18ft Legend Excalibur 1st year..

I had started a thread in 2022 about my Excalibur I picked up and was waterlogged.. Tried posting some pictures of the repair which crashed the thread (unsure how) But once it was all done she did well for the summer fishing season! A couple rides here and there around the Sudbury region and first try at down rigging for Rainbows around Manitoulin!

I figured I would write up a quick post of what it took to get there and how I made it my own.

Picked it up in late 2022 and left it with Legend as the flotation foam was waterlogged beyond belief! It took forever to get this thing on plane and didn't handle worth a damn.

Well 1 winter being repaired and a hefty (but still less than I thought) bill she was water worthy.

Before I even had her in the water I added:
- upgraded Ipilot head for Powerdrive V2 trolling motor
- 2 brand new group 31 AGM batteries for trolling motor
- Noco 10x4 charger
- 2 Helix 7 MSI at the helm wired through new fuse block
- 2 of the father in-laws old cannon mini mag down riggers

1st time I had it out the steering cable popped out of them helm 50 ft from the dock and the motor wouldn't start with the key and needed to be boosted (Turns out when you forget a negative back to the battery the starter doesn't perform that well... Who knew..) After fixing those issues it ran well but the steering was still an issue as it was very stiff.

Lubed up the steering tube once it was back home and lo and behold she runs like new!

No issues getting on plane and easy 1 finger steering at any speed. Finally I have the boat I've wanted for years! It may be a bit older (2005) but i know from the ground up its practically new!

Now its in storage for winter and I'm wondering what i can add to it next year to make the fishing game even better!

I know these boats are everywhere so if anyone has ideas or tips on how to get the most out of them or upgrades they would be greatly appreciated.

(Other then the new custom high top I'll be having made that is)

For some reason I cant upload photos..

The higher the top the less shade you get. Make sure you can put it out of the way when not in use.

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Originally Posted by glen

The higher the top the less shade you get. Make sure you can put it out of the way when not in use.

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Currently it has the high top that came with the boat. Being a tall guy the ability to walk around with it on makes fishing a lot nicer but I agree it lessens the shade. I will most likely keep the same style but have the father in law rebuild it for me with a custom material pattern to upgrade on the original material and some quick upgrades (ie. adding plastic window int he back panel to still see behind the boat when fully covered).

So far when stowed it lays along the back seat/casting deck if seat is folded down. It didn't seem to be in the way too much when down rigging which was nice.

Again i wish photos would post.. I will try again tonight

When I started fishing the Great Lakes a first 10 items I added were (in no particular order):

1. A cover for the Bow (if it is an open bow), i learned this when a wave came in and almost flooded the boat
2. A compass, GPS dont always work
3. A marine chart map chip for my GPS, to show depth in the lake
4. Downrigger quick disconnect plates so I can store the downriggers to prevent theft
5. Light strip inside the hull just above the floor, lights on the hull are good but they blinded me from seeing my rods at night
6. Marine radio linked to my GPS so I can just push a button to send a signal to the coast guard in case of the boat going down quick, and an eight foot antannae
7. A handheld marine radio kept on my person in case i cant get to the boat radio
8. Trolling motor with its own fuel supply, not just for trolling also in case the main motor goes down, one time my fuel cell got contaminated by water and wouild not start
9. A head light on the bow for driving at speed at night
10. A battery control switch to control which battery used

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Originally Posted by Marker

When I started fishing the Great Lakes a first 10 items I added were (in no particular order):

1. A cover for the Bow (if it is an open bow), i learned this when a wave came in and almost flooded the boat
2. A compass, GPS dont always work
3. A marine chart map chip for my GPS, to show depth in the lake
4. Downrigger quick disconnect plates so I can store the downriggers to prevent theft
5. Light strip inside the hull just above the floor, lights on the hull are good but they blinded me from seeing my rods at night
6. Marine radio linked to my GPS so I can just push a button to send a signal to the coast guard in case of the boat going down quick, and an eight foot antannae
7. A handheld marine radio kept on my person in case i cant get to the boat radio
8. Trolling motor with its own fuel supply, not just for trolling also in case the main motor goes down, one time my fuel cell got contaminated by water and wouild not start
9. A head light on the bow for driving at speed at night
10. A battery control switch to control which battery used

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Definitely a good List!
Some I have already like:
- a bow cover (father in law is actually making a cover for the walk through below the windshield to cut down on cold wind in the early morning rides)
- I have Navionics on my one Helix unit. Definitely helps
- Down riggers have a quick disconnect plate mounted to the boat at all times but can easily remove the physical down rigger for travelling and over nights
- Battery select/cut off switch


Ones I will definitely look into are:
- compass (Easy to do as I have a few laying around!)
- interior light strips for night fishing
- Looking at getting a marine radio since I want to start downrigging the northshore/Manitoulin area
- Would LOVE to add a small kicker for trolling but this will be an upgrade down the road!

