restore wellcraft boat

[cpnthrfan]

I just received an older Wellcraft small boat with a 40hp Johnson motor. Most of it seems good shape but it will need a new floor. I will have slot of questions and post alot of pics. Is there a way to post pics from my phone? And my floor seems to be a vinyl covering, can I just put plywood over it? It only has a small hole in it but is from a foot going through. Thanks for any help. ~Walt

 

[jigngrub]

You're going to need to remove your decking and see what else is rotten underneath it.

 

[cpnthrfan]

The vinyl is on the sides of the boat too should I just cut it with a razor knife? I don't see any seams

 

[jigngrub]

Post pictures of your boat for the best help, it lets us see what you have to work with and we can make the best suggestions.

 

[cpnthrfan]

How can I post pic from my phone because I have plenty

 

[Woodonglass]

The forum is really not Phone friendly. Prolly best way is to Open a free Photobucket account, upload pics to there from your phone then use the IMG Code from Photobucket to copy and paste your pics into iBoats.

 

[cpnthrfan]

this is the hole in the floor

 

[cpnthrfan]

 

[cpnthrfan]

i can use any help on what you see. what model maybe year (pic). i can take pics of what ever is needed or if you see any other concerns

 

[jigngrub]

She's a bloody rotter for sure!

... but she's wide open and will be easy to work on. You'll need to remove all the decking and whatever may be left of the stringers and put it all back new. She'll also need a new transom. As rotten as she is everything ought to tear out real easy.

That isn't vinyl on the deck, it looks like old gel coated fiberglass.

 

[cpnthrfan]

so can it be seperated from the sides? or should it be removed also? can i put the same stuff back? or do something else to the sides and floors

 

[cpnthrfan]

amd what is a stringer

 

[Rickmerrill]

Is the engine ok? A stringer runs front to back and supports the deck and hull bottom. Bulkheads go across the hull. The stringers, bulkheads, transom and deck in this boat are most likely wood and that wood is most likely rotten and will all need to be removed and replaced.

 

[jigngrub]

What you'll need to do to your boat will be real similar to page one of this thread:

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...oat-projects/481548-1977-cruise-boats-restore

You should read and study all the restoration threads you can, educate yourself. Ask questions and post pics of your work. Tell us what you plan to do before you do it so we can keep you on the right track.

 

[cpnthrfan]

Is the engine ok? A stringer runs front to back and supports the deck and hull bottom. Bulkheads go across the hull. The stringers, bulkheads, transom and deck in this boat are most likely wood and that wood is most likely rotten and will all need to be removed and replaced.

The engine is suppose to be fine but it was last started 3 years .ago. It's a Johnson super sea horse 40. I will need help starting it too since the ignition switch does not work

 

[cpnthrfan]

i guess this is the splash well, will it have to come out to replace the transom? and how should i?



this is under the bow its going to be reall fun working under there. the ladder supports are broken but im sure i can fix those



this area i wonder if i shoudl add more vertical support to hold the weight of a human or just stay off of it


and any ideal what these are for|

 

[cpnthrfan]

also any idea what this broken red lever is for?

 

[jigngrub]

i guess this is the splash well, will it have to come out to replace the transom? and how should i?



this is under the bow its going to be reall fun working under there. the ladder supports are broken but im sure i can fix those



this area i wonder if i shoudl add more vertical support to hold the weight of a human or just stay off of it


and any ideal what these are for|

You're going to have to remove the motor, steering cables, and motor controls. Then you can either remove the top cap on the boat or cut the cap in front of the splashwell and just remove the splashwell section of the cap. If you remove the cap it'll make it easier to work on the bow area too.


Since there's a ladder coming down from the enclosed bow it may be strong enough to walk on. I'd look at what supports that area underneath to check for rot and see what kind of design you have.


The little chrome frame was either a light or reflector.


I'm not that familiar with Johnson controls but I think that broken red lever is your "neutral" lever. Pulling the lever back to the "start" position puts the motor in neutral to start the boat out of gear. Pushing the lever forward after the motor is started puts the boat in gear.


While you're reading and studying the forum, I'd go ahead and start tearing out that old decking to see what evils lie below deck. Wear a dust mask and gloves, there's some pretty nasty mold and mildew in that junk. After you get everything torn out give that boat a good cleaning/washing so you can see what you have.

 

[cpnthrfan]

I'm still trying to figure out the model of this boat. Someone has it narrowed down to 72. But until I figure out how the seats were. I may just use 2 swivel seats up front and 2 hand made bench seats in the back. Made from plywood cover in turf or carpet.

 

[jigngrub]

That's one of the great things about restoring your own boat, you can design the inside any way you want to suit your individual needs.