# New Life For An Old Skiff



## cwalden (Jun 24, 2011)

Here is the vision. The plan is to replace the transom with 1-1/2" Coosa Bluewater 26. Why, because I 
bought it for another boat and never used it. So, it has been sitting for 2 years along with 5 sheets of 
1/2" an 3/4" marine ply. I'll cut out the current seat boxes and ribs. Those will be replaced with 1-1/2"
Coosa ribs. Then I am going to floor the whole boat and convert it to a Center Console. Yep, I said it! 
Why? Cause I want to and I already have a brand new cooler seat that came with another boat that I bought.
The boat already needs new cables and to have a rotary safety helm anyway. I'll create 
a boxed in area at 
the rear that will house a 12gal fuel tank (already have it sitting around) and add a bilge area with a bilge
pump. I'm also gonna fill the areas under the floor, deck, and under the gunwales with floatation foam, as 
the boat has none now. No floatation and no pump can = a really bad day...

The planned layout:



The planned paint job: White hull with blue sides and an oyster white interior to knock down the glare a tad.


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## cwalden (Jun 24, 2011)

Well, I have the hull stripped of everything that will unbolt except the seat lids. I'm cutting those out anyway. The boat looks really narrow in these pics, but it is really 62" wide across the floor.




Uh oh, looks like we have a little rot! Well, I already knew it was there. You could push in on the transom with your finger.


Break time!!!


Yep, there's ROT!!


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## cwalden (Jun 24, 2011)

Well, I dug into it pretty good today. I got the middle 1/3 of the transom completely out to the outer skin. I also got both outer 1/3's of the transom about half way to the outer skin. Thaat work is much harder because of the gunwales in the way and the wood is not rotten at all.
I found that steam is my friend. haha. I would hose the wood down good with water and let it sit in this ridiculous Alabama sun for about 10 mins. The spray it again and let it bake. This made the wood much easier to chisel out. My wife kept me fully hydrated with beer and Kool-aid.
haha I also got the two rear seat boxes and the old console mounting block cut off of the floor. This allowed me to place the cooler seat into the boat and see kinda what she will look like. And to see if there was amply walking room around the seat. It worked out fine. Plenty of room!
I may have to rename the boat "Teh Donald" because the inside of this thing seems Huuuuge!


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## cwalden (Jun 24, 2011)

Well, today's work doesnt yeild very many exciting pictures, but there is great news. the transom is OUT!!!! In the pics, it looks like theres is alot of wood left. But it's mostly just the wood pattern cast into the transom skin. There is a paper thin layer of wood in some areas. But the grinder will get that out on another day. I also did a great deal of brainstorming (more rain and fog than lightning) about how to build the rear compartment that will house the fuel tank. I want it to span the entire width of the boat, but I want to allow for drainage when the boat is in the yard. I have two LARGE oaks that are over the boat, so there is alot of debris. I have to allow clearance for water to drain as well as allow access to clear out leaves and twigs. I think I have come up with a plan! I wish I could get CAD to work, then I could get this out of my head and onto the computer. But of all things I have ever tried, CAD is one of the most miserable failures... haha

Anyway, here are the pics.


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