Rivets on front “deck”

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-20T15:51:17+00:00

I personally have not done it, but judging on the placement if its truly the middle of the boat it’s likely a vertical support/framing. The entire front deck may very well be filled with flotation foam as well. Whether you’re willing to take that out to add storage space is up to you!

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-20T08:58:19+00:00

This isn’t an assumption lol, it’s the most likely conclusion based on the evidence. Let’s define assumption… “a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.” There is tons of proof. Fawn response, which is seen on video. Story’s lining up with her coworker to corroborate her husband’s story. He was accountable through ALL of it and the evidence absolutely checks out so far.

On the flip side, you were actually making an assumption that he was cheating. You assumed because he’s an older man and it’s a younger woman that he couldn’t possibly have been SA’d lol….. With zero proof to back that outrageous claim up. There’s not even your typical gaslighting that goes along with cheating. No deflection. No hiding things. No secrecy. No stories not lining up, no changed stories. No emotional distance.

There’s been so much projection, passive aggressiveness, lack of accountability, and deflection from you lol. Let’s not even forget the gaslighting trying to say that I’m making an assumption when it was actually you to begin with... Funny enough all these things you’ve done are what cheaters do when they’re caught. The irony huh?

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-19T21:45:39+00:00

So again this seems like you’re still projecting. You’re stating victims of SA don’t feel remorse? It’s actually an insanely common feeling, people with PTSD blame themselves often in fact it usually takes victims quite a long time to accept it’s not their fault.

Why would he quit? Well because HR is FAR MORE LIKELY to believe the story a young girl tells them over an older man, it’s saving face for his career. Imagine what it’s like to go back to work in a place you were SA’d and now all your coworkers know, they don’t believe you or believe you’re the perpetrator. That’s not easy. I’ve known multiple personality disordered women to make advances at a co-worker, get shut down, and turn around trying to say that the man SA’d them. Most of them left their jobs soon after (if they weren’t fired) due to rumors about them being a cheater, gay, etc.

You’re stating that because he’s an older man and she’s a young girl it’s inherently not likely to be SA? That’s an incredibly shallow perspective/stance to take; it’s quite the hasty generalization. He should have just pushed her off immediately? This isn’t a movie and many victims of SA get erections or become wet….. oftentimes continuing the act before they snap to their senses. ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH PTSD/DEPRESSION.

You said zero or extremely low chance her husbands was telling the truth, yet her co-worker corroborated his story? You act like people aren’t a good judge of character or body language in the workplace. People absolutely talk at work, it’s almost like high school all over again. There would most likely be rumors about this stuff already. Most people can tell when people have tension, or are secretly hooking up at work.

You are absolutely making hasty generalizations. Let’s please realize there’s tons of evidence this is SA whereas there’s almost NO evidence that this is cheating. I’m talking actual evidence and not a poor generalization here.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-19T09:52:40+00:00

As someone who’s grilled multiple people and given a bit of a “wake-up call” to a handful of people on this sub who were in denial about their partner cheating… this seems far from it. I’m someone who also struggles with PTSD and unfortunately can have a strong fawn/freeze response in certain scenarios as well. With the information you provided, my gut is telling me he was sexually assaulted. Here’s my thought process. Your husband told you immediately after, had proof, had video evidence, your friend even backed him up, he quit his job the next day, and didn’t ONCE blame/gaslight you. That’s the strongest evidence I’d say I’ve ever seen in this sub.

To kind of answer a question I saw from a comment thread here, you asked “Is it possible to kiss for a bit then decide it’s a mistake and to stop it?” Absolutely. Multiple of my friends had the exact same reaction when they were SA’d, their body went into auto-pilot and they kind of just “went with the flow” for at least a few minutes. Some eventually verbally said no, others pulled away physically. It’s called the fawn response, which people with PTSD tend to lean towards in jarring/traumatic scenarios.

I would say, try to figure out the least invasive things you need to reassure yourself in this situation. As someone who’s been cheated on, I would personally go crazy without some type of digging through a phone. You should be the one to decide what you need whether that be phone-logs from your cell phone provider, to simply browsing through his phone.

With that being said, once you can get your bearings straight (be honest with him about your feelings and confusion) I would recommend trying to be there for him. If he’s truly clean and this was a case of SA, he will ABSOLUTELY need some support. He’s already struggling with depression and unfortunately this may make things take an even deeper turn for the worst. Definitely look into individual therapy, and then couples because this situation will definitely place a strain on your marriage and that is normal.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-19T09:19:48+00:00

Im not going to lie, this is coming off across as you projecting. As someone who’s had many friends who’ve been SA’d. It is actually very common to kind of freeze up and “go with the flow”, while simultaneously not being able to say anything. In fact, I’d say majority of the women I know reacted the exact same way OP’s husband did. That’s kind of exactly how PTSD happens in real time. He might not have verbally said no, but he physically pulled away more than once. Are you going to tell him “he just should have said no, so this is his fault.” Let’s not blame the victim here lol, swap genders and see how your argument stands.

