Pulled engine off of "Skanky Beast"

[JasonJ]

Couldn't work today due to weather, so I thought I would get started on the project. I had to pull the outboard so I cobbled together a quick means to hoisting the outboard off. Its a 125 horse Merc, so I can imagine it weighs 300-350 pounds or so, so I used 2x10s, a piece of 4x4, and a couple 2x4s, fastened between a rafter and the cement floor of the carport. I then used a serious ratchet strap to form a sling, and ratcheted all tenson out. I had the trailer tongue on the ground, and lifted it using a floor jack to lever the transom down from under the motor. I was then able to simply roll the boat out, and put my motor stand under the motor. I released the ratchet strap very carefully until the motor was on the stand, and thats it, piece of cake. The motor stand is something I built over a year ago, it is beefy and is on casters so I can roll it around.<br /><br />Now that the engine is off, I can strip the steering and controls off, as well as anything else, and then I can take the deck off. Then its floor and transom time. I am getting a lot of feedback as to not putting foam back in. It seems that most are opposed to it, and I can definatley see why. It is my understanding that the new closed cell foams go a long time before any chance of water absorbtion, and I feel that if I seal everything good, it should be okay. The flip side is that if I skip the foam and make sure there is good drainage throughout the stringer system, that I should have no problems. I'll have to weigh the pros and cons. I know condensaton shouldn't happen in the foamed stringer sections as I will fill to floor level and seal with resin prior to floor instalation. Plus, the foam adds to structure. Skipping the foam saves money, but the boat sinks if it gets holed, which is a hazard on my lake in spring as there is always trees and stuff floating just beneath the surface and a lot of boat owners have had hull damage because of that. Decisions......<br /><br />

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