'83 Lund WS16 Build

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Churak

Active member
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Nov 3, 2019
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Location
Northeast MA
Hey all,

Have been wanting to pick up an aluminum boat for a while and given my location on the Northeast coast of the MA, I wanted to be able to take advantage of the tidal rivers and marshes for fishing and pleasure cruising while also keeping it light enough that I would be able to trailer it with my Crosstrek. With those goals set forth, I started looking for boats that would satisfy the following criteria:

  • No longer than 16 feet for ease of storage / trailering
  • Trailer / Boat / Engine combined weight <1200 lbs
  • Wide beam and high free board for better stability and handling for near-shore ocean fishing
  • Seating enough for outings with wife / friends / pooch
  • Center / Side Console (Personal Preference)

After spending most of the spring / summer of 2019 searching Craigslist I finally found a boat that was within my price range and fit most of the requirements above, a 1983 Lund WS-16 fitted with a 1994 48 HP Johnson. The trailer and the hull were in decent shape and so I picked it up as a project boat to work on through the winter with the goal to have it ready by Spring 2019.

From the photos you can tell the boat has been used pretty hard and really needs some TLC, but for $1250 I still consider it a decent deal. The engine runs well and at 48 HP it can really move this hull through the water.

My plans for the boat are relatively tame for the time being and include:
  • Re-decking
  • Re-painting hull
  • All seats redone

These plans will expand with additional posts as I will be posting progress retroactively until I can post as I make progress.
 

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Nice foundation. I have a 1993 48 HP spl and that thing will boogey!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 
Parked the boat in my fathers yard and took a weekend to rip into it with my brother. As the demo started, it quickly became apparent that the rebuild required was going to be quite a bit more extensive than I thought. As we dug into it, we found that all the foam was waterlogged and much of the decking was rotten at the edges to the point that we wouldn't be able to use them for deck templates.

After some egging on by my brother, it was decided to strip the hull completely bare to do a full inspection and repair hull, rivets, and structure and rebuild from the bare metal. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the in process demo, but it ended in 15 trash-bags of soaked foam and rotten deck. I'm glad we did the full strip because there were some rivets that will need to be replaced and were mickey moused in their repair. Some another issues noted include steel hardware that was used for aluminum fastening that has caused corrosion and damage to some of the seat fixtures.

After it was stripped down, the hull was cleaned and power washed I'm feeling pretty good with the results.

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After getting to this point the steering wheel and cable were redone which can be seen in the bottom two photos. Part of the steering update included replacement of the wood backing for the steering wheel bushing and cutting out a panel to install bow / aft light switches. While working on the side console I cut out an area and installed switches for forward / aft lighting and a third for a bilge pump. I also installed the aft light stem and started placement of the bow light.
 
thedude said:
Nice foundation. I have a 1993 48 HP spl and that thing will boogey!

It sure does after we stripped the hull down we took it out on the lake to check for leaks and have a little fun - getting on plane was a rip. Even with him sitting all the way forward, while on plane I still need to stand to see over the bow. I'm hoping with the addition of the deck, foam, and everything else it'll be a bit more reasonable.

It's also seems the shaft is short for the hull, with WoT I was losing power on the top end - sounded like we were sucking air because we were skimming across the water :lol:

I like having the 48 on there because it offers plenty of power for the hull (a hair above recommended max) that gives me a bit more confidence to handle some of the rougher water I might encounter, but if I still find I'm running into issues with it once the boat is done, I'll look to trade for a lower HP outboard with a long shaft.
 
Coming up to the current build state off of a week vacation, during which the goal was to finish cutting the wood for the deck in, getting the hardware installed and performing final tweaks before ripping it all out to be epoxy sealed and painted. I was able to move the boat into it's winter home where I will be able to continue work through the winter though I'll need to pick up a space heater.

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Before going any further I've got to say, the measurement, cutting, and installation of this deck has included some of the most frustrating moments I've had in any project. Without having the prior deck to use a template, the measurement and cutting process has been an exercise in patience and learning. I read for quite a bit of time on how best to perform the deck measurements and ended up settling on a combination of cardboard templates and center-line measurements.

