I’ve had the boat at home for over a week now.
Things I’ve completed, as in totally finished, from my original to-do list: zero.
Things I’ve improved or repaired that weren’t on my list: easily a dozen
Things I’ve added to my list in the process: more than a dozen
I’m still net positive on things to do compared to where I started (as in, more added than completed), but hey, I really wanted to take another run through this boat since we’ve had it a couple years now. I firmly believe this is time well spent; you could never pay someone to do this kind of work (at least not all at once) because not only would it be hilariously expensive, there’s a lot of personalization, and things I’m putting exactly how I want them.
One fun item on my list is adding an ignition bypass switch. Yes, I’m literally hotwiring the boat and putting a switch panel hidden up under the dash for that purpose. The reason is, everything in this boat relies on a proprietary keypad to function. It still works, but there are plenty of reports of sketchy behavior over time, and this is 17 years old now. Yes, a 17 year old proprietary electronic part that is critical to the base functions of the boat like starting the engine. I do not want to be stranded on the lake in a thunderstorm one day because the keypad decided it has had enough, just then, and won’t start the engine. So there you have it. I’m not the first one to come up with this idea, but there isn’t exactly a youtube on how it’s done, so this is a fun project. I hope to never need it, but I’ll be happy it’s there.
But don’t worry, there are plenty of items in my head that aren’t even ON the list, so I’ll never really run out of things to do.
Onward.