Moving the Center Console

[tsubaki]

Think about the steering and control cables, wires and hoses that need to be replaced to achieve that 2 foot too.

[RidgeRunner]

I agree it probably would be wise to move it forward for the baitwell and a bigger motor back there but tons of work. Will the rigging tube still be under the console or would that need to be modified?

[SURFERJRB]

Well I have taken pretty much everything out of this boat. Motor, gas tank most of the wiring. Now I find out the tank has several small holes. removed the aluminum transom caps to find wood rot on the top parts of the transom, the transom is strong so I am going to try to fix that. I will have to move the wire access points so that they will be under the console. why Wellcraft put those caps on the transom and left the wood untreated baffles me. Tons of holes to fix and new ones to open up. Will be nice to redo everything and have peace of mind when I am offshore. Will post some pictures soon.

[SURFERJRB]

Here on some pictures of my project. There are pictures of how the boat was set up and how I am going to set the boat up. I plan on moving the console forward and putting the bait tank behind the console. I had a 45 gallon trash can as my old bait tank, the new one is a 30 gallon oval tank the the chairs sit on top of. Currently I am preping the transom for sealing up the top of it. I removed the rub rail and all the snap buttons(that was a PITA) filling the holes and preping for paint. Also the motor I am going with is a 99 Mercury EFI 150 instead of the Yahama 200 because the 200 is a 25" and I need a 20" I think it will still push the boat well. Any thouughts?

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by SURFERJRB

Also the motor I am going with is a 99 Mercury EFI 150 instead of the Yahama 200 because the 200 is a 25" and I need a 20" I think it will still push the boat well. Any thouughts?

Didn't want to go with a jack plate for the 200? The 150 will move the boat along very nicely (that was the stock from the factory engine) and will save you lots of gas money in the process I'm thinking.

[SURFERJRB]

So after almost two year the boat is back in the water. Moved the center console forward 2 feet. Fixed and filled hundreds of holes from old snap buttons. Since I moved the console forward I had to replace the steering, and controlls. I replaced the old bait tank with as sit on top style. Replaced the old 1980 Mercury 175 with a 1995 Mercury 200 efi. New Gas tank and new hoses. New battery cables and batteries. New switches Fishfinder/Gps.

I had to fix the transom there was some rot under the aluminum cap that is on top of the transom. All the area under the cap is raw plywood, I removed the rot treated it and fixed with epoxy and glass. Removed 30 years of old wiring removed several old switches the did nothing, wires that went to nothing.

Lots and lots of work, but I did it all and now I know where every thing goes and what controlls what.

[RidgeRunner]

Dang that girl sits high in the saddle. Good job. The hard chine isn't even wet. I think mine sits an easy 5" lower than yours at the stern. Now what you gonna do? What will you target with your live bait in Cali?