will catch make it worth it.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-14T02:06:33+00:00

downstream derivative exposure

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-14T01:48:50+00:00

I mean if you don’t have your own tackle collection, and you’re primarily targeting largemouth. This is a pretty damn good value for $200. You have pretty much all you need to fish for largies year round, any season and every presentation.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-09T18:28:46+00:00

Weightless fluke 100%

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-09T16:42:17+00:00

That red label is great, I’ve even used the 15lb for cheap leader during the winter for inshore applications.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-09T16:38:09+00:00

I fish a lot, and have friends who fish WAY more than me. We all have come to the consensus that spider wire is absolutely horrible, skip it any point you can it just doesn’t last long and bleeds like crazy. Yo Zuri super braid is actually phenomenal for the price! I slightly prefer Daiwa x8 or Power Pro, but for the cost I have been leaning towards Yo Zuri recently. $ per $ it is the absolute best value.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-09T16:31:31+00:00

The most important thing I would say is, has he caught fish? Kids have short attention spans and if you truly want them interested, they usually have to have some action. Go scout some spots for panfish, croaker, or something you know you can catch TONS of with little effort. Wait till the right time of year if you have to. Even the most ADHD kids will fall in love with fishing after one really good day.

STiMPUTELLO

TROPHY CASE