1993 Bayliner Capri

[dlogvine]

I bought this boat for one purpose, I needed an outdrive for my other boat. When I looked at the boat it seemed to be completely trashed, upholstery was gone, engine seemed to be frozen, carburator had white powder inside and its valves were shut. Looked like the engine was all rusted out, alternator and starter were so corroded that even the wires above the connectors were deteriorated about 2 inches above the connectors. Looked like the hull was flooded judging by the water traces till at least 3-4 inches above the deck level. The engine and storage compartment were covered in filthy oily and slimy layer. Upholstery was old and trashed in every panel and the seats.

 

[dlogvine]

No Title

After a little inspection, I realized that all of the upholstery needed to be changed if I wanted to restore the boat. Also I did not need the outdrive anymore, since I managed to repair the original one on my other boat. So I decided to estimate how much work would the restoration of this boat require.

 

[dlogvine]

No Title

The deck and transom appeared to be solid, with no rotten spots and carpet even soily and covered in oily slime was cleanable. I used some heavy soil carpet cleaner and was able to remove most of the dirt and slime. Thermostat housing was all rotten and the exhaust manifolds and elbow risers were covered in rust.
Every upholstery piece was in dire need of restoration or complete replacement.

 

[dlogvine]

No Title

Two distinct paths of repair:
1. Engine and electrical repair
2. Upholstery and panels repair.
Will work on each line of repair as the parts and components become available.
Purchased a replacement 1992 chevy S10 4.3 v6 engine for a $100. Will see which engine is in a better condition or might combine the parts from both engines.
Started with taking apart and cleaning the replacement engine.
Checked compression on the replacement engine - was almost none. Tried to lubricate the cylinders and pistons, still no compression.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if the boat was submerged, there will be water in places that water shouldnt be. since this is an early 90's bilgeliner, i would want to replace the stringers, transom and foam before I worried about the interior or driveline.

 

[dlogvine]

That was my first check, I looked at the transom, stringers and deck. I was really surprised to find out that they all were in good shape. Dont ask me why, cause I thought that it will be all rotten. However the main reason why I took on the restoration of this boat was that finding.

 

[Scott Danforth]

did you drill and take core samples of the wood and foam? if your early 90's bayliner capri has no rot and the foam isnt wet. run to the nearest lottery retailer and buy a ticket for power ball.

they were not known for stellar workmanship when it came to encapsulating the stringers, foam, etc.

 

[Woodonglass]

I agree ^^^^!!! A 24 yr. old BL Capri with NO ROT!!! Highly unlikely. You can't tell by looking or tapping. Core samples of ALL Stringers, Motor Mounts and Transom is a Necessity!!!

 

[bruceb58]

Even if the hull and stringers were fine, not even close to being worth restoring.

 

[dlogvine]

Even if the hull and stringers were fine, not even close to being worth restoring.

buddy I do it for myself not for you. if you think it is not worth it, don't do it. I wanted to do this and I'll be damned if I change my mind cause of some skeptics.
I wanted to try reupholstering the whole boat and I took upholstery class in my community college. I wanted to rebuild the engine and I will make it work. period. not worth it, don't read it.

 

[bruceb58]

LOL.....go for it! I was thinking you were asking for opinions.

 

[dlogvine]

Not in this post, im just sharing what i did. But i still appreciate any advice. I do this project for fun and learning. And i did not mean to be harsh, but i put quite a bit of work into this boat to read that it is not worth it. For me it does even if it is just more experience. I love fixing stuff and learning new things.

 

[flipbro]

Go 4 it man. I'm on my third resto none of them made money but kept me busy. I like the hobby. But be aware it gets expensive lol.Good luck

 

[CrazyFinn]

Not in this post, im just sharing what i did. But i still appreciate any advice. I do this project for fun and learning. And i did not mean to be harsh, but i put quite a bit of work into this boat to read that it is not worth it. For me it does even if it is just more experience. I love fixing stuff and learning new things.

Most boats are "not worth restoring", if we are honestly taking into account the market value of the boat both before and after the restoration, and also account for the material and labour costs to do the restoration (even if we were only paying ourselves minimum wage to do the job). That doesn't mean we shouldn't restore them... What it does mean though, in my humble opinion, is that if we are going to go through all of that effort and expense, we should at least do the best job we can so we're not wasting our efforts.

So, go ahead and restore it, have fun doing it, and if you do it properly, you will have a boat that is better put together than anything that came out of the Bayliner factory. That is the reason why others have posted that you should inspect your stringers and transom more thoroughly - they are the basic structure of your boat, and you don't want to go do everything else, only to discover later that you should have taken care of structural issues first. The others here are speaking from experience - just because the stringers look good, or the transom doesn't have flex, doesn't mean they aren't rotted inside.

 

[dlogvine]

Thank you guys, I'll definitely check the transom and stringers. Will drill the holes in the stringers for the rot. However, how do I check the transom without drilling through the transom?

 

[Woodonglass]

put some tape on a 1/4" drill bit at the 1" mark. Drill on the INSIDE of the transom at multiple places down low and around the drain tube etc.. If you get light colored DRY shavings...A-OK if Dark and damp then you'll need to consider a transom replacement.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if you get light dry shavings, work up some marine tex putty and mush in the holes to seal and continue

however if your shavings are dark and moist like WOG stated, fire up the saw and cut out the rotten transom

 

[dlogvine]

No Title

just finished the seats. thought at first about just reupholstering them, but when I took them apart I found quite a bit of deterioration in the plywood foundation. so had to rebuild the seats from the scratch. only things I managed to reuse were foam cushions and metal hardware.

 

[dlogvine]

now all that is left for the seats is to connect the bottom with the back parts and attacheck back to back seats together. this will conclude all the upholstery part and will have to work on the engine. I'm getting it out of the shop today, fully cleaned and inspected, however, completely disassembled. the trailer is also almost finished, new wheels, bearings lubed, new sidesteps and fenders, wiring and lights.

 

[Woodonglass]

Seats look real good. Try blowing on the wrinkles with a hair Dryer. I think you'll like the results.