Re: . . . still cannot believe this happened
Thank you, aspeck. I appreciate your welcome and the many things you do in support of this forum.
So anyway, I picked up a new shop vac, an orbital polisher, and a can of rubbing compound, and I went to work. My new girl needed a bit of a makeover, and I started by draining and drying her out below deck.
As I began to clean and really give her a good hard inspection, I continued to be elated at my good fortune in scoring such a prize! I discovered that the motor is a 135ESL73M, and is most likely original to this hull !! Same with the trailer. Yarborough Mfg Co., October 1973. Wow.
Yes, there are some stress cracks in the gel coat . . . right where you would expect, at the windshield mounts, etc. There are some dings, scratches and other minor flesh wounds to the hull's exterior, both above and below the waterline. Also looks like somebody musta dropped a bowling ball on the starboard tail fin. The tilt/trim (TNT) needs to be drained and serviced. Surely the motor needs a new impeller and water pump kit, and a fresh fill of lube in the gearcase. The trailer needs complete refurbishment. So there is certainly plenty to do.
But nothing major jumped out at me. Nothing said to me "you're gonna be uncapping this hull and buying plywood". I detached the pitot from the stern - no water, not a drop. I removed a couple silicone plugs that were filling old bolt holes thru the transom. The wood is dark, maybe even a
bit moist . . . but not mushy. Really quite good, even in such a compromised location. So the more I saw, the happier I got.
Then after cleaning her for a few days, a brief rain shower passed. As I stood on my porch looking down at her, I figured it was a good time to take a few more pictures. She was starting to look better
Here are some of those, from June 20th:
