Re: Replacing Plywood Hull
Yay! I'm glad you got a different one.
It's very, very hard to give up on that first project... I spent $1300 to buy mine (didn't know it wasn't worth it) and then another $500-$700 and about 200 hours of work before I gave up and realized it was just too much to try, and it wouldn't be worth anything at the end anyway.
So I just bought boat #5, I have #2 running, and #4 is under construction from scratch.
Just for the record, what you were attempting is possible, but not a good idea... once any part of a cored hull gets wet you have to get ALL the water out to prevent future problems. That means a complete re-core, and while you're doing that you would have had to repair the loose/thin glass on the bottom, and then even assuming you got the structure right, got the weight and balance of the hull right, and it looked great you'd still have the rest of the boat, interior, and engine to go.
That would only make sense for a boat with a ton of value... IE, boat your Dad spent every day in for 30 years, or a boat that was owned by someone famous, or a one of a kind that you could sell for mega $$. That's a museum quality resto.
Remember that you're not giving up, you could have done it, you're just smart enough to realize that it's not the best use of your time. It's like kids with cars.. you could go get a 1976 monte carlo, fix the brakes and exhaust, then start adding chrome wheels, engine add-ons, a high end stereo, racing seats, a fancy paint job.. but in the end you've still got a monte carlo that's not worth what you've paid for it that you can't sell.
Avoid the pigs with lipstick
Erik