Part of the issue was related to a finding a way to affix the deck down without using sheet metal screws through the deck like had been done previously. Between the sheet metal screws and the use of regular pressure treated plywood, galvanic corrosion has caused pitting and damage to every stringer the deck sat on. The end solution has been to use aluminum riv-nuts secured to the stringer, securing the deck wood to the stringers with stainless steel hardware. With this set up, the riv-nut and stringer won't experience galvanic corrosion and marine anti-seize on the bolt threads should prevent or at least slow down the corrosion there. Since the bolts are just holding the deck down and aren't experiencing a ton of force, I think I can get away with steel bolts into aluminum like this. There is still the possibility that flex in the hull will cause it to pull out, and if it does I'll address it then. The bolt through-hole will be counter-sunk at the top to keep the screw head flush and counter bored on the bottom so the deck doesn't sit on the riv-nuts and the full area of the stringer is supporting the deck.

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Having the fastening solution figured out, deck pictures found below! Final steps are removing the deck pieces, sand, epoxy, and paint! I'm reasonably happy with the results so far with two exceptions:
  1. I could have done a better job in matching the curve of the hull - the gap between the hull and deck is a little large for my liking. I'm not planning on putting carpeting down, so either I live with the gap or find another way to fill it.
  2. The astute individuals in the audience might see that the wood is not all the same type. The majority of it is marine grade Meranti and the odd ball pieces in the deck are Okoume. My first run to the supplier didn't give me enough plywood to finish it so I went back to pick up the remaining pieces - while there I learned my mother had a connection to the owner and they ended up giving me the higher grade Okoume at the cost of the Meranti. Being elated with the deal and knowing the paint would cover the deck anyway, I didn't really think about it. Upon getting home, I realized that not only was the color different, but the thickness was slightly off due to the Okoume being true 5/8" and the Meranti being 15 mm. :shock: I was told this when I first bought the Meranti, but forgot about it when I got the Okoume for a good price. :oops: I'll level the Okoume piece along the center line by routing out the sections that rest on the stringers to level it off. I have Okoume on the bow section as well, but since it doesn't fit together with other sections, I don't need to modify it further. Notes for next time I suppose.

Some of the photos show progress on the seat mounting as well. I'll be keeping the forward bench and two side benches as storage compartments - currently still working out hinge placement before moving forward. With the deck in place I feel I can start moving forward with more detailed planning of the layout beyond the benches.

Since this post has the latest project progress I think before any additional posts on hardware I'll have an interim post better laying out plans and hear any thoughts or feedback from the build so far!
 

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Holy smokes, beautiful wood work. Totally hear you on the rotten wood template issue, I even dry fit mine to ensure they'd fit, and they still didn't.
 
Brief update on progress from the last week - unfortunately after the fall back of daylight savings, sunset is at 4:30 here in MA and it really puts a damper on how much can be done. :?

Given the likely hood I will be replacing the transom, I took some time to make a mobile engine mount for when it gets pulled off. Having a proper miter saw makes the job like this quick work. Tweaking some plans online, I think it came out pretty good - once I have access to an engine hoist I'll pull it off the hull.

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The other area I got some progress done on was the two mid benches and the front bench seat. I picked up a new toy this weekend to help make them - a router table :D. Haven't used a router before, but have already convinced myself I need to buy one for myself on my next project.

For the benches, the two in the middle and the front will be hinged for in-seat storage. For simplicity and cost I decided to just use aluminum piano hinge from McMaster with 6-32 hardware. To keep things smooth on the bench, I will counter sink the hinge bodies into the top of the seat for the two mid benches. Used the router and I got some satisfying results that cleaned up nicely with a light sanding:

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The front bench seat took a bit more thinking to work with the piano hinge. I haven't finished the final bench hinge, but I was able to put together a prototype for testing purposes. The hinge is sandwiched between the wood of the bench and the flange of the bench seat. The mounting hardware for the hinge will alternate holes between the top and bottom hinge to allow for the nuts coming through the bench seat. Every other hole will be enlarged to fit the nut when the hinge is in the closed position. I'll countersink the piano hinge the full depth of the hinge height so the entire base of the hinge is flat and sits even with the bench ends.

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Next on the list of to-do will be finish front bench, cut out the back benches, and epoxy coating the wood. Till next post!
 
Build progress from over the weekend - quick update. Got both mid and front bench seats installed. The sheet metal forming the mid bench seats are out of square, so I will either need to reform the existing benches, make a new one with an internal frame, or just learn to live with it. For the front bench, as it is now, the door doesn't seat properly because the sheet metal flexes after opening and closing. Eventually the plan will be to install an internal support system into the seat for the battery / storage which should keep the bench in place.

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Next weekend I'd like to pull the engine off and assess the transom - a recent post here made me 100% positive I'll have to redo the transom, skin and all #-o
I'll be digging through the archives here to get some inspiration and hope.
 