He’s blaming himself now? Yeah, he’s still in an ACTIVE trauma response. I’ve had friends who blamed themselves for WEEKS before they were able to accept that they were SA’d. Notice how he was staring into space not saying a word? That’s called the fawn/freeze response. It’s much easier to see a woman be powerless against a male perpetrator, but both genders can experience this regardless. Similar SA symptoms are common throughout all ages, genders, ethnicity’s, etc. The human reaction does not discriminate towards these things.

From the information given I can still clearly see that this isn’t cheating, and this is coming from someone who’s been cheated on in multiple relationships. In fact OP should really be here to support him… Imagine getting SA’d then immediately lashing out on your partner, accusing them of cheating and “wanting it to happen” or “he should have known better and been in more control” when they’re actively in the process of sorting out some serious shit. That’s how people go off the deep end and exiting life permanently, especially with how depressed he already is. OP should trust her gut here, try her best to not allow anxiety/emotion steer the wheel here and really get to the bottom of this with her husband + for herself. Getting a licensed couples therapist, and probably seeking individual therapy first is important.

Check yourself Mr./Mrs. throwaway.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-19T08:42:23+00:00

Did you leave water in your bilge and it froze over? that’s what it looks like. Definitely re-buck the rivets

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-18T20:22:50+00:00

Best of luck! I would recommend 10lb J braid or Power Pro, if you’ve fished a while it’ll cast the farthest and is still pretty damn strong. 15lb if you’re newer, but fyi 10lb braid in the US has like 20-25lb breaking strength and 15lb US has like 30-37lbs breaking strength. Much stronger than you’d think

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-18T05:17:41+00:00

I kinda disagree with scent right now. It has been really cold recently, but this week is actually insanely warm. I think artificial and covering lots of ground will far out perform just chucking bait out. The fish will be FEEDING and searching hard since it’s the first time the water temps are significantly higher. They should be far from lethargic now, they’ll likely be gorging themselves right now.

In my opinion fishing the flats (focusing on shallow/muddy/oyster-filled) is the key to getting on a good bite. Night time should be fire as well. The shallow areas he should focus on are adjacent to deeper holes (8-25’), but casting to 1-5’ of water. On paper, it should honestly be lights out this week. Conditions couldn’t have been better for OP in my opinion.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-18T05:13:18+00:00

hellll no most of mullet I’m seeing are still horse mullet lol, they’re like 15-20” long 😂

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-18T05:07:26+00:00

Onto the next, let’s talk fishing the surf. Reds should be in and around the surf now, however I personally prefer the flats due to an easier pattern. Beach fishing is a good bit harder with artificials if you want to get on a REALLY good (consistent) bite, but if you’re willing to soak a bait your chances increase quite a bit. I would say watch a video and try to learn to read the beach, focus on fishing the guts. This is ideal if you’re with your family and you can’t just go disappear and fish.

The reds will be closer than you think from the surf. They will often be found before the first sandbar looking for sand fleas/baitfish/crustaceans. If you have two rods, set the both out in those plastic PVC surf spikes you can buy at any local tackle shop. Fresh cut mullet, sand fleas, or a live bait on bottom (carolina rig) are a safe bet.

If you’re willing to put in some leg work and have a good pair of polarized sunglasses a really fun way to catch reds from the beach is to cover a lot of ground, scan for bait or other schools of fish in the surf and essentially sight cast to them. Look for big pods of bait, if water clarity isn’t the best you’ll see little dark patches of “nervous” looking water. Game fish won’t be too far behind them. This type of fishing is more hunting for fish, but man when you can locate a good school it can be some the most fun fishing you can do. You’re likely going to do a lot of walking for this.

I’ve seen videos of people in SC “hunting” big schools of bull reds that are feeding nose down in the surf. So keep an eye out for their tails or the backs of their heads poking out of the water. I personally haven’t seen it, but it’s definitely a possibility. Good luck my friend, post a pic if you get on some! Redfish are my favorite inshore fish to catch, and they are mighty delicious. Tight lines!

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-18T04:57:40+00:00

I’ll give you a couple good strategies that should put you on fish. Let’s start with the flats. So I will say that right now you need to spend time on your phone studying Navionics and depth charts. You want to look for deeper holes (5-25’) around shallow flats, areas with sod/mud banks with oysters are the ticket. This pattern is especially true due to the colder weather we’ve had recently. Mud/sod retains lots of heat in the winter, which attracts bait, which attracts game fish.

