And so it begins!

[JohnC]

I finally bought a 1977 Master Angler hull that I want to rebuild and will be getting started with a "hull-up" restoration. I work and I have kids so I expect some starts & stops along the way but hopefully I can do this without dragging things out too long.
The deck is off and the stringers are pretty uneven across the top (thanks WaveWalker for pointing out that a shovel handle is not a suitable straight edge!). I also have some wet foam in the box stringers and I am going to attempt to remove it by cutting out the tops of the stringers and getting everything clean and dry inside. I am planning to raise the stringers slightly to even everything out and to get a final deck height that is close to 5" above the chine at the transom. I read a post by Denny that his waterline is about 4" over the chine at rest so I am guessing that my finished rig (375 lb. motor on a bracket) will be close to that.
I plan to core the transom with 2 layers of 3/4" Okoume plywood. It weighs the same as the Bluewater 26 but a lot less $$. I am planning on 1" NidaCore for the deck. It is relatively inexpensive and really light weight. I was planning to lay it up with two layers of 1708 on top and one on bottom. I am not sure about the core or the layup yet but I want light weight and stiff and this stuff seems to be that. My biggest concern is the right layup and properly planning all of the places for screw reinforcement under the deck since a screw into NidaCore is pretty useless.
There seems to be enough room for a Moeller 52-Gallon belly tank under the console but not sure until the stringers are raised and I can measure everything.
I value the experience of the people on this site and I hope you will let me know what you think!
"Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." (King Solomon)