Yep. Nobody eats an elephant all at once. Break it up into small projects that you can take 1 at a time.
1A: relax & breathe as Glenn suggests
1B: find & stockpile a beverage of your choice: frosty, adult libations are preferred by many. Those of us that don't drink, well we choose something else. What ever your choice, you'll need a good, comfortable sitting, staring & thinking chair close to the project as well. You will likely be using both quite frequently.
2: understand that this will be a taxing, frustrating and not inexpensive endeavor
3: know that if you choose to undertake this adventure, it can be done, and can be done well. Many (most) of us had never done anything remotely close to restoration & rehab of an old boat. I had never owned a boat before I built my plywood canoe-thing last summer. And had never owned a 'real' boat prior to Nov 2011. That is not the case now. None are ready to see action again, but that will eventually change.
4: did I mention that this will be a challenging, but extremely rewarding endeavor?
5: understand that no matter your timeline, you will miss goals & deadlines if you set to many or too large a goal. Break it down into small tasks that can be accomplished over a week or a month working a few hours (or 30min) at a time. See steps 1A & B
6: You don't mention what you paid for this boat, but no matter it's initial cost, if you had that money back & added $3K to it, and were able to put all of the money towards a different, more expensive boat, you may in the end still be here facing some difficult & challenging (have I said that already?:facepalm
work. You will just have a more expensive project boat..... Unfortunately, used boats that have been exceptionally well cared for, are extremely hard to find and not inexpensive. Rehab of an older used project boat also allows you to pay for it over time as your budget allows. Inexpensive boats don't typically qualify for a loan. 2nd mortgage, line of credit, personal loan maybe. So you can buy materials & supplies a little at a time, and stockpile them until the weather in Buffalo improves in the spring, unless you have access to a heated garage or can tent the boat in the driveway & heat it.
7: Watching friscoboater's & boatwork's today youtube videos helped a great deal. In fact, between youtube & iboats, there isn't a part of the rebuild you are facing that isn't covered by multiple videos posted by multiple users. Watching the videos really pulled all the info I'd read & tied it all together with the pix I was seeing.
8: just like taking it apart & working on it 1 step at a time, you'll put it back together. I often shoot pix of portions of my project w/ the tape measure showing, so I have a visual record of details:
9: many of the resto threads start w/ something similar to your last post. some of those are finished, some are never heard from again. More then a few work very hard for a fairly long time & eventually succumb to pressure & frustration and are abandoned via the landfill. Find PMC's ChrisCraft thread, and Bear's yellow Imperial runabout thread. 1 went project tin, the other just traded up to a much more expensive boat.
10: good news grammer & spelling don't count
11: you get to work with your hands, get covered in dust, itch like crazy, buy some new tools, learn some chemistry, and get to say:
I re-built that at the launch ramp. Something that many would like to be able to say, me included, and only a few attempt successfully. Or at least as compared to the general boat buying public, our numbers will be small. See steps 1A & B
It's just a boat, it isn't a piano, and they are all pretty much put together the same way. The crew @ the iboats dry dock can help you get your's torn down, taken apart, repaired & put back together.
Take a step back, consider your situation, and give it some time. After a few days, the OH CARP & the feelings of
may subsided & you can start to make a plan to finish the demo. At this point you own it, and it isn't going anywhere. And you are ahead if the exterior hull is in as good a shape as it appears & cleans up 'easily'
Task #1 will be to secure a good work environment, some safety gear & a grinder w/ some grinding disks & a shop vac. See steps 1A & B
