I've been doing little odds and ends to the boat as i've had time and been at my parents. This weekend we got blown out of a fishing trip in chincoteague. The water was chocolate milk and instead of wasting time, we just threw in the towel. I already had the hall pass, so i just stuck it out at my parents and turned a corner on this project.
People always ask if there's anything i'd do differently on the 23 restore. There is 1 thing. The batter switch is under the console, and very hard to get to. With the door on the side, you pretty much have to lay on the floor and reach in to turn it on/off. I changed that.
I bought a flush mount battery switch box. Mounted it right to the side of the console for very easy access :
I started carving up my brand new console. I still have 1 or 2 more things to add, but you get the general idea about what it's going to look like :
I also went ahead and unboxed my new yamaha 115 2 stroke. I went ahead and lined it up and bolted it to the transom :
I didn't take pictures, but all of the holes in the transom that were needed, i overdrilled and epoxied in a PVC "sleeve" to protect the wood. The transom is original and in good shape, i want to preserve it as long as i can. Likewise, i used an overkill amount of 5200 on my thru hull connections and motor bolts.
I also got some time to drop in my bilge pump (1500 GPH) and livewell plumbing. I need to get a couple of pieces of hose and then all of my plumbing will be complete.
I did as much of the wiring as i could in the console while it's out of the boat. I'm trying to make it so when i drop it in the boat it's pretty much plug and play. Hopefully one more good weekend and i'll be ready to splash!!!
Tight Lines
-Mike