Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

electric603

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I recently bought this boat because I like the look of it and I like the front deck. I discovered that the transom is rotten from the middle all the way to port side. Starboard side still solid, it will probably be a real pain to get out. So far I unscrewed the top cap and moved it forward to get to the transom. It came off suprisingly easy.
 

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Cadwelder

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Those type caps do remove quiet easly since they are not screwed or tabbed down the decking...

It'll come out better than you might think. It'll take some cutting, prying, grinding and cussing but you'll get it all out. Better check the rest of the wood out good while you're at it. Take some core sample of the deck and stringers.

CW
 

Woodonglass

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Yep CW, is steering you correct! I'm bettin the stringers are gunna have issues to. You will have to cut the deck back at least a couple of ft. to get the transom all out and replaced.
 

electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Yea, I planned on cutting it back to get a look at the stringers, I'm sure the first foot or two will have issues. As far as the rest of the decking I plan on replacing it possibly next spring because It looks like someone did it before but did a hack job on the fiberglass. But for right now I just want to get the transom in to make it safe to use for the season.
 

Woodonglass

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Rotten stringers will make it unsafe too!
 

electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

I finally got some time to work on my boat. I have most of the transom out. CW and woodonglass you were correct. I cut out the first foot of deck and saw saturated stringers and water trapped in the boat. So I kept cutting and found the same all the way to the bow. No telling how long that water has been in there. Looks like it's going to be a full restoration, deck, stringers and transom. Ihave to get the top cap completly off because it is in the way. Also, I read on the forum that it is a good idea to make some temporary bunks to help support the hull in the absence of the stringers, so I
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will do that before I go any further.
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electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

I hope I did not mess up by taking off the cap and the deck. In the pictures you can see that the cap is not completly off the boat. I just slid it forward to get at the transom. Should I put the cap back on and take some mesure ments or an I just measure the inside of the cap and pull the sides in to those measurements when I tab in the deck? As for the bottom should I put some temporary bunks undereath and lift the keel off the rollers or what should I do to keep the shape of the hull? Thank you for any advice.
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electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

I have moved this from another thread I started

Big pix are good.

You could measure the cap & pull the hull in to match, I wouldn't, besides it would be much easier & much more accurate w/ the cap correctly located over the hull & then pull the measurements.

If you are expecting to pull the deck & probably the stringers you'll want to build a cradle to full support the hull while you work on it.

Since the boat will never be lighter then w/out the deck & cap, if you need to or want to, do any repairs on the exterior hull, and the keel, it will be much easier to flip it & work on the hull facing up. The cradle could be made dual purpose to hold the hull upright then when the time comes, it can be re-tasked to hold the boat upside down.

Look for WoodOnGlass's Blue Flamingo thread, he's got good stuff there & a nice cradle. Read thru the threads in Don's Helpful info thread.. Friscoboater & oops both have really good resource threads in Don's list.

Welcome the iBoats dry dock

Thank you for the reply. If I put the cap back on do you think the weight of the cap will force the hull bottom out of shape with the deck removed and the soggy stringers? Where should I take the measurements from?

You can look down the bottom of the hull, in both the 'flat' areas between the chines & along the chines to see if there has been deflection. Esp if the transom is soft & has had a motor hanging off it for years, w/out having the transom for support & bunks under the transom to support all of the above, can cause a 'hook' to develop in the hull. Here's an iBoats thread about a hook in the bottom of an aluminum boat, that should help explain what I meant.

A neglected boat, w/ soft wood, filled w/ water for long periods of time, and not well supported,- would be more of a long term problem then anything you'd do now. But moving around in the boat (your weight & moving around), adding back materials (more weight)and glassing them in to place could all contribute to minor distortion becoming permanent.

My FireFlite will distort out about 4"+ on either side of the hull when I lift the cap off. At 15' long, I am spacing my cross braces at about 5' centers. The blue in this drawing are the crossbraces @5' apart, that gives me some room to work on the deck between the braces. If it looks like I need more support, I'll add the red diagonal gussets.
Crossbracing.jpg


This will keep most of the space between the braces open & add support. my FireFlite has a little bit of contour as the gunwales move from the stern/transom forward. So I too measurements about every 18". It looks like that will give me enough reference when I start the put back. You may need more measurements, or fewer depending on the actual shape of the hull. I pulled the dimensions from the inside face of the hull bottom lip at the cap/hull joint. Depending on how your cap fits onto & is attached to the hull, you may or may not be able to measure from that lip as well.

This is my cap/hull joint:
RubrailHullCapjoint.jpg

I will put the cap back on to get the mesurements. There is a hook on the bottom due to the short bunks on the trailer. Do you think this will straighten out with the new stringers or will I have to fill and fair the bottom back into shape.

Depends on how bad a hook it is. Somewhere I read about someone trying to force the hull back into shape w/ the stringer at it's installation. That's not a great idea, for many reasons, tension & stress cracking among them. If it's a permanent defect, fill & fair is about the only option I'm aware off. If you move the bunk/hull so that it bears the boats weight better, it might relax some, but probably not.

You can try googling boat hull hook repair or on YouTube, there may be other options available.

You are most welcome.

Read thru some of those threads in Don's list, tons more info there and look up WoodOnGlass, his signature links & threads are invaluable resources as well. Not to mention he's around fairly often to lend a 'hand' or suggestion when you're stumped in the middle of a step/stage of the demo &/or put back.

I'd suggest you also might change the title of your thread to something like:

1972 Starcraft Trihull stringer, deck & transom repair


Or something similar & relevant.

Other folks that have similar boats may swing thru & take a look or help out. And it will be easier for someone who comes after you to find your thread & use it as a resource for their own resto.


