1977 searay sedancrusier

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

CLAYAROBINSON
Their are several ways to straighten it, It can also depend on tools you have available. A steamer and clamps can be a fast method to straighten it out depending on how bad it is. Here is a link to another method that may work for you. No tools required. http://www.ehow.com/how_4529689_straighten-warped-piece-wood.html
One more thing, A steamer may seem complicated but its not. You can build a steam cabinet in less then an hour. You can even use a piece of 4" or 6" PVC pipe. Steal (barrow) your wife's pressure cooker for the steam generator, with a hot plate.
Sorry didn't mean to run on.
Good luck
Bob

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Bob,
Did you look at the picture?

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

CLAYAROBINSON,
Obviously, Nope. lol :redface:
OK, Get a really big steamer and a lot of clamps.
I would really suggest that you paint it Yellow and use it like one of those cause ribbons, you see on the back of cars.
That's a pretty cool piece of Wood.
Take care, You got me.
Bob

 

[mattsmall1972]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Hi Clay,
I have this same boat (flybridge version) that I am working on. I do not think there is a tank in the cabin under the deck although I could be wrong. My boat has a 100 gallon tank underneath the top deck and part of it actually sticks into the cabin where you step down. I completely gutted my cabin, and even removed the "doorway" and head so it's completely open now but have yet to cut into the cabin deck. The head in my boat is a self-contained unit with no other holding tank.
I also cut out the upper deck and am removing both of the engines that I have. I am planning on repowering with an outboard (maybe two) using a bracket... someday.
The engines in my boat were completely shot and so rusted that I have had to actually cut large holes in the transom to get them out. I have one out, the other not yet.
It's a big project and slow going for me but I really want a good-sized boat that will handle the waves when I go out 75 miles to the Gulf Stream. My present boat is 18.5 and the run out to the Frying Pan Tower (out of Southport, NC) can be quite rough.
Good luck with this - I'll be following your project.

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Mattsmall1972

Lets compare notes, will be finished gutting cabin Saturday. My tank under the upper deck only goes flush to cabin wall. Will let you know what I find under cabin deck next week when I plan on cutting the deck. Check out TAWIS's thread. He has a 1980 27 footer sedan bridge that is close to ours and has done a great job. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=281276

Clay

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Good morning,

Looking to make good progress today, but first a check list before I get started

One------Make sure portapoty is empty
Two------Make sure portapoty is empty
Three----Make sure portapoty is empty

and you guested it

Four-----MAKE SURE PORTAPOTY IS EMPTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will have picture to post this evening
Everybody enjoy the week-end

Clay

 

[nuboat2me]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Clay...

Just one more thing...

Make sure you empty the porta pottie...

Sorry... I just had to remind you to do that...

Just sayin'...

Have a great day!!

J

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Done gutting


Some things I have found

Fiberglass reinforced duck tape


Most foam inspection holes poped up (don,t know what was used to plug them)

Littel intimitated by wiring


Shop vac time, foam inspection holes, stringer inspection hole drilling and partial deck removal in cabin. Going must quicker then expected today. Would be nice if this all got done today.

Comments or helpfull hints (i.e. make sure portapoty is empty) at this stage would be welcome. Will check-in this afternoon

P.S.
Boat does have two tanks, looks like they are both original. Thinking one is a auxilery tank

TIWAS had mentioned something about a kicker motor/mixed fuel. What is mixed fual/kicker motor

 

[Tiwaz]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

A lot of guys u phere will run a smaller outboard(kicker) motor just for trolling and since a lot of the old ones were 2 strokes they need mixed gas.

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Good news. portapoty is empty!

I do have two gas tanks. One runing under the cabin deck and one in the engine compartment under the rear upper deck. Cabin tank had what was suppose to be an access panel runing length wise the length of the cabin over it. Instead of replacing or removing it and refiberglassing it they poored resin ontop (most likely with-out proper prep) as it didn't seam to help much. Latter some one had just screwed done another pc of plain plywood on top. Unscrewed the top one and found the screws of the origenal cover were covered with resin. With a littel hasitation broke out the prybar. Worked out fine as the screws pulled though the rotten cover. Looks like I will have to remove cabin tank to get to the stringers to inspect them. Is there anything I need to know to pull the tank? How is it attached? In front of the tank was a littel pump in a littel hole. Hole filled with water. Dont think its a good sign. will be removing foam and whats left of the cover from top of tank.