Evening All! Been a while since the last update, been dealing with some family matters. Since the last post, I've got all the decking and seating done - it's currently awaiting penetrating epoxy and I can slap some paint on it or carpeting depending on how I'm feeling. Finishing the seating included new shorter hardware for the hinged stuff which you can see in some of the pictures below.

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The other progress delay came as a consequence of the joy of building a boat through a New England winter! The snow load caused the roof to cave in and bent all the support poles. Took the weekend with my father-in-law to rebuild with 2 x 6 cross beams and supported the ridge pole with 2 x 4s and some hangers. The tarp roof is not supported with strapping so hopefully the next storm will have the snow sliding off rather than turning into a bowl and catching all the snow.... Overall it came out nice and now I've got some storage area in the beams for the wood scraps and tools. Figure if it collapses now I should take it as a threat from the snow gods.
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Onto the next portion of the build - the transom! The transom was pretty solid when pulling on the motor, limited flex and seemed strong but the combination of time already sunk into the board and two issues with the transom worried me enough to try replacing the transom. First problem was pulling off the corner caps exposed some of the transom core which was a tad rotten on one side. The other issue was a serious case of rot in the skin, so much so that the epoxy foam poured into the transom cavity had actually come through!
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Rot is visible in the below photo on the right side - you can see the yellow/brown of the foam just above the unpainted portion.
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Took a while but finally pulled the core out - the addition of all that foam in the cavity made this an incredibly difficult process...
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I'm currently working with a shop to get a new skin cut out and have a flange welded on for replacement. As far as the core goes, I've been struggling a bit with how beset to move forward. I plan on replacing with 2 layers of 3/4" marine ply that has been epoxied together (possibly glassed, not sure yet) however, the exact size and dimension I should make it escape me. The full transom width of the hull is 64", the core I pulled out is 60" - oringally I was going to try and span the entire 64", but as I was looking at the cost and not wanting to get a full sheet, I kept coming back to the possibility of making a core that is only 48" for cost and manufacturing ease.

Does anyone have suggestions on what kind of complications would arise from this, if any? Would the addition of new aluminum bar stock used to cap the ends of the new transom core help to limit the effect of a smaller transom? Is this something no one would recommend and I should I just suck it up and got with a full width transom core?

Any thoughts on it are welcome!
 
Holiday vacation progress is best progress - hope I can keep delivering more posts like this!

Since the last update regarding the removal of the transom insert, I've been able to remove the old aluminum transom skin, strip out all the sheet metal that make up the bench and side console, and started stripping the inside of the hull. At this point, all planned wood work has been completed and I'm waiting for another shipment of penetrating epoxy before moving forward with epoxying of the wood to seal it up. Once the rest of the hull and sheet metal is painted up, the only thing left will be to re-install the wood into the appropriate area.

I'm currently working on getting the transom insert replaced with a 1 to 1 replica. I'll likely go with two sheets of marine grade 3/4" Douglas fir to make the 1.5" transom. I'll glue the sheets together, epoxy the entire panel, and call it a day. The aluminum transom skin will be replaced as I mentioned previously and after pulling it off, I'm glad I did, quite a bit of corrosion and rot. Removing all the rivets and transom wasn't nearly as bad as I suspected. A nice fresh 1/4" HSS bit, and some pin punches I was able to remove all rivets in less than an hour. Peeling it off revealed the damage I described as you can see in the photo - the flange where it's secured to the hull was particularly bad.

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After getting the transom skin off and being pleasantly surprised in how easy it was, I decided to remove the splash well and brackets to check for damage and and make getting into the area for clean up easier. During this process it was a balmy 10 degrees F outside and you can see the space heater that drove off the frostbite. :lol:

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Knowing that I wanted to repaint the inside and outside of the hull, I figured while I was waiting for the replacement transom, I might as well start working on prepping the inside of the hull. I picked up an angle grinder and a mesh silicon carbide paint for paint removal and did a small test area.

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It was at this point in time, I believe I had a stroke and after coming to - the back bench sheet metal had been removed...
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along with the mid benches..
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..and the side console.
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Jokes aside - I figured that since I have a rivet gun and replacement rivets I would only be saving myself frustration by removing all the sheet metal (besides the front bench) before starting paint removal. As a result, I was able to remove the bulk of the paint in under 3 hours:
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After the work put in here, bulk paint removal for inside the hull only needs to be done on the front bench seat, the side console, and a small area in the bow that be be see in the photo above. I still need to finish up the detail removal (around rivets and clean up of paint I didn't get with the mesh disk) and after seeing the brushed aluminum created by the mesh disk, I'm kind of digging the look it's created. I'd like to try and create a more uniform brushed style, or a satin finish on the aluminum as an alternative to paint. It would save on the etching chemicals and paint and I think it could be a cool look for the finished boat. While the boat is stripped like this, I will also be replacing rivets in the hull that are missing or loose.