At the bottom of all threads, the iBoats server also lists similar threads that might be helpful to read thru as well, while your reading thru some of the other threads in the resto forums.

i would take the cap completely off and then work on the hull. that would be the only way that I know of to get the hook out.

I thought that's what electric had planned to do after taking some dimensions w/ it slid back in place.

If not, I agree completely, cap off.

The getting loose part has already been done. And the more weight you can get out of it before you support w/ cradle & start replacing stuff, the more likely the hook might relax, if only a little

I already have a thread started for the rebuild. Is there a way I can move this into that thread?
Thanks again for the info.

You can PM a moderator (it will be under their name, where your avatar reads cadet) and ask them to move it for you.

You can also use the reply w/ multiple quote button, it's the 1 farthest to the right at the bottom corner w/ the:

Reply _ "Reply with Quote _ "+

Just click that multiple quote button under all but the last of the 12+/- posts to your thread, then click the Reply with Quote button & a reply window will open with all the posts quoted, just like you quoted mine above.

Cut & paste that into your resto thread...

If you go to your profile page, you can edit your signature to include a link to your resto in your signature line, like many of us do.
 

electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Finally managed to get some more work done. I built two a-frame gantrys and lifted the top cap off. Next I will start removing the stringers and the rest of the deck and transom.
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Woodonglass

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Nice Gantry's! You might need to rig some supports for the front of the hull under the trailer. the Rear Trailer bunks will be fine for the stern but the bow area needs something to help it maintain it's shape. You're making progress!!!;)
 

electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Thanks Woodonglass, words of encouragemaent are very helpful. As for the support I was reading drewpsters thread on his tri-hull restore and he cut out his floor and stringers first and then flipped the hull and made some cradles to the shape of the bottom of the hull then when he flipped it over he putit on the cradles. Do you think I will risk getting to much deflection that way? I want to flip it at some point because I have a little bottom work to do. Also I have 90% of the deck out already and the hull is pretty flexible with just the rotten stringers in there. If I support the bow the way it is or do it the way drewpster did it how can I be sure I don't have deflection already? Thanks again for the advice and encouragement.
 

electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Some more progress. I modified my jackstands into boat stands to support the bow. I cut out the stringers. All three of them came out in one peice despite being so waterlogged I could squeeze water out of them. The fiberglass around the stringers was awful. It looked like they just layed some peices of woven on top ofthe stringers and poured a bucket of resin on top of it. It did notlook like any attempt was made to form the glass around the stringers. I got the rest of the transom out too. Now on to the grinding. From what I have read this is the worst part. Any suggestions on how to keep the dust from flying into my neighbors' yards? Also what type of wheel do I grind with. Is it a flapdisk or a regular grinding wheel? Thank you all for all the advice and encouragement!!!!!!
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electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Can anyone tell me what type of wheel to use for grinding the fiberglass?
 

Woodonglass

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

You can get all of this from Harbor Freight for around $25 bucks. 4 1/2" grinder on sale for $10 bucks. 24 grit Resin coated Sanding Discs and the Rubber Backup Pad. Use some 1/2" PVC pipe to bend and make a "TENT" with some Painters Plastic to cover the Boat. Dust is BAD. Make sure to wear a Full Face Cover Respirator with the Proper Filters for Fiberglass. A Tyvek suit is good too. Cover your self TOTALLY with LOTS and LOTS of BABY Powder before suiting up. It WILL help keep the itch down. I PROMISE you will thank me for it!!!
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electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

I started the grinding today. Did not get very far. I was using some flap discs I bought from H.F. They did not last very long. I am going totry the setup woodonglass suggested, hopefuly I will have bettert luck with that. The other problem slowing me down is I have the boat tented off so all this dust does not end up in my neighbors' yards. The problem is after a couple of minutes of grinding it is so dusty inside I can't see. This also brings me to my next question, I have a respirator I bought from HF, should I go and buy a higher priced respirator at Home Depot since I am trapped inside the tent with all that dust? My gut tells me I should, however, I don't think any dust is getting through bcause I don't smell it. Thank you for any input or advice.
 

matt167

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Completly tent off the boat if it's not arleady. Then get a couple cheap Lasko/ Galaxy box fans ( find them anywhere ). Point 1 as an intake and seal it as best as you can, point the other as an exhaust and also seal it, but hang a furnace filter in front of it. Run the intake on low, and the exhaust on high.. I use a 3M respirator for everything, but if your HF respirator is a carbon filter and OSHA/ANSI approved, it's probably good enough for glass' grinding
 

jbcurt00

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

I don't remember where I saw the pix, but WOG had (has) a shop vac containment box that's supposed to greatly improve dust collection while grinding. Should help reduce the dust inside the tent while you grind.... I thought I had a pix, but I can't find it....

Essentially it's a box w/ HVAC filters mounted to the cutout sides of the box your shop vac came in (or similarly sized cardboard box) and you put your shop vac INSIDE the box & seal it shut, with a sealed hole for the hose to come out of & attach to your grinder. You can also tape it to the grinder's motor & handle.

Some guys rubber band a filter over the grinder vent holes to reduce dust getting into the motor while in use inside a dust cloud... I think that's a WOG tip too....
 

electric603

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

Thanks for the good advice matt and jb.
 

Woodonglass

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

If you've got a shop vac...Use it!!!! YOu won't belive how much it will help. The grinder throws dust one direction. If you tape the hose to the side where the dust comes off you will be amazed at how much it will capture. Try it, You'll like it!:D
 

jbcurt00

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Re: Transom replacement 1972 16' sportcraft C-Gull

If you've got a shop vac...Use it!!!! YOu won't belive how much it will help. The grinder throws dust one direction. If you tape the hose to the side where the dust comes off you will be amazed at how much it will capture. Try it, You'll like it!:D

Was that box filter contraption on iboats somewhere, I can't for the life of me find it......
 
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