Newbie Evans with more specific questions. Need input

[Rick Evans]

Fellas,
    I started a new thread just in case nobody was continuing to read my original cry for help.  I hope this is okay with the posting protocol.  Anyway, having had my first day with my new girl, I've got tons of additional questions.  And, thanks to those of you who already gave me a lot of help.  Here's some more.

1.  The interior wood is all but rotted away.  Some hard, brittle foam is exposed where the seats used to be.  Any suggestions?  Cut new marine plywood to fit?  Rip it all out, including the foam, and just put in one large floor board?  

2.  The trailer is a shoreline.  It dosn't have rollers upon which the keel rests. Instead, it just has a carpeted board running down the center.  Is this okay?  Should I try to find a way to replace it with rollers?  Will I be able to launch her the way the trailer is currently configured?

3.  Does anybody have a picture of what the rudder is supposed to look like.  Mine has the original metal slab rudder but the rest is jury rigged.  The pintles & gudgeons are held in my ordinary hardware store bolts and nuts.  The tiller is an old rowing handle bolted into place.  This can't be normal.

4.  Similarly, the companionway wood door to the cabin is long gone.  Some prior owner cut a single curved piece of wood to fit but the sliding hatch still leaves a big gap over the wood.  What was the original like?  Did it have two separate companionway hatch boards like one finds on bigger yachts that slide into place?  Any photos?

5.  The mast has no spreaders. Is this right?

6.  In tapping along the keel, I hear some hollow sounding spots but it appears intact.  Is this normal?

7.  The gel coat is long, long, long past hope I think.  The hull had mottled gray stains all over it.  Soap & scrubbing didn't phase it.  Then I tried some heavy duty rubbing compound.  Still didn't phase it.  So, I tried bleach and it cleaned it up instantly.  She looks clean but dull as a white chalkboard.  Any ideas?  Marcus suggested Penetrol but some fellow in Florida told me that in their heat, it turns brown and looks like heck in a year or so.  I'm in South Texas and, trust me, we know heat.  Does anybody have experience with Penetrol in hot climates?  How about Poli-Glo?  Or should I just resort to paint?  

Sorry to pester you but this is probably the first of quite a few questions I have for you seasoned owners.

[Dan Hill]

Rick,  I have an original model CP16 as well.  It doesn't have spreaders on the mast.  The hatch board looks like varnished plywood.  Mine is two pieces with some cheap hinges on the back making it easier to remove with the mast down in trailering position, but I also have gaps at the top.  If you send your email address, I'll send a picture of my rudder mounting.  My rudder also has hardware store bolts in place of pintles.

[Rick Evans]

Craig, my email address is revans@evans-rowe.com.  I'd sure appreciate a pic of what a real rudder looks like.  My tiller consists of a broken oar stuck into the cast assembly for the rudder.  Not too pretty but apparently functional for the prior owner.  

I'm flying blind on the restoration of this girl.  I pourced 40 pounds of concrete in her tonight to replace what was left of the cabin sole.  It sure looks better than before.  I will say that having ripped out the entire cabin, this boat is built better even in bad shape than new trailer boats in factory fresh shape.  Even without all that wooden bracing, the solid fiberglass construction makes it all but bulletproof.