I just got my first boat a MFG Niagara

[lokigui]

I just got my first boat a MFG Niagara. It has #4500 on the transom plate.Does anyone know what year it was made. I have been following the threads and I will use what Ihave read to repair the transom. It is a beautiful boat.
Thanks Jason

[sphelps]

See if you can find it here..http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/MFG
Welcome aboard lokigui !
Need pic please ..

[Jon Sob]

Hi lokigui .... welcome to iboats. It's great to hear that another MFG is going to be put back into service. Take lots of photos and ask lots of questions and we will be here to help you along the way. Open a free photobucket account .... that is the best way to post your pics. http://photobucket.com/login

[yanks21]

Welcome lokigui.
Great to know there are more of us every day. Please send some pictures! Lot's of knowledge and experience on these pages! You never know what you might find out, or what we might learn fron you!
I have no idea what the "#4500" means without seeing a picture of the plate.

[lokigui]

I have bought a Niagara MFG boat. The transom is rotted away so i have started to remove it. What not to do... I drew my lines 3 inches away from the side to keep the boats shape. I used a router very bad idea it smoked up of course i was not wearing a mask so choke and lung hurt. I did about 10 inches and decided to simply chisel out my removal lines, slower but much safer. I will use a mask as i continue to work as the rot cant be good to breath in. ALSO what is the top of the boat called the blue part, is it the gunwale?. I will have to remove it to refit the transom. OMG I have never done this before.
thank you
Jason
Niagara's seen to have been built from 62 t0 72

[sphelps]

Lokigui, are you cutting the inside of the transom or the outside? If you have not done much fiberglassing you should probably cut the inside skin. An angle grinder with a thin metal cut off blade works great for cutting the glass.
You should think about starting a thread in the restoration and repair forum. Read a lot . And post lots of pics. The guys there can walk you thru just about anything repair related.
BTW get a good respirator type mask to use for any grinding or cutting on the glass. The stuff is really bad for you to breath. The little particle masks just will not cut it. Safety is everything !
Glad your bringing her back to life !
See ya S.P.

[lokigui]

See if you can find it here..http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/MFG
Welcome aboard lokigui !
Need pic please ..

I have narrowed it down to a Niagara Custom circa 62-72 thanks much for your response. Jason

[lokigui]

Hi lokigui .... welcome to iboats. It's great to hear that another MFG is going to be put back into service. Take lots of photos and ask lots of questions and we will be here to help you along the way. Open a free photobucket account .... that is the best way to post your pics. http://photobucket.com/login

Thank you I will take lots of photos as i go along. The more I think on it the less intimidating it seems to me...lol

[lokigui]

Lokigui, are you cutting the inside of the transom or the outside? If you have not done much fiberglassing you should probably cut the inside skin. An angle grinder with a thin metal cut off blade works great for cutting the glass.
You should think about starting a thread in the restoration and repair forum. Read a lot . And post lots of pics. The guys there can walk you thru just about anything repair related.
BTW get a good respirator type mask to use for any grinding or cutting on the glass. The stuff is really bad for you to breath. The little particle masks just will not cut it. Safety is everything !
Glad your bringing her back to life !
See ya S.P.

I have started removing the outside skin seemed the easiest way to start. Thanks for the grinder idea I was using a router, but now use a chisel and that is working well enough. I will upgrade my breathing mask.
Thanks Jason

[Jon Sob]

Hey lok .... you really should post pics of what you are doing and what your intentions are because the experts here can save you a lot of time and money.

sp is spot on about the safety issues. Here is a link that I think that you should read: http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/basic-safety-equipment-grinding-glassing-235651.html

Good luck and get some photos up so we can see what you see.

[lokigui]

Here are some pictures of my transom repair, a work in progress.
http://s1213.photobucket.com/albums/...ara%20restore/

[sphelps]

Your boat looks just like mine! It kinda looks like the transom was cut down from the original height. Maybe to put a short shaft on ?

