Camo ...

Camo GPS, phone & camera cases, and a torch lighter;
which, my wife wants to use to torch my WH cap with!

     Howdy!  What's y'alls favorite color?  Just curious, 'cause I have several; tan, brown, olive-drab, black & gray just to name a few.  But bein' a hunter, avid outdoorsman and a bona-fide redneck, if camo were an actual color, it'd be my favorite!  A lot of stuff I've bought over the last 35-years or so has been camouflaged, includin' most of my outdoor gear and apparel.  Hell, I've even tried to buy my beautiful bride some camo; key word here bein' tried.  I was lookin' through one of them Ducks Unlimited catalogs a few years back, and they had a whole section of women's clothin', nighties, undies & such.  I pointed-out a camo thong and said, "Daaamn, I bet you'd look good in that."  She replied, "Are you remedial? And, not in your wildest friggin' dreams!"  Cain't blame me for tryin' ...

     Camo is an integral part of my sloughstalkin'.  I feel that it gives me an edge when I'm wanderin' 'round out there in them woods.  Camo patterns have come a long way since I started huntin'.  Gone are the days of U.S. Woodland Camo and Vietnam Tiger-Stripe, 'specially since Bill Jordan blew-up the industry in the mid-eighties with Realtree.  I was immediately addicted, purchasin' everything I could to become the ultimate bowhuntin' ninja!  I was Realtree from mask to boots, and even made some Realtree limb-covers for my take-down recurve.  Once I was bowhuntin' in the Sam Houston National Forest, and had a couple of hunters walk past me within 10-yards ... twice ... without noticin' I was even there.  My go-to patterns back then were either TreBark for duck huntin' in flooded timber, traditional brown-camo for duckhuntin' the marsh and Realtree for any and everything else.  And then, along came Toxey Haas and Mossy Oak ...

     I'm real partial to Mossy Oak, which offers a wide variety of patterns to fit various terrains.  By addin' shadows to create more depth in their patterns, I liked how the camo broke-up and helped me blend-in.  I am abso-friggin'-lutely obsessed with their Mossy Oak Obsession ... and often wondered what it would take to camo my boat in that particular pattern.  Bein' that my boat has seen a decade of bass fishin', duck huntin' & sloughstalkin' ... I just recently had to replace the seats.  Of course, I ordered them in camo; specifically, Mossy Oak Obsession ... and my beautiful bride just got me the matchin' castin' seats for Christmas!  I figured that I might as well keep-up appearances and camo the rest of the boat as well.  I got to surfin' on that-there internet and found www.mossyoakgraphics.com and went wild!

 

     They offer a 3M Premium Cast Vinyl that is much more elastic and durable than calendered vinyl, which allows you to wrap rounded shapes such as ribs, grooves & contours.  It's available in several different camo patterns, is fairly easy to install and its warranty states that it won't fade for 5-years.  Well, assumin' I keep my boat covered from the sun when I'm not usin' it, I'm sure it'll retain its woodsy-luster for years to come.  This material comes in kits for several different applications; boats, trucks, ATV's, guns, etc., or you can purchase it by the roll.  Their Web site even offers instructional videos for most applications, and minimal tools are needed; an X-ACTO knife, heatgun, a squeegee and low-tack maskin' or painter's tape.  I also purchased an 8 oz. can of 3M 94 Primer and some 3M 3950 Edge Sealer which is available on www.amazon.com ...

 

     The only drawback is that the temperature needs to be at least 60° to 70° for the first 24-hours after installation.  Bein' that it's winter and I don't have a heated garage, I'll have to wait 'til the weather warms to knock-out the bulk of this project.  I did, however complete the cowling of my outboard, trollin' motor and other parts that can be removed and brought indoors.  Since this was my first time to attempt this, I took a few hours to get it right.  And since I'm a graphic designer, I even reproduced the Yamaha and Minn Kota logos, horsepower decals, hull identification numbers and the boat's name to complete my project.  I'll be sure to post my photos of the finished job before spring.  So, the next time I'm out sloughstalkin' in the boat ... I'll be stealthy, stylin' & rockin' the camo while doin' my time in the grime.  Hope y'all enjoyed this and take care out there!