WOW! You really did it! I am amazed at the gusto of some guys and their love for their boats!
Call me nuts... every boat has a heart beat. If I can't feel the heart beat of a boat when I look at it or place my hands on it... then the boat is truely dead. Your boat had plenty of life in it... it just needed a lot of TLC!
Glad it found the owner to provide it!