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Hey there folks, at long last I have my boat in the water. Did one heck of a lot of work! This is my first boat and I chipped each piece of paint with pride.... and wore a mask :)

It took me about a month to completely clean the bottom and prep for painting. It had been sitting in the water for about 2 years (or more...). A few small blisters but nothing bad. Sanded with 300, rubbed everything down with denatured alcohol, and put two coats of Pettit Trinidad antifouling paint on.

Bottom before and during: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...f15896.jpg
Yum: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...5ddda.jpeg
Final product: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...fae876.jpg

Gas tank foaming was another story... that was a b**ch. I should have purchased a second quart of marine foam. Learned my lesson there. Ran a line of Funny Pipe from starboard to port for drainage (as with this boat, the drain hole is too high, leading to a lot of standing water. Everything is sealed with silicone to prevent water getting in -- including the access plates. Painted the foam with acrylic paint to prevent water getting in. Tank was fully cleaned before installation.

Clean and ready for a clean tank: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...ef74d4.jpg
Tank before and after: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...e22207.jpg

There was a crack near the starboard console and when I removed the tank cover, the floor was a bit wet underneath as a result (especially over the sump). Using Git Rot and sawdust, I was able to fill the holes formed over time, and sealed it with Marine Tex. It's solid as a rock now.

Pix from repairing the floor: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...a70ee1.jpg

Had an overheating problem with the engine. I couldn't get over 3000RPM without going in to overheat mode. Found a terrific Yamaha mechanic down here who discovered and cleaned all of the corrosion out of the water jacket, discovered the boat had the wrong spark plugs and too-long throttle cables, got the bow lights working, etc etc.

Waiting at the shop: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...34711a.jpg
Photo of corrosion in water jacket: http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...4c90d0.jpg
And new water flow from indicator! http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t...8a4e96.jpg

I have a question for those of you with 90HP Yamahas and 15-16 foot Whalers regarding your prop size. My mechanic thinks that the current prop (it's a stainless 17K) has too big a pitch, and that it should be around 15. I have had someone else tell me a pitch of 19 would be better. Right now I get to about 4000RPM / 27MPH, but I think it should get closer to 5000 RPM per the mechanic.

Any advice on what pitch the prop should have?