[Mark_VTfisherman]

You have questions? Here are some answers:

1] The hull cap is the top part of the boat which comprises the front deck, helm, and the gunwales (pronounced gunnel most often; gunwales are the top sides of the boat along top sides of the hull)

2] Your boat IS a Niagara Custom. The Niagara Deluxe did not have a splash well- the part ahead of the transom. The custom had all the factory options installed; the Deluxe, some of the factory options (and you could order those not included) and the plain Niagara (never seen one) had a junkier windshield and none of the options (the nice Taylor Made plastic windshield was an option available on the Deluxe and standard on the Custom. But I have never see a Deluxe with the cheapy windshield, either)

3] repairing transom fiberglass takes some knowledge of what the transom does structurally. No offense, but you do have that knowledge... yet. There are people here who do. They (and maybe I) can help you get this knowledge.

4] the 4500 is a serial number. I can't remember anymore and didn't take the time to look it up but I believe I recall that the serial number starts with the mold number (4) and the cast number (500). Your boat was number 500 to come from that mold in that year. Some have suggested also that the mold number (4) is the first digit, the second digit is the numeric year (1965) and the last two were the cast number (zero). I did research once and figured it out but I can't remember anymore what the answer was. MFGs were cast with two precision metal molds - one on the inside, one on the outside - that were pressed together to create a very uniform, strong, and light fiberglass hull.

5] In regards to #3, here is my first advice: Cutting the outside IS acceptable, and in fact preferred. *I* cut the inside of mine. However, unless you remove the hull cap (which I do NOT recommend) you can't get your new pieces into place. AND you won't be able to get your pieces into place by leaving 3" on each side. Here is the skinny: If the fiberglass repair is insufficient to repair the outside lines/corners, it will ALSO be insufficient 3" in from the corners. Plus, your two transom eyes are important for trailering, towing a tube AND tying the transom together.

The new transom pieces MUST extend from outside to outside fully in order to transfer navigation loads, engine thrust load, and most importantly, wave loads to the structural form of the boat. No need for catastrophic failure.

I would make your cuts within about 3/8" or less from the corners. Save the old pieces as you will be able to use them during the repair. If using plywood do not use pine or other AC plywood- get ACX Fir. You *can* use "marine" plywood but in your application the only benefit to buying marine plywood will be to the supplier for all the extra profit you give them. Again, don't buy radiata AC plywood: ONLY ACX Fir. And don't install it "raw." Wetting it out with resin and putting fiberglass matt between the sheet of plywood will not only help it last a long time it will also make it wicked strong.

6] The best method I have found for cutting a fiberglass hull is to set a circular saw for a very shallow cut, like only 3/8" inch

7] you can repair the fiberglass you cut out at at least 100% but it probably will be like 200% strength done properly. Properly means using both matt and cloth in your buildup and fairing it out with third layer. At that point you will be stronger than factory with the correct materials and correct prep methods.

8] I am excited to read about your project. Depending on how fast you go, you *might* be able to see my work as it gets posted. But don't wait for me!!! I am a very busy person and I haven't gotten to this project I should have done a month ago.

8.1] I bought a friend a 16' Westfield Regal. If I had the money at the time I would have never told him about it but I didn't have the cash, sooooo.... $700 took it as the seller talked himself down from $1500. The boat is in generally good condition, good trailer, iffy-ish motor. Probably OK at $700. However, the transom blew out driving it home; rotted behind the fiberglass below where the splashwell drain ferule is SUPPOSED TO be.

I plan on posting a complete thread showing how to replace a transom with plywood. The interesting thing about the Westfield design is the curved transom, but other than that, the project is the same as yours: hull cap is best not removed, transom inner not accessible due to splashwell. Further, the Westfield splashwell is not a separate piece like on the Niagaras: it is part of the hull cap, molded as one.

Anyway, DON't remove the hull cap. You can do this without making that much work for yourself.

Congrats on the most awesome 14' you can buy. IMHO

Mark