Decent buy for the hull. Looking at the photos I wouldn't be surprised to discover soft deck and or transom. Its a twin I/O with the engine&drives out so inspecting the transom should be easy. You may want to consider just getting it into running shape with a used I/O (single or pair; single will take transom patches and different motor beds but cheaper) and trying it before you dive whole hog into a rebuild with a major reconfiguration. If you really want to do a reconfig then think about a Savage setup. If you want a CC I suggest you be patient and buy that set-up; they are available and that would cost WAY less and be a lot faster than doing a complete change where all you keep is the shell of the hull.

[QUOTE=Thurston;232531 . . . I'm not a big fisherman so I will not be building this with that in mind.

I may keep the design as is after looking at more restorations and seeing how good looking these boats are when cleaned up! Biggest concern I have is going to be cost of restoration as this will be my first!

Nervous and excited![/QUOTE]

I agree with Kmoose . . . once you've gotten used to a boat with that big cockpit, a windshield and all the utility, dry storage and improved balance provided by the cuddy, you'll never want anything else! And for summertime Florida use, the capability to have a big sun top that covers the entire cockpit as in attached picturel is huge deal if you like shade!

The ONLY rationale for a CC configuration IMHO is that its good for fishing, but not much else, so if you're NOT a gung ho fishing guy, I'd leave it as is! The only other CC advantage is that handling dock lines and the anchor are a bit easier, and maybe that's why they're popular with newbie boaters. However those issues are easily handled with an anchor bracket and the OEM-type ladder for the walk-thru windshield that originally came with the Sceptre/Tsunami, along with a couple of permanently rigged bow lines running back to the cockpit and a pair of mid-ship mounted cleats adjacent to the helm. That console takes up lot's of useful room right in the middle of the boat while providing relatively little dry stowage, so room provided by the Sceptre/Tsunami type layout makes it much better for diving and general use with the family.

I really like the look of this boat!

This! ^^^^^^^

This actually always strike me as the worst of both worlds. Even with the Savage setup, bow access is less than optimal, you lose the shelter of the windshield and you eat up a ton of open cockpit space. Doesn't a large console with a head accomplish all the pluses of the Savage with less wasted space? No one is really sleeping in that cuddy are they?

Keep it as is. I have one and it has been great for our family.