Looks real good. I see the budget part of this re-do got thrown out the window.

Wow Jason you have really done an outstanding redo. i can't wait to see it. We are planning on bringing our cig back out to Florida for the winter so hopefully we can get together for a run or two.

Thanks for the nice words John. I don't know if she'll be the "Ultimate" but she'll be very nice and reliable!

Kris you're going to have to explain that "B" word you used to me...it seems that isn't in boating vocabulary

Thanks Dan! Yeah let me know when you're out here and we will definitely have to get together...I just hope it's done by then

Looking great! All the hard work will soon pay-off

Wow, great job. Looking forward to seeing the finished job.

Note to self....if motor is pulled do not do a "low budget" bilge paint job....I can't afford all these "might as well's".

All I can say is thank god we can boat all year round down here!!! I keep telling myself next month, next month, okay next month...I can only imagine if I only had 3 good months to use her!!!

Yes note to self, pull motors and don't look at boat until you install them, otherwise you're quickly going down a real slippery slope with no end in sight

Yeah but you will have a boat that you will be proud of for years to come and it will be a lot easier to keep up than one that was patched together.

Besides you now know every bit of the boat and not a lot of owners can say that, ( myself included)

Yeah you are right Dan. That is one of the things that I really have enjoyed about this project. I was a little apprehensive at the start, I really didn't know too much about the boat and it's systems, but now I really feel confident that I know pretty much how the entire boat is assembled and how everything works together. I feel a lot more confident that if something were to break when I was out I would have a really good idea what it was and how to fix it. Also with replacing almost everything mechanical in the boat I should have a lot of worry free boating days once it's all finished.

Okay so it's been a while since I last update on my project...honestly, I was embarrassed that it's taken soooooo long. Anyways, I will fully admit that I TOTALLY UNDERESTIMATED the amount of work involved. There were SO many times where I thought I was ready to start the motors and I wasn't even anywhere near close. It was very frustrating and at times I thought about just giving up...but I couldn't, as much as I wanted to...it's just not in my nature.

So there still not started but we are VERY close. We primed the oil system today and put power to the first one. Oil system checked out good, except one fitting has a small leak, need to investigate further but not a show stopper by any means. So far electrical all checked out good and sensors all seem good too. I seriously thought once I "bolted everything on" you just start them not even close.

So hopefully this week they will start, baring any major problems. So far on the first engine there were only a couple small things. We didn't test the fuel system yet, so that could present some problems too but it's close.

There's been a slight change of plans too, I'm going to have Philly install the motors and button them up for me. I'm trying to make the Key West run and I just don't have the time. I'm so torn on this because they are so close and I've done so much already that I'd love to finish them up and say I did it all but then I wouldn't make KW...so hopefully this week or next Philly can pick it up and then it's needs to go to Fineline and hopefully it will be done with a couple weeks to spare to put some hours on her before the run

I'll keep you all posted and hopefully will get to show her off to some of you in KW!

Here's a couple pictures from today...enjoy!

Jason,

Our projects and a few others I have kept up with on OSO are great examples of an old universal engineering axiom or theorem.

It states "Work tends to expand to over absorb the time allotted for it's completion".

When ever I get bogged down I remember something an old professor in one of my engineering classes taught: "it's much better to aim your sights at the results than to worry about the process."

Very appropriate.