Feed back on removing tank would be helpfull

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Problem solved on how to remove tank. Found mounting brackets. Was afraid the foam was going to act as a glue on the sides and would not pull out easly (its a tight fit between stringers). Not a problem any more. Deck has to come out as stringers gone from at lest the bulkhead farword of engine compartment to a foot past the front of the cabin. Basicly they have to be replaced completly.
I was over my head before I started, so now I'm going to realy need you guys. Do I need to build supports on the outside to remove stringers? Should I do one side at a time, one stringer at a time.
Was thinking of only cutting the deck just to the outside of the stringers and replace. Then reinstall tank and secure new access panel using angle aluminuim the full lentgh of cabin instead of the three four inch peices it has now. Would this creating a center box like support that would allow the removal of balance of deck from sides and still support shape of hull?
Do I not weary about supporting the hull and I can just cut it all out and it will support it self I do know I plane on not cutting the top off.
If I sound like I don't have a clue then you are correct. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't realy know were to start. The boat is heavy, i believe it is 5000 LBs. Afreid of cutting and the boat ends up FOBAR.

Have not found a thread that covers the scope of this on larger boats. Does anyone know of one.

Sorry about me being long winded. I usually finish what I have to say long before I stop talking.

Enjoy the weekend,

Clay

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Take a week or month and read ooops hull extension thread and or PM him he will definately shed allot of light on your lack of knowledge in this area for sure once you start reading this thread you will think your reading war and peace but it is the tell and do all of boat buliding (rebulding, extending) I for onr would not consider what your in for to get this rig seaworthy but the end reult will be gratifiying and this boat will last the rest of your life.Good luck and I for one look forward to reading your future venture.

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Hello everyone,

Done for the day. I think I have come up with a plan. Please review, any and all feed back welcome. By the way if you don't think God has a sence of humor, make a plan. My freinds were questioning my sanity. Now they think I'm pyscotic. I told them I would kill anybody that tried to stop me. I guess I'm now a full member of the inuts club.

"The Plan"
1) Think it would be easyer to remove engine with back deck removed first leaving 6 inches all around. Then pull engine, tank by engine, and all items in engine compartment. Tank that is in cabine will not come out with-out removing at lest one stringer. Its stuck in their good, that will have to wait.

2) I should be able to build outside supports for sides of hull using 4x4s, 2x4s and cable ties anchored to trailer. Will leave on trailer and build 4X4 supports to stablize trailer on precast concreat deck post blocks then remove tires (The trailer sits on the front lawn). God I hope the neighbers don't complain, its the only place I have to do this.

3) Cut out all decks leaving 6 inches all around (will this help support shape of hull or do I even need to do this). Will be leaving top that has rails attached to it on. Remove all bulkheads, stringers, and remove transum. Oops forgot to remove prop and tthat thing it is attached to.

4) Install transum, stringers, bulkhead and glass.

5) Install decks and glass

6) build inside of cabin and hull

7) Gas and go

Peice of cake until I get to the harber. #&$... forgot the moter and outdrive are still in the shed. I never said the plan was perfect.:redface:

Any body know how long this should take working on weekends and two hrs a day, two or three weekdays a week. Also, does anyone have an idea how much the glass and resin will cost? Would like to use epoxie but don't know if I could affort it. Will poly work?

My wife thinks it a sh*ty plan. We don't see things the same way. I think it's fertile and promotes growth.

This will be an ibouts bout as because without you guys this would never be possible. Thank's in advance and see you on the water in a year or two.

Clay

P.S. Have already started readings Oops thread on hull extension.

