Right now the focus is the deck — framing, layout, and storage that has to earn its keep on a working fishing boat. Cabinetry instincts from earlier years of finish carpentry are useful here: strength, clear compartments, and nothing that fights the next repair.
What’s already behind us
Leak hunting and rivet work taught more about aluminum flex and sealants than any single “how-to” chapter. The transom replacement was the structural hinge of the project — disassembly, marine plywood, waterproofing, hardware alignment. Electrical got simplified for serviceability. Vintage Johnsons (15, 25, and 9.9) are in the shop queue as mechanical study, not side quests.
The real lesson so far
Restoration is a systems problem. Replace a rivet without understanding the hull and you chase the next leak. Build a deck without thinking about future access and you invent tomorrow’s frustration. Document as you go — photos, costs, parts, lessons — or the knowledge evaporates with the project.
Why document publicly
Not to sell boat work. To show the same method Parker & Vale uses everywhere: understand it, improve it, document it, share what we learned. A marina owner recognizes technical discipline. A small business owner recognizes care. Someone who never owns a boat can still see the process.