In case, I have not said it yet, Thanks for everybody's replies and advice. :clap:
My computer absolutely hates photobucket :arrr: , but seeing how well they show on here makes it worth it. Besides for some reason my camera pics wont upload straight on the manage attachments bar.

Depending on how well this project goes, I may keep the 18 Fisherman, I have some ideas for her. Possibly cutting the sides down all the way around and turning her into a flats/bay boat with a custom layout and casting decks. And she might be getting the 2.5L Mercury 200 if I repower the V20. Hell it weighs the same as a 150 JohnnyRude.

Been having the same problem lately with Photobucket, old computer it would work great, this new Dell -- Well....


That is a ton of work you got done is she ready for paint yet?

LOL. It will be a while before she is ready for paint. still trying to get the garage cleaned out. I did get the cuddy liner broke loose yesterday and have to lift it out now.

Great thread and pics. I would build everything stronger than you would need now that you've gone this far. My fuel tank was a pain too, know what you mean about the swamp/sewer smell underneath.

Had three teeth pulled today and hoped to work on cleaning the garage. No luck, I was hurting so bad I HAD to get my pain medicine script filled. I had hoped to throw it away as I have done all the others.

Anyways the V had a substantial amount of water in it from rain. And it was draining out......... from around the high speed pickup mounted on the hull. Pretty good drip too. The V has always pulled hard to the starboard side. the pickup is mounted on the starboard side about a foot from the keel right where the cuddy starts. its in a bad location for what i need. i need it towards the stern for my livewell and washdown. should i move the pickup to the rear and repair the hole? just because it is a hole in the bottom of the boat i may have a pro do it.

Wow that's some incredible work you've done ...... all the way to the bone.

Now you can re build the transom to be stronger than original - and therefore handle nearly any outboard you want to rig.

Good luck with it.

glassing the bottom is no worse than glassing anything else BUT if you for some reason don't want to then seal it up with a new thruhull and 5200 then plug it with a bronze pipe cap or a bushing and a bull plug.... my montecarlo had 4... 3 'ducers and 1 speed temp when I got it.... I put 1 'ducer in w speed temp built in and plugged all 3 of the others this way.

This also leaves you a place to hook up a raw water washdown in the future.

Jason I have all the confidence in the world that you can repair that hole. The internet and YouTube and other boat sites will tell you all the info you need to do a progressive patch on that spot. Can you acess the inside of that repair or only the outside?

i can get to both the inside and outside. its just one of those things that i would feel paranoid about everytime i wet the boat lol . My West Systems book has a few different methods to repair it. I am leaning towards dishing out BOTH sides at an 8:1 ratio then doing an entire wet layup for the most strength. The V always had a wet bilge I just thought it was water leaking thru the floor livewell, either way it was a surprise to see water dripping like that from the pickup. Still trying to decide on epoxy or polyester resin. I will repair this hole with epoxy just for piece of mind. might even get some carbon fiber cloth to use in it

Smoke, the location of this hole is in a bad spot. Hard to access, and it is almost against a stringer. Not to mention I dont want any more holes in the bottom than I need. I was hoping to mount a high speed pickup on the bottom towards the stern. The way i plan to build the transom area i will have tons of access there for a livewell and saltwater washdown connections.