83 V20 and Hello

[Gfunk]

Been lurking for quite awhile. I gotta say, the loyal fans of this boat on this site greatly influenced my decision to go ahead and buy this boat, even considering it's age.

Got mine a few weeks ago after a very bad aluminum deckboat experience left me with a Merc 150 Otimax and no boat for it. Found this one with a blown powerhead on a 200hp Mariner. The original motor was a 25" shaft and so is the Opti, the hull is a 20" though, PO said that as far as he know the 25" Mariner had always been on the boat and that it had always worked flawlessly for him set in the highest position. He had it for about 8 years when the motor blew. Worst of all for him, he had just replaced the tilt and trim unit and the lower unit when the top end went, guess he'd had enough at that point, so I've got a great source for parts or a possible rebuild in the future.
Transom seems good (bounce test), although it does seem a bit open, might have to box it in with some starboard or Avek material. The floor has a few spots that could be stiffer, sounds like a next winter fix. PO was meticulous about wiring, redid all of it, looks like factory but all new. He also gave me a store bought cover for it that fits like a glove, not sure of the manufacturer, but I'll post it and the model number (and some pics) as soon as it thaws enough to move it.
I like to fish mainly for stripers at Lake Cumberland and make the occasional trip to Lake Erie, so I'll be adding a 60" IPilot on the front similar to RAP's and a downrigger board with rodholders in the back. (If anyone has a pic of their downrigger setup, I'd appreciate seeing them, like to make it removable, thinking of installing a few recessed rodholders and sliding the board poles down into them) Also gotta figure out where to put the trolling batteries. Seems to be a good spot right between the passenger and drivers seat in the hold. Also adding a full enclosure this winter, homemade on an industrial machine in my basement, it will be my third one in the last few years, not professional quality, but durable and better than the $1600 pricetag from the canvas shops. Also adding a humminbird 998 SI fishfinder/GPS, and a Raymarine Sportpilot Wheel pilot for the main motor I picked up recently. Going to swith the bottom paint to black (rolling it myself in the driveway) and get rid of the ugly brown stripes that are on there now.
Thanks again for all the info this site has provided.