1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration...In Progress

[JDA1975]

First time poster, First boat restoration

Recently acquired this 1982 Skeeter, which I intend to restore, Story behind it, was a friend's dad's boat, single owner. Been sitting 9 years. Friend decided to do restoration, but found funding it was out of his reach. Motor runs, 1982 Johnson 90HP V4, Hull intact, and strong. Floor has 2 weak points where drain and access covers are. Needs new seats, carpet, fuel tank/batteries. Paid $400.00 for it and trailer. Trailer is in good shape, needs new tires (dry-rotted, air lasted long enough to get home) and lighting rewired.

Overall I believe this to be a fairly easy restore...my question is: does anyone know where i can find a schematic of the way the hull was built? Looking through the drain and access hole(near live well plumbing) it looks like there are a lot of leaves and dirt built up in there, but the floor appears to be about 1/8" fiberglass and cannot see any support struts. Is this hull just a Uni-pressed sheet of fiberglass capped onto another? I want to remove the entire floor and clean it out, make sure all the wiring and plumbing is good. But I am afraid to do this in case there is no support structure to build upon. Any advice as to how to proceed would be appreciated..

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Welcome to iBoats and congratulations on your first boat. I will assume that you are referring to the deck when you say ?the floor?. If this is the case, I doubt that

1. The deck is constructed out of fiberglass (more expensive that wood core to build for the same strength. Also 1/8 of an inch is not enough ? IMHO ? to carry the weight of 5 or 6 people onboard. Moreover, if it was fiberglass, how did it develop soft spots. Soft spots are a sign of wood rot)
2. There is no support system under it

Usually, the deck will be attached to the stringers or the bulkheads. If you are set on replacing the deck, don?t waste your time hunting schematics. Do some Due diligence to make sure that the deck is actually plywood core. When you are sure, set the depth of your circular saw to ? inch and cut exploratory rectangle in the middle of the deck. Look under and you will figure it out. Post some pictures of what you see. You will be surprised with the level of experience of our gurus here. They will defiantly be able to point you into the right direction

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

here are some more pictures, including the 2 weak spots in the floor. Also prop has some damage, so I hammered it out, filled and ground them out, in hopes I dont need to purchase a new one, If I find my repair did not rebalance it I will purchase a new one but I am cheap!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

and a couple more, By the close up of hole you can see why I believe it is fiberglass, the drain hole which was not repaired, clearly appears to be fiberglass as well. Also in the close up I think you can see what i feared was under the floor, and the reason I want to clean it out.... I would hate to redo the floor only to find I have wiring or plumbing issues and have to tear it back up

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

removed lil thumbnail pics

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

My original plan was to put a 1/4 in sheet of marine ply, coated in resin over the existing floor without removing but worried about possible damage beneath the deck from critters/water

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Definitely wood, thanks for the advice...tore up a section and the reason i could not see wood under the fiberglass was because there was none there! It had all rotted away, anyways I removed all the trim and accessories and will remove the top cap once someone comes over to help then I will get to work on stripping all that out. Looking like my "easy restore" wont be so easy but as I am retired and wanted a project Ill still enjoy it. When I rebuild floor, im considering doing a full length access panel. would that considerably reduce hull structure?

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

wes shopping for supplies to redo stringers/deck with to get some prices and had an Idea I wanted to ask about, how you all feel about using Composite materials instead of wood for your stringers I looked at some composite deck boards 1-1/4 X 6 X 16, while considerably more expensive, wouldnt they last as long as fiberglass so no worry about dry rotting? Would stille have to fiberglkass in to hull for strength, but just to use as a core material

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Is there an easy way to pull an outboard off without any help? I am ready to remove my cap but finding people willing to help has been an issue, just recently moved to area I live now and haven't made any friends yet to speak of, and the friends I do have are about 8 hours away. Anyways removing the engine is last step before i completely remove cap.

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

My boat is similar ('84 Skeeter, but with a 70hp Mariner) and I just pulled the outboard off by myself yesterday. I ended up using 2 of those nylon winching straps wrapped around the block and hooking them up to an old block and tackle (or you can get a cheap 2-ton comealong) hung from a rafter in the garage. I pulled the 4 bolts and loosened up the clamp. I raised the tongue of the trailer and let out some air in the tires and then hoisted the motor up the rest of the way. It was then as simple as pulling the hull/trailer out of the garage and moving my homemade outboard stand in its place and then lowering the motor onto it. Remarkably easier than I imagined and the motor probably weighed in the 200's, which made it a touch more maneuverable by myself. It couldn't have been more than a 10 minute job; maybe 15 at the most.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Thanks, I may try that, my carport (which is currently my shop) has a finished ceiling but I could probably put a big eye bolt thru one of the rafters and use a come-along...I will hafta give that a try

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

I don't have any experience with carports, but I would make sure it can support 300-400 pounds. Your 90hp will weigh more than my 70, but it shouldn't be by much. Another alternative is to use a good strong tree branch. If you want to spend some money, then an engine hoist would also work. You could also build an A-frame of the sorts to hang a comealong on. There's a lot of possibilities that you can find here at iBoats.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

my carport is basically a Garage without walls, Im sure the rafters are same as yours, 2X8 I wouldn't see 3-400 lbs breaking it, of course if Murphy shows up, I wont have to worry about the finished ceiling anymore!

Edit: they were actually 2X6, what I did was put an 8 foot 4x4 across 4 rafters and ran a 10" lag bolt with a welded eye through the 2X6 and the 4x4 so the load is spread over 4 rafters, havent lifted it yet, will do tomorrow but Im pretty confident it will hold

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Did not get around to doing it today, forgot I had a surgery this morning and spent the day high as a kite from the anesthesia, will post tomorrow If it worked or if I end up doing a ceiling restoration instead lol

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

OK motor pulled, Ended up doubling the eyes and placing a chain between them to distribute weight more evenly, The 10" eye bolts got through 2X6 rafter crossed by an 8' 4X4 so the weight is distributed to 2 points then transferred over 5 rafters. I think it will be good

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Soooo went to finish removing the cap and found a little snag..the transom is glued to the cap with something ...It is hard as hell and I am not sure what it is or what the best way to remove it is,,,any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Anyone have any Idea what kind of glue that is and how to remove it. Only Idea I have come up with so far is to cut the cap then re-glass that section when i put it back on, but would really prefer not to go there If I don't have to

 

[goboating]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Your case isn't weird or strange. On many fiberglass boats the cap will separate easily except at the transom. Others have cut the cap off and others go in with sawzalls and get into the transom and separate it there. Whatever you do please make some kind of cradle for the hull to sit in, you can even include the trailer in it as well. Other members have been shocked at the amount of warpage that the hull can do...almost to the extent of not being able to get the cap back on!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Thank you very much for your input, I will add a few more supports and guess ill cut that portion of cap and repair it after. I do have a close friend that build experimental aircraft, so when it comes time He will come up and assist me with the fiberglass work, yay for that. Its just getting it all prepped that I really need and appreciate everything I have learned on the site and the input you give

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Hull question

I had the same looking stuff "gluing" my cap and transom together. I got the biggest flathead screwdriver I had and a hammer and chiseled it off. I ended up having to cut notches in the lip that goes over the transom from the splashwell and pull it up in order to finish the job, but that's no big deal compared to cutting off half of the splashwell completely.