UPDATE AGAIN...

I forgot to mention on the previous update that I replaced that horrible excuse for a steering wheel. $29.00 from my local marine supplier. removing the old epoxied on one was an operation in itself. I ended up resorting to a hacksaw and cold chisel. The new smaller wheel with a soft thick rim feels a lot better in one's hand.

In this photo there are only two seats fitted, but I recently fitted a third rear facing fixed seat that can be removed in a few minutes by taking out two bolts. Both my brother in laws are keen for a fish this season, and the vacant ply base behind the Skippers' seat is where the all important ice box will be stowed. I forgot to take updated photos with the third seat installed :-/ I'll post some soon :-)

I had an issue from day one with the Pride that I was putting off until I was sure the engine was a goer. It was this obvious impact damage on the transom edge/engine well join. When I first bought the boat there was silicone in a couple of holes and two short rusty screws. 

I removed both the screws, and cleaned up the holes with a drill bit. Thankfully only dry timber came out so I temporarily pumped in some black Sikaflex to stop any water ingress.

There was obvious movement at the crack when tilting the engine so I decided to do something about it. It turns out the edge had been hit hard enough to shatter the fibreglass into the transom ply, splintering the latter. After opening up the damaged area I was able to vacuum out the damaged plywood, clean it with acetone and mix up a batch of epoxy resin 'peanut butter' to repair the damaged area. It's not pretty at the moment but it's very strong and waterproof  as well. The damaged area was about the size of a pack of 50's cigarettes.

I applied the epoxy in three stages, wet out with resin only allowing it to soak into the ply, then about half filled with the resin, aerosol and glass strand mix then the final fill and shape. This epoxy resin gets HOT as it cures! I swear I saw smoke at one stage....

I'm not worried about surface imperfections, my old Pride is no showboat. Looks OK from a distance though! :-)

ANOTHER UPDATE...

Finally got the engine to run the way it's maker intended! Turns out the timing and throttle linkages were so far out of sync it's a wonder it fired at all. I had the starter motor rebuilt...after 50 years it certainly needed it!  I also replaced a dodgy starter solenoid. While I was at it I replaced all the battery cables and connectors with proper marine stuff, the heavy cabling to the solenoid was still the original 50 year old stuff, and yes it was very corroded!

My test tank is too small to run the engine above idle speed in gear, so I had to wait for my second on water test to see how it would perform. The stills and video at the head of this update were taken on that run from Windsor boat ramp on the upper reaches of the Hawkesbury River here in NSW, Australia. The engine had oiled up very badly from a combination of endless cranking without firing and a 25 to 1 premix as the engine had been standing so long. I also squirted outboard two stroke oil into all the cylinders and spun it by hand with no plugs fitted.

The video above the previous paragraph was when the engine finally fired and would idle. No doubting its a stroker with all the smoke!

The on water trial, with the help of my brother in law, Gary Speck went very well. This was the first time I had run the boat above about 10 knots......the first time on the water the engine was so poorly I wouldn't rev past 1/4 throttle and the carb and fuel pump were also leaking badly.

After a thorough warm up, I gradually worked the engine up to WOT giving 30 knots with two big blokes on board and some gear plus a full tank of fuel. I ran like a Swiss watch. Smooth, torquey and giving a great hole shot. This 50 year old engine and hull combo still delivers the goods in my opinion. Handles very well and is a hoot to drive. And that V4 howl....