Here is a picture of the boat after I brought it home in February. It was much to cold, and too snowy to do any work on it.....................plus the garage was turned into a paint shop during the Evinrude restoration.

Here is the inside of the boat. The rear seat is from a 1988 Sylvan Sea Monster and is too large for this boat and looks plain tacky. The seats were painted to match the boats exterior and likewise were painted in a sloppy manner. There is paint all over the seat hardware. After a few years of use, and one coat of paint.......the tops of the seats are worn through to bare wood for the most part.

Got the boat turned over, and ready for some prep work. The prep work took most of the day. I waited for a warm day (mid 60's) to start the work. I removed the old registration numbers and have begun to sand off the adhesive from them.

With a wire brush and a drill I ground off all the loose paint. I was down to the metal in many places. The previous paint job left paint all over the rail, which I was able to get off after polishing the chrome. Though I have no pictures of the wood piece on the transom, it was badly cracked and in need of repair.

After grinding off the loose paint, I began to prep the metal. I generously sprayed the entire hull with a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water to etch the bare metal. I let it dry in the sun and repeated the process.

While waiting for the vinegar solution to dry, I began to make the new transom. I had a few pieces of solid oak laying around, which i felt would certainly be better than the pine scrap that was used before.

I cut the pieces to size and then sanded them down. I stained them a "light oak" color, applying 2 good coats. I then applied a premium quality wood sealer/water repellant.

I painted the boat an aluminum color. I used a primer in the areas where metal was showing.(left over chromate from the engine)

Here is the almost finished product with the motor on it. I still have to paint the seats, and I plan on adding a different swivel seat I have from a different boat. I also still neat to repaint and repait the "Mirrocraft" Decals that were on the side of the boat.