Hydro: Video

We cut down the transom 3 inches and this totally eliminated the cavitation.  Now the boat can hit the top end of this motor.  It is just a 9.9 hp Johnson, but it moves.  The hull should be able to handle up to about a 35hp.  that would be exciting.  We are keeping our eyes peeled for any motors in the area that we could land.  For now this is super fun.
Here is a video of me leaving our creek...

Hydro: Launch Day!

We found a great throttle cable at Marine Consignment in town.  This afternoon we hooked it up to a hand lever.  We may move to a foot pedal, but for now it works well.
Once this was completed, the boat was ready to launch.
Oriental has a nice State Wild Life Resources boat ramp in town.  We had the boat launched in minutes and it performed great!
The handling is tight and the ride is dry.  We did have some cavitation, so we will be lowering the motor and adjusting its angle.  But that is another day.
Here are some photos...

Hydro: Top Sides Paint

Today we flopped the boat over.  The weather was perfect for painting. Low humidity and sunny with a mild breeze.  We were able to get two coats of Interlux Perfection White on the top sides.  We mixed in a little Interlux #216 spray thinner.

It looks great.  Tomorrow we will be able to reinstall the steering gear, mount the engine and strap down the tank.  The only remaining issue will be the throttle linkage.  We will address this next week.

Hydo: Paint finally!

The fairing of the hull is close enough for now.  If we love the hull and want to mold it, we will put in another week of fairing.  The weather is warm and we are ready to try it out.
Yesterday we primed the hull top and bottom with Pre-Kote by Interlux.
Today we sprayed on Perfection White by Interlux on the hull's bottom.
After a day or two to harden, we will flip it back over and spray a couple of coats on the top sides.