With the holidays coming up, progress will be sporadic but substantial since I have two weeks off and you'll see a few more posts before the new year.

What do you guys think of the brushed look - do you think a uniformed brush direction look, random brushed (ie random orbital sander), satin finish, or a polished finish would look best?

Is there anything else you think should be done while the boat is bare bones like this? Cutting or shaping foam for the bottom of the hull while it's in this state is something else I've been tossing around in my head.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season and continues to do so!

Until next time,
Jared

Tools Used
I'm adding this section to each post to show people the tools that were used during the progress contained in the given post and maybe provide some information that will help others in their own build. These are just normal links, not affiliate, and any thoughts on the items below are only a reflection of what I think.

Dewalt 4 1/2" angle grinder / model # DWE402W: https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-4-1-2-in-11-Amp-Paddle-Switch-Corded-Angle-Grinder/1000051711 Used for paint removal and cutting out some old hardware that wouldn't comply with traditional removal. I don't have any prior experience with angle grinders so I can't compare it with anything, but it isn't too heavy and I was able to remove all the paint in one session without having to put the grinder down as a result of fatigue. The guard is easy to move with a spring load latch system, even with gloves on, I had no problem in moving the guard as I moved down the hull. It's also short enough that I was able to maneuver it into some tight spots that wouldn't be possible with a longer tool. Overall it was comfortable to use, with the only difficulty in how thick the grinder is. I have average size hands for a guy and activating the paddle switch and locking it with one hand was something I could do successfully probably 50% of the time.

Gator Power Sanding Silicon Carbide Disk / model # 9488: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gator-Powe...-5-in-60-Grit-Paint-Stripping-Disc/1000346965 The shining hero of the paint removal process. I saw a few Youtube videos that recommended this type of disk for paint removal and I wanted to give it a shot and it was absolutely worth the price. At $10 each, first buying them hurt a little bit, but after using them the cost is justified. It doesn't clog with paint like traditional sand paper and it's tough enough that it removes paint in moments and will actually cut down burrs and smooth out rough spots in metal as well. It doesn't leave the underlying metal untouched, but it doesn't take huge cuts or chunks out of the material. Keeping the grinder moving and a light touch are all it takes to keep from taking away too much base material. With the progress in the post above, I only used 2 disks and because it didn't clog or require frequent change out I more than made up for the cost in saved time.

Crimed Wire Wheel / model # PWW040WHLD01G : https://www.homedepot.com/p/Avanti-Pro-4-in-Crimped-Wire-Wheel-PWW040WHLD01G/202831062 I used this sparingly to get into some of the more detail places. It works well, but it isn't supposed to be used in an angle grinder above 4500 RPM [-X I should be using a knotted/twisted wire wheel brush, but it's far too stiff to get into the nooks and crannies and removes a lot more of the aluminum than I would like. I'm open to suggestions for alternate for this task.
 
You are knocking this thing out of the park, looking awesome. The first few pics of this boat look a lot like my starcraft. I love these style of boats.
 
Past few days have been dedicated to further stripping of inner hull paint and surface refinishing. The way of arms and shoulders are feeling after today makes me want to invest in an SCT I saw in another build! :lol:

Not too much in this update to actually talk about - stripped out the remaining paint with some chemical stripper, cleaned up and then went to work with some scotch brite and WD-40 for the brushed aluminum look. I really like how it came out with a satin finish and I'll do the final clean up tomorrow with a power sander. I started at the front of the boat and made my way back - you can tell where I started to get tired based on how many grinder marks are still visible.

What do you guys think? Should I keep the stain/brushed finish or should I throw some paint on there. I'm not sure how it would look with everything brushed aluminum (including seats) but I'm not sure if I would do some kind of color contrast with the seats to make them pop against the brushed look of the hull.

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Big flood to combat the drought of updates on this progress. Since the last post I've been able to make and complete huge milestones:
Transom:
-Got the newly made transom back (got it made for a barter, probably should have done professional - lesson learned)
-Installed new transom hull piece using solid rivets and Marine 5200 to seal gaps and make it water tight
-Transom insert made of two sheets of 3/4" marine ply glued, bolted, and covered in 2 coats of epoxy
-Transom insert installed along with the splash-well scupper plugs. Not perfect,an artifact of the first bullet and the fabricator not matching the existing transom holes :?
- Brazed shut poorly drilled holes from the fabricator (see the small holes where the transom supports come up. Brazed a weld that cracked when I was installing the transom - also a defect from the guy :roll: :? You can see in the top of of the transom in the pictures from the back
- Remaining transom work is installing the transom cap, the corner castings, and sealing the splash-well to keep water inside of it.

