Transport captain - Panama City FL to Long Island Sound

Arrange for a septic truck to evacuate the black and grey tanks, including a pressure wash ahead of the surveyor. You'll want him to have a very good look at that plating from teh interior of the boat.

Shaft tube, inquire about bearing historical status. Feel the rotation of the wheel when she's on the hard to determine any binding. Binding would be an indication of some rot and swelling that is pinching the shaft. A decent tell. Same inspection with the rudders. If they bind, again there is swelling likely present causing that contraction.

You'll find inspection plates for the water tanks. You will want to pop those open and review the water tank condition. The only open bilges other than the ER are under the forward berth area, forward of the water tank that sits right in front of the ER door. So while you'll want to know the bilges, access to the black, grey, and water tanks is a "must".

I know the reference. He got an early shot of my tenure with the sportfish. But, yes, it would be a cool adventure as well as photo op. Especially as I'm headed for Ingot's slip, an annual photo I file as a complaint to Wisco when Ingot is arriving and boots me...

Oh, I think I know her as well as Burger...we're actually replacing the forward bilge playing right now, taking advantage of the need for new genny access (and old exit) to create a hole that needs to ultimately be replaced at some point due to minor pitting. I think we've pretty much reached the end of the refit at this point, although the maintenance never ends. She's such a lady....

I'm the same boat, basically. Difference is I don't have the cockpit, but I do have the full width main salon and day head. My girl was also overbuilt with .3125 plating, a step up from the early use of .250.

Photo choppers - are you guys serious? You can buy a high quality drone with high res camera for far less than the cost of a chopper and use it over and over. My son just got a pretty amazing drone for less than $1k. Sorry, off topic I know.

....and just as quickly you can drive the drone into the drink because technology loves to bight my ass...

Nah - technology on these things is amazing. Won't let you fly it into any object and it will automatically land at the exact same spot you hade it take off from.

Which is perfect when you take off from a moving boat!!!!!!!!!!! And, forget to land it before the batteries get to 30%. hehehehe Even better when you accidentally hit the tower with it doing a fly by like a buddy did.

Pull the shafts. Inspection of the tubes inside the tank is not necessary (as stated by Burger) because the diesel really does inhibit corrosion. The pitting/corrosion would be inside the tubes where the shaft lies, if it exists. Should be properly barrier coated and bottom painted inside the tube anyway. I give mine a good "slathering" every 2 years.

BTW check your shaft seals. I had bronze conventional shaft seals that ate my stern tubes over the years (avoid contact of dissimilar metals). I cut out and replaced the old tubes and put Tides shaft seals 10+ years ago and now all is copacetic.