 

[mattsmall1972]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Hi Clay,
Nice pictures - I didn't realize you were gutting your boat that much. I did the same thing.
I've had a alot of the same questions as you, and I've been thinking about this a while. My plan - only theoretical as I haven't actually seen stringers in my boat - is to do one stringer at a time using Seacast. If you don't know about Seacast, check out http://transomrepair.com. In a nutshell, I'm going to cut the top off the stringers, get the wood out, and fill the cavity with the Seacast material. My transom is going to be rebuilt using plywood. Since I'm going with outboards, I'm already planning on lowerin the rear deck - that thing is just too high in my opinion.
Since you might be planning on keeping an i/o engine, and you have gutted the interior,I believe that it is possible to remove the rear deck without destroying it. You will have to remove the engine first, get every screw from the sides of the deck (there's a lip that goes up the the side of hull) and then you may have to cut between the deck and the hull. I don't have mine out completely yet but since I'm going to lower the floor, I just cut through mine. Given that you have a single engine, you could remove that engine and just leave that deck in place. Even with some rotten wood between the fiberglass layers, it's pretty strong.
It's really interesting to know about the second tank - I am working on mine tomorrow and if I can get the second engine out finally, I will be looking into going through the lower deck and check my stringers. Given everything else, I might be lucky... it was amazing that there was solid wood anywhere in the boat to be found, but there was some.

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Mattsmall1972,

I did not know I was gutting it that much either. Will check into the seacast. The rear deck of mine is solid and would like to keep it is I could. Thanks for the info.


Good luck on the stringers, Hope it works out for you.

Clay

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Hello,

Short day on the boat. Have a list of things from Mother in-law to do at her house. She cooks a good dinner, so a bout break is a no brainer. My wife is lacking in that department.

Rear deck is molded and then fitted to boat. Will be removing in one piece and outside of boat replacing all the 2x4 supports. Not rotted but major termite damage. (Seamite damage?) The deck apears only to be epoxied to hull on edges by 1x2 strips that are a part of the hull. Is that correct?

Inspected all wood in engine compartment. To no surprise it is all rotted. Top of transum was good. 2/3 of way down is suspect. When I remove the engine I will know more. I guess if I am replacing all the other wood I should go ahead and replace it too and not try to patch or just reinforce it.

Have a good week everyone,

Clay

 

[mattsmall1972]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

Let me ask - In your plan, you're supporting the sides to do the the stringers? I guess I'm confused on this part. If I do one at a time, and the cap is still on the boat, is it really necessary to cradle the hull? Maybe someone else here can provide some input.

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

CLAYAROBINSON,
Well, It sounds like you have been busy. Sorry to hear you will be doing a complete restoration.
As for your plan, Overall not bad.
If you are going to the trouble of rebuilding, don't go halfway when you get the motor out you can examine the transom better.
One thing I noticed about your trailer when reviewing your pic's, is that it has rollers and not bunks. I would not start cutting anything out until I either took it off the trailer or support it with 2x6's down the length of the boat. Perhaps jack it up and place boards on top the rollers. The rollers will only support in small isolated ares and you could see some hull distortion.
As for the resin and glass, So far I have used about 15 gallons of resin, 20-30 yards of 1.5 oz CSM and 15 yards of 18oz. rovin woven. Somewhere between $400 and $500. Te cost of epoxy will be two or three times that. The seacast or NIDA bond wont replace the glass only the wood, and they are very pricey.
My 2 cents worth.
Good luck
Bob

PS you may have said before but where are you located? I may know a source of material that won't send you to the poor house.

 

[CLAYAROBINSON]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

This may be correct and had thought about the cap supporting it, but untill someone tells me otherwise, I have to assume that the deck in the cabine area helps maintaine shape of the side (NOTE: Cap on top is not very wide in the cabine area). Not concerned about the front area as the cap goes all the way from side to side. I'm also not as concerned about the engine compartment area as the sides are not as high. Will be re-evaluating this after the engine and rear deck is out. At most all I should need in the back if anything is a treaded rod like Oops used for his hull extention. This may also be an option if support in the cabine area is indeed needed. I have a littel time to figure this all out. Will not be cutting deck in cabin area to access strings untill end of month at earliest. If I don't need to, I would rather not.

Clay

P.S. MATTSMALL1972, Would love the see photo documentation of your project.

 

[itsneverfinished]

Re: 1977 searay sedancrusier

cool boat, i have the flybridge model. 77 also. the tank in the middle is a 100 gal fuel tank. it goes from just behind the v berth to flush with rear wall/door. the holding tank would have been on the right side in the bilge, mine has a fuel tank there now. there is a water tank on the left side of the bilge. if you need measurements/specs let me know.