3Squids '79 Center Console thread

[3 Squids]

So I got the boat back today with a running motor!! Motor sounds great. I was talking to the motor guy and he believed the lower unit will be fine. He said it appears someone used the wrong type of nut on the prop shaft and the threads have minor damage to them. He told me to bolt the prop on if it torqued down properly and didn't strip any thread I'd most likely be fine. He also suggested using a cotter nut and drilling a small hole through the shaft for a cotter pin. But mechanically all seems well the the lower unit.

So for now the motor will probably rest for the winter until I figure out what I'm going to do about the transom. Even the motor guy agreed it was done completely shoddy. Everyone I talked to said the guy was slow but incredible at glass work. I'm not sure what happened but now I'm now sure what I'm going to do with it. I feel no matter what the structural integrity has been compromised due to him cutting the whole back of the boat out and apparently I'm not the only one as everyone that's seen it can't believe it was done that way.

Part of me just wants to rip it all back out and start over with an empty shell but
1- it still bothers me the back had been cut out and it will always be a weak link
2- getting out what he did is probably going to be a nightmare.

Any inspiration would be greatly appreciated. This boat definitely has me down in the dumps about it.