My first attempt at restoration...1978 Sea Sprite Sea Hawk

[Humdog]

Hi, I just picked up this 1978 Sea Sprite Sea Hawk off Craigslist for $100! (including trailer and Johnson V4 115 hp Seahorse!) I'm planning on selling my old Basshound and trailer, its just too small to take my 3 boys out on the lake (I just had twins!). So this will be my first attempt at restoring a boat and really hope folks here can provide me with some guidance. The boat has a rotten deck so I'm just going to assume its going to need stringer repairs and the transom looks like it needs attention as well. The old Johnson motor looks decent but I'm no expert. Hopefully my father-in-law can help me examine it when he visits for the holidays. My goal is to get this boat repaired and restored by spring 2016 haha!

My first question: the transom has a 1/4 inch steel plate on it. Should I remove that after I remove the motor?

 

[alldodge]

Hi, I just picked up this 1978 Sea Sprite Sea Hawk off Craigslist for $100! (including trailer and Johnson V4 115 hp Seahorse!) I'm planning on selling my old Basshound and trailer, its just too small to take my 3 boys out on the lake (I just had twins!). So this will be my first attempt at restoring a boat and really hope folks here can provide me with some guidance. The boat has a rotten deck so I'm just going to assume its going to need stringer repairs and the transom looks like it needs attention as well. The old Johnson motor looks decent but I'm no expert. Hopefully my father-in-law can help me examine it when he visits for the holidays.

:welcome: to iboats

There are many here that will help in just about everything. We all like a good picture show, so don't forget them as you move along with the project. Guess first thing is to start ripping things out until you get to the dry stuff. That is after removing the engine and maybe starting a thread in the Johnson section so those folks and others will help in that area.

 

[Woodonglass]

That V4 Johnson Is a Strong motor. Do a compression check ASAP to confirm she's worth working on. You want a minimum of 110 PSI in all 4 cylinders and each cylinder should be withing 10psi of each other. If they are then barring any lower unit issues she should be A-OK!!! I'm with you in suspecting she'll need a full restoration and there's plenty of examples to help you with that, here on the forum.

I'd also like to invite you to "PIN" yourself on our Members Map...

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[Humdog]

My first attempt at restoration...16 ft 1978 Sea Sprite "Sea Hawk"

My goal is to get this boat repaired and restored by spring 2016 haha!

My first question: the transom has a 1/4 inch steel plate on it. Should I remove that after I remove the motor?

 

[Woodonglass]

Humdog, You don't open a new thread when you want to post new comments. You simply add on to your existing thread. I'm sure a Moderator will come along and combine these two in a few minutes. To answer your question, Yes, that plate needs to go bye bye!!! It's the first indication that the transom is bad. The PO put it on there in a lame attempt to strengthen the already Bad Transom.

 

[Humdog]

OK thanks. The forum didn't give me a confirmation that it even posted. Weird. Working on adding photos as well.

 

[Humdog]

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[Humdog]

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[Humdog]

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[Woodonglass]

Use the IMG Code from Photobucket to post your pics. They'll show up like this....

 

[Peter Eikenberry]

Sounds like what I did to my 1972 Sea Ray. Don't just start ripping things apart though. Take notes, lots of pictures and drawings so when you rebuild it you get it right. Plus it's nice to have before and after photos especially when it comes time to insure it. Under that deck you will find foam. Replace it. A lot of rebuilders don't, but they don't realize they are ruining the boats ability to float level if it swamps. Plus that the foam will help support and stiffen the deck. However don't use pour foam. Pour foam is notorious for absorbing water (which the current foam is probably full of) Use block foam. Her's a link to the rebuild on my sea ray and you can see how I did it. http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/SeaRay190.html

Other than that, take your time, and do it right. Trying to save a few bucks will just cost you in the future when you have to do it all over again. Check out the engine as suggested. You may have a good engine that just needs a few repairs rather than a complete rebuild. That's what happened with my Merccruiser. I had to replace everything around the block but he block, valves, pistons etc were all good.

 

[alldodge]

Sounds like what I did to my 1972 Sea Ray. Don't just start ripping things apart though. Take notes, lots of pictures and drawings so when you rebuild it you get it right. Plus it's nice to have before and after photos especially when it comes time to insure it. Under that deck you will find foam. Replace it. A lot of rebuilders don't, but they don't realize they are ruining the boats ability to float level if it swamps. Plus that the foam will help support and stiffen the deck. However don't use pour foam. Pour foam is notorious for absorbing water (which the current foam is probably full of) Use block foam. Her's a link to the rebuild on my sea ray and you can see how I did it. http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/SeaRay190.html

Other than that, take your time, and do it right. Trying to save a few bucks will just cost you in the future when you have to do it all over again. Check out the engine as suggested. You may have a good engine that just needs a few repairs rather than a complete rebuild. That's what happened with my Merccruiser. I had to replace everything around the block but he block, valves, pistons etc were all good.

