That’s awesome Mike! The bracket is the way to go. We love the fishing space the same way you do. Thanks for watching 👍

Thanks man! We looked into some different material like coosa board and decided to stick with the marine ply. We were very diligent in making sure the transom was completely sealed and all holes were completely sealed. That’s a badass build you have there. I can’t imagine the amount of hours you spent on that, it sure makes it worth it though!

Thanks man! 👍 Built to last is absolutely right on target.

You are correct. Is very common for stringers and transoms to rot in older glass with wooden cores. A lot of people drill holes and don’t properly seal holes they drill in the bolts. We found several unsealed holes in the transom and stringers. Going aluminum will save you from those kinds of issues for sure. Most newer glass boats are built with composite material that will not rot.

Thank you very much. We did our best and did a ton of research before starting the project. Boatworks Today was a great source of information along with Born Again Boating. Happy to answer your questions man, see below... So here the questions: Did you guys measure the height between ventilation plate and bottom point of the boat (what's the height?)? Yes, check out this video is very informational - from Born Again Boating. We also put a hydraulic Jack Plate to adjust our height as needed. You want the ventilation/cavitation plate lined up with the bottom of the boat and that will change depending on how far setback your motor is. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hMV1gNtqvN24nI0.htmlfeature=shared How far does the motor sit from transom or simpler, how long is your bracket? Our motor sits a total 30 inches behind the boat with outboard bracket and the 8" hydraulic jack plate. You don't need a jack plate, we did one to be able to adjust the height. I know the total distance from the back of the boat needed to be 30inches. I cant remember the rule, however based on our horsepower, and total length of the boat, we needed 30 inches total. I think Born Again Boating has videos on this. Sorry I cant remember the exact ruling. What were the rules to put the bracket on and does it touch the water, when you're riding (on plane and not)? The bracket touches the water while floating at idle. The bracket has some flotation to it since its a sealed unit. When we are on plane the bracket is almost an extension of the bottom of the boat. Its not the same height as the bottom of the boat because its setback, and if it was the same height the boat wouldn't ride correct. The bracket would push the water much harder. It just brushes the water, similar to the trim tabs. There is a formula, to find the height of the bracket. Sorry I cant remember the exact ratios. It was this time last year when we did the project. If you send us an email I can send you some pictures of the bracket, shaping and how its mounted. Good luck with the project, hoping you can get the boat going again. Thanks!

Thanks man! We love the way the boat turned out. Thanks for watching our video 👍👍

Thanks man! 👍

You are the man Troy, love the support thank you! When you are out in the area let us know and we can get ya on the boat. A tour in DC!? Count us in.

That was the plan! Thanks man!

Oh man, when you get a boat for free you know it’s going to be a lot of work. Awesome work, thanks for watching our video!

Thanks Eddie! 👍

Thanks man it was an extensive job for-sure but totally worth it. We love the final product!

Great videos on boatworks KZfaq channel check it out , it was helpful to us!

Thanks man! It was a big project, totally worth all the work we did

@@DDFishingCo definitely looks like it runs rides great less noise space and all overall nice

It’s unbelievably quiet in the boat. It’s fast, everything about it has been awesome. I will say, we sit just a LITTLE higher in the water when we have 1-2 guys in the boat. But with 4 guys, ice, etc it sits about the same.

@@DDFishingCo all I can say is awesome I can definitely know that difference it makes when I deckhanding in Alaska from one year to the next on a six pack the kill box was on the back deck centered on alumiweld next year I went removed and dropped below the deck with twin outboards

That awesome I bet that made the world of a difference. Kill box in the floor is really nice and makes for a lot of space!

Haha yes!!!

Thanks dude, it was a lot of work, we spent many nights late into the evenings grinding away but totally worth it in the end.

Nice man, that’s an awesome boat. If you do that project good luck!!

The best way is to install scuppers. Keeps nasty water out of the bilge. However in this video and our project it all goes into the bilge. Based on everything on the back transom we didn't have ton of space for that.

Thanks man. It was a fun job, love the boat with the outboard now. Hicks did a great job, I don’t remember how much it was, there was a lot $ invested in the project. He is a great guy and he is really fair with his bids.

It did not need a jack plate we put one on to optimize performance and can get into shallow water if needed.

We are close friends with Charlie, we helped with the bracket and helped each other out. So I couldn’t quote ya on the price. They fabricated the pilot house out as well. He does awesome work.

I don’t know the exact costs. The material, like the fiberglass resin, epoxy resin, wood, deck paint, brushes, misc, was probably around $3000. All the hydraulic lines, throttle cables, hoses, wiring, maybe another $1000. The Jack plate (not necessary) was $1800. The outboard bracket will vary based on how many motors, what sized boat.

@DDFishingCo this is awesome and gives me a good idea of what it will be around. Thank you

Awesome man good luck!

Hey Mike - check out NorCal salty hooker on Instagram, if you don’t have Instagram I’ll see if I can get you some contact info he does great work!

Thank you

It was pretty scary it was very rotten. We didn’t even show you how bad the stringers were. Thanks man!

@@DDFishingCo … makes me want to open my boat to see how the stringers and transom wall look…. Well, as far as I know, my boat is all fiberglass. Lucky me…

What year is your boat? A lot of the newer boats are composite core and not wood core so you don’t have to worry about rot!

2018 Osprey 26 Long Cabin.... should be all fiberglass/composite. I don't think there is any wood. I sure hope so after seeing your video... @@DDFishingCo

Yeah likely all are composite, the wooden core was an old school thing. Nice boat man!!

Nice Travis! If you see us out there come say hi or if you see us working on the boat feel free to stop by and we can talk fishing.