[gotgill]

Picked this up for 100 bucks- new to restoration- this will be my first project... questions below for those who have experience...










[b]I am in the process of demolition to assess the damage. Have already found some dry rot on the deck just forward the transom (reached my hand through the hole in the deck for electrical and pulled out a nice chunk of balsa overlayed with some glass). I know I have my work cut out for me. As I prep for removing the deck from the hull- I removed some of the old pin striping and lettering and find that the tape protected the gelcoat (still shines) whereas the rest of the boat has a very dull finish (if you could call it that..) When rubbing my finger below the waterline- i get a chalky residue- same at any point of the hull. Is this normal? I'm guessing I will need to wet sand the entire hull and then apply an epoxy primer? There is a lot of crazing which seems to be thermal - the idea is filling with epoxy and sanding to smooth.. Any thoughts?[b]

[tashasdaddy]

you're on the right track, suggest in the restore to go with one of the new TODD consoles, and gain some valuable space. here's my last project.

[ondarvr]

The crazing in the pic of the bow looks to be from two layers of gel coat being applied in the mold, both being too thick. Many times the bond between layers of gel applied like this is poor and the layer at the surface cracks and chips in the sun. All of the top layer will need to come off in those areas.

The chalky residue is normal, nothing to worry about.

No wet sanding is needed if you are going to paint it, sanding is, but you can dry sand it with a DA.

If the hull is cored with balsa and thats where you pulled a chunk from, then there's a lot of work ahead to remove all of it and get it repaired.

[gotgill]

The piece that I pulled out was actually from the underside of the deck. The strange thing is that I can see the bottom of the hull through this hole and there are no stringers. I actually pushed my arm through as far as I could reach and found no stringers. It looks as if the deck has been removed before (rivet holes all along the boat with new rivets in place). I'm wondering if someone already gutted it and decided to go no further. More to come once I get the deck removed. Next step is removing the gas tank. It looks to be in good shape- is there anything I can do to ensure its integrity? I will post more pictures tonight after I get it out.

[tashasdaddy]

you can visually check it for and sign of corrosion. you can use some hose on the fittings, crimp it over so it won't leak, apply about 5-10 lbs of air pressure, and go over it with soapy solution and look for leaks. pull the fuel sender and take a mirrorand pen light., look at the inside. you will have to get a new gasket for the sender. actually suggest a new sender as they go bad.

[gotgill]

Thanks for the tips! Unfortunately- it got too dark for me to get the tank out tonight- i did sneak a peek though. The second pic is the piece of wood/glass I pulled from the underside of the deck Most of the deck is spongey and/or warped- shy of replacing the entire floor and glassing it in- I have no ideas I need to get the rest of the rivets out and pop off the top to truly get an idea of what I'm facing....

[gotgill]

Bad news- multiple holes in the tank I began gently scraping some of the debris from the top and material started falling through. When I finally removed the foam around the tank and popped it out- fuel was running out the side through a hole the circumference of a pencil.





Started researching replacement tanks- did the search here etc. The current tank is 47" x 25" x 8". Im calculating around 40 gallons capacity. Unfortunately I am becoming hard pressed to find a replacement in those dimensions. I dont want to blow my budget with a custom tank. Any ideas? So far I've researched Tempo, Moeller, and Todd.

[studlymandingo]

I don't necessarily see the tank as a problem; now you will have new tanks and it will be something you don't have to think about when you're on the water. I would suggest finding two smaller tanks. You can install a solenoid valve to switch between tanks, and you'll know when you are half empty when the first one runs out.

[tashasdaddy]

this is as close as i could get. copy & paste without the "

"http://www.boatersoutlet.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=26"

[gotgill]

I'm liking the solenoid valve idea. The area the tank came out of would actually hold a couple of tanks. Thanks for the link tashsasdaddy- I'll keep that in mind when its time to put the new tank/tanks in.

[tashasdaddy]

i'd rather have a 3 way manual valve with a primer bulb after the valve. solenoid goes bad how do you get gas. like the transfer valves on the multi tank vehicles. the tanks full but it won't run. had it happen in a Ford 250.

[gotgill]

Switching gears here a bit. After doing some work on the boat this morning- I ran into my first stumbling block. The idea was to remove the deck from the hull so I could see what needs to be replaced beneath. All the rivets are out and I began to try to remove the deck. (This is a molded deck that basically sits on the hull). Thinking it would be simple just to pop the top off and see what was under it. NOT THE CASE. Now I'm stuck. I was successful at popping up the sides from the stern toward the bow. Once I got to the bow, however, I noticed that the top would not come up. I used some small slat wood I had lying around to at least shimmy the top enough to see where the resistance was coming from. It "appears" that there is some kind of adhesive in the bow holding the deck to the hull. I didnt want to stress the bow any more than I had to and gave up. Should I be able to remove the entire deck or am I restrained to cutting holes in the deck floor where it is spongey? I'm at a loss here.....

[gotgill]

Anyone? :%

[jddenham]

Probably have to cut it off with an angle grinder

[iwombat]

Use a skill saw set to the depth of the floor material. Cut out sections around where you believe it to be glued in - you won't hurt anything if the saw depth is set correctly. You'll then be able to get at the adhesive from both the underside and topside.

[tashasdaddy]

i agree with iwombat. cut the center section out as neatly as you can, then try to drive some fairly wide wedges around the edge of the cut.to free the deck, then worry about the center section, may be able to piece back in later.

[Solittle]

For what it is worth - Around here Angler was known as an entry level boat along with that "other" brand.