took her under the knife (need some opinions)

[Bushwacker]

Good idea to build raised splashwell since you're staying with 20" transom and your drawings are a good start. Potter came up with a bolt-in full height splash well "wall" on the later 20's. If you search thru the literature section for the late '70's models, you might be able to find a picture of it to get some ideas. That cutout sure is wide, maybe for twins? Again, search the literature for pictures on early models, which had a much narrower cutout. You should be able to find an installation drawing on Zuke website to get an idea of how narrow cutout can be and how much clearance you'll need to tilt motor all the way up. Might need a fold down door in front of it like was used on the 23 to accommodate full tilt.

It's a LOT less work to repair transom from outside - just use a cutoff wheel about 2-3" from outside edge all around to remove outer skin. I'd go with the Coosa to save weight, as you're gonna be stern heavy. Search Carla's posts (65Bowrider)for details of installing the Coosa transom in their 21' - we had lots of good advice from a friend that's a professional fiberglass repairman. His advice was to use epoxy because of it's superior bond strength; the extra cost is a nit compared to the labor you'll be putting into this thing!! Moving batteries to console is a good idea, as is moving scuppers to transom.

The fuel smell sounds suspicious! SeaCraft never foamed in their tanks, which is why there are bilge vents. I'd check that tank to make sure it wasn't foamed in, which is a bad idea unless tank was coated with coal tar epoxy. Previous tank could have been foamed in, corroded, leaked into foam, and they didn't remove the foam when they replaced the tank! Check out Dave Pasco's article on fuel tank installation - it's a real eye opener! Fuel tank installation.

Good luck with your restoration! That'll be a nice rig when it's done!