So this is my first attempt at a boat rebuild. I purchased a 1975 170 from Jacksonville, FL recently and it appears to have a large majority of the difficult work complete. However, I know there's still a lot to go and I'm going to need some guidance on how to get there.
Currently, the deck has been removed and the transom completed (and raised to 25") with coosa board. A lot of supplies came with the purchase, including new leaning post/livewell, console, 1708 mat, 25 gallon poly tank, thru hull fittings, pumps, fuel hose, etc. Even the beginning of a deck (lightweight honeycomb material glassed on one side), although I'm leaning towards 1/2" coosa board as I'm not 100% set on where everything will land in the layout and I want to make sure I have something strong to tie into.
A few ideas I'm bouncing around as I start the project:
1. Weight of a 115 4-stroke.
2. Considering adding a portabracket or electric jackplate.
3. Eliminating the front "casting" deck completely to create a flush deck at the risk of losing storage.
4. Increasing the size of the fuel tank and moving it as far forward as possible.
5. Raising the deck for self-bailing reasons.
Here are a few pictures of the project. The last picture shows a rectangular cut on the bottom of the hull at the port stringer. The previous owner said the hull had detached from the stringer and was in the process of fixing it. It appears some of the foam is wet here. I'm curious if it's worth trying to glass this back closed and remove the foam from the top of the stringer. At the end of the day, I intend on gelcoating the inside and out so I'm not sure how perfect it'll need to be to get a nice product.
Thanks in advance on advice and assistance as I moved forward with the project!
