Starting restoration on this boat has anyone ever removed the engine compartment liner ? I want to make sure there is no unseen damage or rot .

you need to trim back the floor on the sides, then remove the screws at the front and back. There should be round access ports in the front and back of the middle hump, loop a rope around that and hoist away. if it sticks you may need to take something thin like a putty knife and a hammer to bust the gorrila snot at the front/back.

Thanks , so I am guessing I would cut about 6 inches from the hull sides in towards the middle ?

Does this help??

Thanks for the pics ...