You did a real nice job rebuilding your boat but using closed cell foam while great for floatation and agree it will not absorb water, there is a draw back. Water can get over, under and around it. If the boat is sealed up by glass, pour or spray in foam IMO, and I'm no expert, is better then foam glued in. The voids left behind can also be an area where contestation can occur. The only way to get the foam wet with spray/pour in foam is to have a leak. Can clarification from what I missed?

 

[Woodonglass]

The NEW pour in foam will NOT absorb water. It's all closed cell just like the slab foam. The older stuff did have issues with water absorption but that's been cured. There's really not much difference in the cost of it either. I'd recommend using the pour in foam if you decide to foam your boat, and I highly recommend that you do.

 

[Humdog]

Great tips! And thanks for the guidance on posting pics and threads. I was planning on using the two-part pour foam. I watched FriscoBoater's restoration videos on Youtube and planned on following his method. I looked at Peter Eikenberry's restoration link he sent me and my to do list just doubled haha! I think I'll just tell the wife it needs a new floor and seats!

 

[Peter Eikenberry]

You did a real nice job rebuilding your boat but using closed cell foam while great for floatation and agree it will not absorb water, there is a draw back. Water can get over, under and around it. If the boat is sealed up by glass, pour or spray in foam IMO, and I'm no expert, is better then foam glued in. The voids left behind can also be an area where contestation can occur. The only way to get the foam wet with spray/pour in foam is to have a leak. Can clarification from what I missed?

For over ten years I was the Coast Guard's person in charge of the program to test new boats for flotation. We had lots and lots of boats that simply did not pass. Usually due to lack of flotation or simply improper placement of flotation. We even a had few that failed because they had too much flotation. Anyway. I was also in charge of a project to investigate why some foams do absorb water when they are not supposed to. I could write a book on this but to keep it short we found right away that this did not happen to block foam, that is, foam made by machine under very controlled conditions, so it really is closed cell foam. Pour foam is too often NOT made under controlled conditions and so does not form the foam correctly and allows cells to fracture which allows water to penetrate. So I have allwasy advised boat manufacturers and peple rebuilding to use block foam. Of course this presents some problems of it's own. It is difficult to find polyurethan foam in block form and when you do it is usually very expensive. But PU foam is not affected by oils, gas, cleaners. etc So if you want to use PU foam your best option is pour foam. If you follow the foam manufacturers instructions to the letter it should come out all right, and as woodonglass said things have changed a lot since I retired 10 years ago and the formulation may have changed so this problem may have gone away.

In my situation where I have no option but to work outside in a wet climate even in the summer, I opted to use polystyrene (not styrofoam) which unfortunately is dissolved by just about everything so you have to protect it from inadvertent contact with gas. oils, cleaners, etc. It can be bought cheaply at any home improvement store and comes in 2 ft by 8 ft by 2 in sheets and can be cut up easily with a knife. The trick is to bag it in plastic, seal it up so not even water can get in it. I then also sealed the wood and glassed it. This is no guarantee that water will never get in but it will most likely last a long while before it does.

 

[alldodge]

For over ten years I was the Coast Guard's person in charge of the program to test new boats for flotation. .

You should know, and as a fellow former Coasty ... Semper Paratus

 

[Humdog]

I got the motor off with my father in laws help. The push rod for the steering cable was difficult to remove but we got it. I don't have anything to hoist the engine so we just laid it down onto an old mattress and then moved to a pallet. The transom is definitely in bad shape and I think my next step will be to remove the rubrails and entire cap. The Johnson motor seems to be in pretty good shape and I'll post a few pics. I'm going to build a stand so we can test the engine once we give it a tune up. Haven't tested the compression yet...

 

[Humdog]

Removed the outboard

 

[alldodge]

We can all use some help pulling engines. I think your going to need a warmer place to do work this winter like me

 

[Peter Eikenberry]

I agree. By all means find a place inside that can be heated (even if only to get the temp above 50) so you can do the work out of the weather. A lot of things like fiberglass work, foaming, and so on, can not be done well in the cold and wet. Plus that the weather no longer controls when you can work. If I ever build or restore another boat I will definitely find and indoor place to do it. Also you don't have to haul all your tools (and always forgetting the one you need most) back and forth.

All Dodge said

You should know, and as a fellow former Coasty ... Semper Paratus

Thanks.