1950 22-foot Shepherd Runabout

As of this morning, we began emptying her “innards” in preparation for pulling her engine and V-drive transmission, so we can flip the hull a begin releasing her bottom planking.
Sorry, but all we can say, “It’s just ugly in there.”
- Remember us wondering why her hull is a sea of popped bungs and failed fasteners? We now understand at least part of why. Inboard marine engine vibration must be isolated from the bilge stringers and, therefore, the hull. The usual and customary method for so doing is integrating rubber plates between the engine and where the motor mounts bolt onto the stringers.
Sadly, it appears that all four of these “shock absorbers” failed in AKRA’s hold at some time. We can only surmise, but, unable to find proper replacements, some mental giant inserted 5/8” steel plates, thereby guaranteeing that every engine vibration assaults every plank and fastener in the hull.
Yes, we have already located correct engine mounts.
- Marine engines can be wired either positive or negative ground, but not both. Whoever wired AKRA “figured” that, if either one or the other works, why not go one better and wire in both positive and negative ground systems, complete with two solenoids and two batteries?
Any poor soul who touches the power plant the wrong way might be in for a potentially lethal electrical shock!
- All the inboard boats we have seen, including AKRA, are fitted with both rudder and prop shaft stuffing boxes. But shouldn’t prop shaft stuffing boxes actually be stuffed and then adjusted so they leak a few drops per minute?
We have yet to get in deeply enough to check the rudder, but her prop shaft stuffing box is empty. Honest. You can see light coming in from the outside when you sight down it.
- Oil and grease have collected in the bilge to the point where platelet-like gobs have built up to the point that the bottom planks, and, most worrisome, the bottom framing is severely bottom soaked.
All of these can and will be addressed, but what we have found so far, and could not be seen from the outside, reaffirms my contention that discerning “what she will need” is all but impossible by examining her sitting on her trailer.