Hey All,
So I've had my first AS and first boat in the water for about a month now and all is going well, really well. Engine runs like a bat out of hell, no problems with anything, whatsoever. The problem is, I like it too much and I don't want to ever have problems, particularly labor-heavy problems, i.e. Transom and floor. Those are the two biggest liabilities as far as I can tell.
Transom is solid now, but when reinstalling and sealing hardware on it this past winter (transducer / bilge drain, the wood core wasn't completely dry. No water dripping out, but the wood shavings weren't completely dry.
The floor has no soft spots, but I'm starting to hear a creaking noise when walking over the center left side of the boat.
So I figure I'm right in the window when these problems would start to arise, as it's a 1989. I need to take this into account when putting more money into the boat, because I need to consider how long this boat will last me. How would you handle this situation? How can I survey just how good of condition the floor / transom are really in?