Finally figured out how to upload photos... First image was presale, Then ripped apart old foam, without foam, and then finally new flotation foam. A big process...
Attachment 44751Attachment 44752Attachment 44753Attachment 44754

Along with a new IPilot head on the Powerdrive V2 and Noco 4 Bank charger I wired up two Helix 7 MSI units at the helm through new fuse block located right below.
Was able to get it out on the water and enjoy some cruising and after installing my Father in law's old Cannon Mini Mags was able to get out downrigging as well!
Attachment 44755Attachment 44756Attachment 44757Attachment 44758

Very nice rebuild job!

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Originally Posted by TroutSlayer

Very nice rebuild job!

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Thanks!
Thankfully I knew what I was getting into when I bought it and knew it needed work.. But Thankfully Legend Headquarters are in Sudbury and was close to home for all the work to be done!

Good job on the rebuild, your downriggers look postioned well. If you fish the great lakes you are allowed 2 rods per person, and you can add a cheater line (its legal just the name is misleading). For this you would need to add two more rod holders. My favourite are the scotty type with a swivel bracket that goes around the rod handle but the vertical tubes work well also.

Lake Ontario is good for Salmon and Lake Erie is good for Walleye.

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Originally Posted by Marker

Good job on the rebuild, your downriggers look postioned well. If you fish the great lakes you are allowed 2 rods per person, and you can add a cheater line (its legal just the name is misleading). For this you would need to add two more rod holders. My favourite are the scotty type with a swivel bracket that goes around the rod handle but the vertical tubes work well also.

Lake Ontario is good for Salmon and Lake Erie is good for Walleye.

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Thanks!
Unfortunately you are only allowed two lines per person when in the "main basin of a Great Lake". Most of my downrigging will be on Sudbury lakes and the North Channel (Manitoulin) and Georgian bay (If i get out that far) which means I'm limited to 1 per person. The plus side being the rainbow limit in the North Channel is 5 per person!

I have been debating upgrading the downriggers to ones with 4ft booms eventually...

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Originally Posted by Winterfisher

Thanks!
Unfortunately you are only allowed two lines per person when in the "main basin of a Great Lake". Most of my downrigging will be on Sudbury lakes and the North Channel (Manitoulin) and Georgian bay (If i get out that far) which means I'm limited to 1 per person. The plus side being the rainbow limit in the North Channel is 5 per person!

I have been debating upgrading the downriggers to ones with 4ft booms eventually...

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I had 2ft booms on my DR and they were fine, my brother has the booms which extend out to 4ft but we never put them out that far as its too far to reach to adjust things if you need to. If you are concerned about the DR wire hitting the prop you could move the DRs back further.

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Originally Posted by Marker

I had 2ft booms on my DR and they were fine, my brother has the booms which extend out to 4ft but we never put them out that far as its too far to reach to adjust things if you need to. If you are concerned about the DR wire hitting the prop you could move the DRs back further.

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That's fair. I have only used them twice so far.. Once for salmon (no hits) and once for rainbows (nice 7 pounder). They do work fine so maybe I'll leave them as is.. Might be cheaper in the long run that way haha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marker

I had 2ft booms on my DR and they were fine, my brother has the booms which extend out to 4ft but we never put them out that far as its too far to reach to adjust things if you need to. If you are concerned about the DR wire hitting the prop you could move the DRs back further.

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Don't you have a pulley cord on the downrigger? I use one to pull the ball close to the boat attach the line then release the cord.

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Originally Posted by Marker

If you fish the great lakes you are allowed 2 rods per person, and you can add a cheater line (its legal just the name is misleading).
.

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Haven't used a cheater/slider on Lake Ont in years. Since the fleas showed up its enough of a hassle just with the main line only.

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Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers

Don't you have a pulley cord on the downrigger? I use one to pull the ball close to the boat attach the line then release the cord.


Haven't used a cheater/slider on Lake Ont in years. Since the fleas showed up its enough of a hassle just with the main line only.

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Yes, my brother had the pulley cord on the wire, but I would slide the boom back in so I can use both hands to work on the line.

I forgot about the fleas, some years they were really bad, to the point the DR release would not hold.