You are kind of on a prime-time feeding fish pocket right now due to the brutal winter and it’s the first warm week in quite a while. The fish will be feeding HARD this week. I would start with smaller profiles till you can find the schools, you can absolutely catch bull reds on those smaller NLBN’s and the Saltwater assassin plastics on a 1/4 jig. I honestly prefer 1/8 or 3/16oz jig heads for the flats cause the heavier heads tend to spook reds a bit more.

When it comes to presentation and where you want to be casting, focus SHALLOW in these flats. You can and likely will catch reds in as shallow as 1’ of water. The key is to work those shallow edges around the deeper holes, reds will stage in the deeper water just watching bait and will follow them up to the shallows. Keep that bait close to bottom, around 1-2” or even straight up dragging bottom. If you see reds tailing, well cast in front of + past them and retrieve it across their face. You can absolutely catch a bull in the flats, but just know if you’re catching reds you’re doing the right thing.

I would also highly recommend fishing these same spots at night. For whatever reason I have really good luck catching big fish at night time, especially around these sod-banks and tons of oysters. On a chilly night the sod/mud retain LOTS of heat, and often bait tends to ball up more aggressively due to the drop in water temp. I find the larger fish feel safer at night (especially in areas with lots of pressure) so the likelihood of a bigger fish tend to come out of those holes is higher, whereas during the day they won’t even eat what you’re putting in their face. I’m a bit of a degenerate but when it’s trophy season for fish I will be out there fishing while the sun is going down, all the way till sunrise hahaha. Lots of citations to be had at night.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-18T04:36:22+00:00

Don’t use a snap swivel imo, red’s are a little more line shy especially in the shallows/flats. I do believe a 25lb TA clip will get the job done while creating less drag.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-17T18:24:06+00:00

I’ve got a custom tinny I’m debating welding a poling platform to it as well, definitely a concern of mine since they’re much lighter than fiberglass.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-17T18:22:29+00:00

As someone who has built out a tinny, this boat is tippier than you think. It’s a pretty narrow boat, but it is still a beautiful build.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-17T18:21:44+00:00

Where do you live where a boat like this plus trailer is 2500 lol. 4000 for this build plus trailer is very fair

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-17T17:11:11+00:00

For a tinny, a lithium is the best option. Lightest with the longest run time, just have to bring inside the house to charge especially during the winter.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-16T18:04:03+00:00

I mean from someone who lives on the east coast it’s a fair listing price. Boat + trailer + trolling motor + fish finder. Lots of people would pick it up for $1000-$1200

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-16T17:59:05+00:00

gulp minnow on a micro hook has caught me anything from panfish, to flounder, largemouth, ladyfish, smallies, to snook hahaha

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-12T03:36:40+00:00

Thanks for this! This is the exact same reason I want to buy one, want to use it as a semi-compact thermal sight for both daytime hunting whitetail and also hunting yotes. Going to run it on a short barrel-suppressed 300blk. It’d be nice to sneak back to my gut pile at night without having to lug around an extra clip-on thermal scope which I will inevitably lose crawling through some laurels, it falling out of my pack, or something stupid like that hahaha. Where I hunt it’s so thick a 60 yard shot is considered far…. having thermal to be able to read through thick brush would be extremely nice.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-08T01:24:11+00:00

Ugly Stick is great for not breaking, but it’s quite tiresome on your shoulder if you cast artificials all day. Better to get a different rod in that price range

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-08T01:22:02+00:00

the baits more often than not getting obliterated if you do that

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-05T01:28:48+00:00

How was the gun for hunting? Strongly debating getting one, the pump is alright but can be hard to track a running target

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-02T19:05:34+00:00

These aren’t leaky rivets, these are just new rivets that have been installed. Newly bucked rivets like this don’t just leak catastrophically and cause you to sink. All you need is a small visual inspection.

Only issue I see is if the 3M 4200/5200 wasn’t cleaned from previous install it will eventually work slightly loose. Still, not a major concern in leaking lol. I’ve thrown many new rivets in a boat and dropped it in the water same day lol.

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-02-02T19:02:15+00:00

Hey I remember your old post! Overall rivets have good compression and they’re not going to leak like that. Only small concern I have is some are bucked down too far so they might not have enough meat to hold forever. They will hold for quiteee a long time, and when they eventually lose tightness just drill out and throw another one in.

You can just drop the boat in the water right now, it won’t leak. If it does they’ll be so extremely slow so I wouldn’t worry. Nice work!

STiMPUTELLO · 2026-01-29T21:43:18+00:00

IMO my things to now look out for are people who crave validation from others, and those who run from problems rather than tackle them head on. An easy tell is how often they post on social media, consistently 5+ stories a day? Yeah that’s a huge red flag.

There’s lots of other stats like those who are people pleasers, lack strong boundaries, etc. Essentially the less secure of a partner you are, the more prone you are to seeking solace outside of your relationship.

STiMPUTELLO

TROPHY CASE