"The Olive Pit"

So I wanted a boat and I ended up with a project. When I brought it home we named it "The Ugly Boat" and that is what we called it until my father Jerry saw the pictures and responded with, "I am at a loss for words....Do you remember the great movie, "The Money Pit"? I am going to call this "The Olive Pit" "

The name stuck.

The Olive Pit is a 1976 Arrow Glass Tarpon bass boat. The original 50Hp Evinrude was swapped out by the the previous owner (he only bought it for the engine) for a 1969 25Hp Evinrude Sport. To my surprise buying The Olive Pit generated quite a bit of enthusiasm from friends and family as to weather or not it would ever float. It has multiple cracks in the keel and is in need of many patches of new gelcoat. The floor is soft and the engine needs work. I have never heard it run by the way. A fact that would make many people nervous. Not me! I keep telling myself that. Not to mention that the trailer lists to one side and has more rust than paint.
I foolishly claimed that I could not only get The Olive Pit finished by January 2007 but that I could do it for $1000 including the price of the boat! The purchase price was $400 and I have bought many parts, tools, and books to help with repairs for $300. Except for a little demo on the interior and a lot of staring at it with a beer in my hand no work has been done as of today.
I have started this blog to keep a record of this insanely fun project and to make it easy for those that are interested to take the ride with me. The fact that I know nothing about fiberglass repair, have never messed with a marine engine, and I have set an unrealistic budget should make this project a blast! Will I meet my goal? (shrug shoulders)