So this is how it is...

[chesapeake724]

...take on one project and five more spring up. ;)

My instrument panel re-do has turned into...

Complete Re-wire
Got the deck panel and starboard rodbox out, so might as well rewire the friggin' thing. There's a spaghetti trail of half abandoned and half in-service wiring that needs cleaning up. Anyone know: are the controls, including ignition & trim, all powered through the main wires connecting the control box to the engine? ('85 Johnson 175) Or, does it need power from the bus bar/fuse block circuit?

House Battery Install
I'm adding a second battery with a battery combiner to power everything but the engine.

Add Navman Fuel meter
Instead of putting the Fuel gauge back in, I'm doing the fuel flow meter instead. For a C-note more than the cost of a fuel gauge, I might as well go with the more accurate technology. I can always pop an inspection hatch and look at the gauge on the tank. Is the tank gauge mechnical or does it need power?

'Fix' deck panel
I took it (the big panel above the fuel tank) out and it's in front of a fan in my basement in the equipment room where the oil furnace and laundry stuff is. I figured this was a good environment to try and dry it out. It's wet w/ a good bit of rot. Piss-poor sealing job on the inspection hatches is to blame. There's a little delamination, but the skin is still good. I'm thinking of cutting a 'grid' of 6"x6" cuts with the circular saw, approximating the thickness of the core, and seeing if penetrating epoxy strengthens the panel enough to buy a couple years. I'll replace it altogether as needed. That might be right away, we'll see, but since the skin is intact, I think one attempt to save it with a minimum of work and $ is warranted.

Gotta' try and finish all this before the deep freeze sets in...