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As sad as this is, I had to do a LOT of searching just to find the original emblem for the boat. I may or may not try to replicate it. If I do, it will be done with vinyl stickers. I like to see how things originally were before I decide, though.
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Alright! She figured it out. Here is the interior of the boat. Nice, deep sides, as promised. I like aluminum boats anyway, but the open bow, 6.5' beam, and deep sides make me feel like I'm buying a pontoon boat. I am actually happy that the interior is so empty as it is. I'd probably have felt the need to gut it and make it my own, anyway. Her ex built the plywood consoles in the middle of the boat. I don't mind them, but I'm really leaning toward a center console. As you can see, though, the boat has been covered. She told me that it has been sitting under this shed since 1991 or so. I can't understand why, but at least he thought to keep it dry. The steering system isn't too bad, but cable steering is pretty outdated. If all goes as planned and finances don't become too sticky, the current plan is to turn this into a single center console with an aluminum T-top, or even a complete rail system from port to stbd. gunnel. I'll post some pictures that I'm considering below, rather than continue trying to explain the idea.
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The boat comes with a 60 hp Evinrude. I haven't run numbers on it just yet, but I will get to that. I'm told that it used to start....to which I replied, "Well ma'am, they all used to start..." Laughing, she tells me that her ex told her it needed new points. I don't like the examples I've seen of his judgement where this boat is concerned, though, so I won't count this motor in just yet. If I add enough weight with the center console, I have a 105 hp Chrysler jet drive that's been sitting in the garage and already runs. I'd love to have that half of the garage back...
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After searching some 17,000 photos and sites, this is what I came up with. The primary changes I'm considering are that I'd make sure that there is about 1.5' on each side of the driving console. An open bow is no good if I can't get to it. Also, I want the top to actually be built up from the top of each gunnel. This will keep the sides of it out of the way, and it will also leave me with much more room underneath. In Washington, this is a huge advantage.
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Lots of deck space!
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This picture is taken from the stern, and shows the setup of the consoles. They aren't badly built, but I'm still aiming for one center console. For now, I'm in the process of sandblasting the hull while the weateher is good, and then I'll remove the floor and consoles. The deck is just screwed to aluminum stringers with stainless steel screws. Thank God for power and pneumatic drills!
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portside-before. I've just touched this with the sandblaster. I probably cleaned 6 square feet there, in not more than 5 minutes. It should be a pretty quick job, but the last couple of months of sandblasting are having us consider selling this as beachfront property.
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stbd. side
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I had a friend help me to horse the motor off today. We also removed the whole splashwell assembly, which was bolted into place with 30 rusty bolts or so. What a day this was! The consoles are out now. The front 2 sections(2 of 4) of the deck have been removed, but laid back in place. There's just styrofoam blocks underneath, and I'm taking those out as I get to them. Another day or two, and I'll have an empty, bare boat that's ready for its overhaul.
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The picture quality isn't great because it took until well after dark to get everything finished and cleaned up last night. Just the same, here's a picture of the interior, taken from the stern after removal of the consoles. The boat actually looks smaller with them out, but I hope to at least have the new one built by the end of the weekend. I didn't take pictures, but 3/4 of the outside of the hull is also sandblasted now. When I finish taking the deck out, I'm going to finish that job, sandblast the inside of the hull, and I'll post pictures early next week. All said and done, I got 3 days of work in this week. The motor is out, transom is disassembled, half of the floor is out, consoles are out, and half of the exterior hull is clean. I'm pretty happy with the progress. I'm realizing that aluminum work is much, much faster than fiberglass and if it weren't for the upcoming expenses of supplies and my busy schedule with the Navy, I'd honestly believe that 3 weeks of hard work will have this boat completely rebuilt. Pretty exciting!
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