All holes are drilled in the transom, and the keyholes are cut. I used gel coat to seal the exposed wood so I can hopefully avoid this fiasco again.
A quick coat of gel coat as a "filler" primer to sand before rolling and tipping the last coat. Then I'll be using Awlgrip to paint the compartment.
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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...2558372fee.jpg
Thankfully a local boat shop let me borrow their outdrive fixture so I could drill the holes correctly.

2nd coat, gelcoat doesn't cover as well as i thought it would

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a8c2387674.jpg

What is the concern with Gel coverage if you are finishing with AwlGrip?

none, just something I noticed and wanted to share with anyone that reads this.

Got it. Is the Coors Light bottle where you keep the catalyst?:grinser010:

I wish Coors Light were a catalyst, I seem to go through both equally, but the Coors Light has a better price point.

looks good from that picture !!!

I changed gears and decided to use TotalBoat Total Bilge. I just didn't have the time to properly go through the steps needed for AwlGrip before the shop needed me to bring it in to reinstall the engines before the Kuttawa Cannonball Run.

So...... It's done

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...0e2ded60cf.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...9198ce0fd7.jpg

That looks great! Mine looked extremely clean too.....for a while. Now trashed. Hard to keep clean especially after all the leaks I've had. Luckily in the 290 you really can't see much except the center section.

I spent a long time wiring and plumbing the compartment.
Every screw that went into the transom, stringer, or bulkhead was coated with Life Caulk. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...4a855743b7.jpg