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Hull / Interior:
- All sheet metal that will be kept in the boat has been installed - the rear bench seats, front bench seat, nose cone, all transom supports / splash well, and the various seat supports.
- Brazed shut multiple holes in the hull from mounting areas / equipment that will no longer be used.
- Finished steel brushing the inside of the hull - few paint spots remain that I didn't get when the sheet metal was out of the boat.
- Filled the hull with water and marked the rivets we could find that were leaking. Big concern is that there is a leak we don't seem to have access too along the center keel of the boat. If we tilt the boat at the certain angle while filled with water, there is a leak into the keel, and when we lift the tongue of the trailer up, the keel drains out of a little hole in the back of the boat. :shock: Leaky rivets are easy to mark and fix by comparison!
- Remaining hull work - finish removing outer hull paint, replace / re-buck leaky rivets (apply liberal 5200), finish filling holes previously used for side console / mid-ship seats.
- Finished the decking and seats! Like how it looks with the brushed aluminum interior of the hull. All that remains is bolting into place once the rest of the work is complete
- Bench seat still needs to have it's little compartment installed for storage.
- Replacing the cable steering with rotary mechanical steering - steering cables and control cables are currently on order.
- Interior to do: Moving from a side console to a center console, need to complete center console design and mock up, get the captain seat installed. Finish installing the electrical and router everything under the deck through some PVC conduit.

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It's all coming along and I'm pretty happy where it is up to this point - final big to-dos from a design / idea perspective are what the center console is going to look and getting the seat installed. Given how far back the seat is, I'm try to figure out how I can get the battery and tank up as far forward to help prevent porpoising. Goal is to really push and get this ready for the water before my birthday at the end of the month, a lot to do in a little time but it'd be a great birthday gift to myself!

I've left a ton of detail out here, and will be pulling in current details and center console design in additional posts - love to hear any feedback you guys have, comments, suggestions, improvements!
 

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Ever think about moving the center console forward of center? Trolling battery under the console. Starting battery and gas tank in the back. Passenger seat behind your seat at the console. Just a thought. Would move weight forward,and roomy in the back.
 
I have given it some thought - I suppose I figured having it near the back allows for a little more room for the passengers up front to congregate. I know it would prevent porpoising and make for better planing though. I have yet to finalize the cable order though, so maybe a quick community discussion can help me make my decision. Below are the screenshots I've the model I've been working with to help shape the boat built - floor area and benches only, didn't want to take the time to model the entire hull :wink:

Console in the rear of the boat - cooler in front with the battery under-ish the seat:
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Console forward of center - cooler and battery not shown:
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Console design isn't final either - feel free to chip in any comments on it. Trying to make it compact and expandable in the future if I wanted with 1.25" pipe with slip on fittings. Adding the piping for a windshield or electronics mount becomes a lot easier.
 
Howdy everyone - made a ton of progress since the last post and have been out enjoying the boat on the water so I just hadn't gotten around to updating this project page! Washed and re-bucked the hull, planned and built the center console, ran wiring for everything, and since the ocean has been my oyster! :D

Update will be several posts long with the volume of photos. As always, thoughts and comments are always welcome!

Hull wash and rivet re-bucking:
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Center Console Plan and Build:
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You'll also notice I cut down the height of the console - it was just a bit too tall
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Console work continued...

Ended up taking aluminum from the (no removed) middle bench seats and used it to cover up the top of the console and provide a place for intrument mounting. It's functional for now, but I plan on remaking it with thinner aluminum in a single sheet so there won't be any gaps for water to get into the top and hit my electronics/wiring. I also put all the console wiring with all the fuses and distribution blocks inside the console. The console is still rough as you can see in the photos, it needs a final round of sanding and I plan on removing the front 2x4s of the inner frame and bolt the marine ply straight to the deck to open up the space within the console more.

Completed work not mentioned and don't want to upload a lot more photos:
  • Fixed the trim unit - the lever had blown apart when removing the motor earlier in the project
  • Replaced the prop oil seal - better to keep the oil inside the gearbox
  • Control cable replacement and tuning - some fine tuning for idle speed and fwd/rev gear engagement required

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(Nearly) Current state - Pay no mind to the electrical taped on bow light - it has since been remedied and was only like that for initial daytime testing:
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