You may remember this project we have in our shop at the moment which we had in an April post. This is an unbranded 18 foot FRP hull which we are restoring and remodeling to suit the owners requests. It was fitted with an inboard diesel engine with a moulded prop tunnel recessed into the hull. The hull rebuild was the first stage of the work followed by a new composite cabin, and once this was done we could lift the boat onto stands to finish the engine pod extension. The internal structure for the pod was carried out while on the trailer but the bottom panels needed to be fitted and glassed into place from the underside. All new work was done in composite board which is not only very strong but also impervious to water ingress or rotting. The new cabin design was styled up to give the boat a modern look as well as create a dry comfortable space for the driver and crew. The windscreen components are being custom made with two side sliders and all in toughened glass. We also had a new stainless under-floor fuel tank custom made which is fitted where the old inboard diesel engine used to be. The hull below waterline was coated in antifouling and the first job once on the stands was to remove this and attend to any repairs it exposed. With the engine pod structurally built as part of the hull, we could focus on decking this in to create a spacious duckboard. We are currently getting the hull underside and topsides ready for painting which will enable us to drop the boat down off the stands to finish all work above gunnel. We’ll keep you updated with this project as it progresses.