Need advice on new deck please give me your info

DAN M VAGOS

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Jul 11, 2008
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Hi all just pulled the rear floor on my 1989 bayliner Capri 15' . I know a lot of you out there don't like bayliners and this is my first. And my bayliner needs a new rear floor now I know the boat was left in the water and was a rain collection on the pond but I just cut out the rear floor and was shocked to find the stringers have a ton of fiber glass on them and seem to be as solid as a rock also one of the rear bulkheads has a lot of rot but once again it has a ton of glass on it and solid as all hell. I just want to sandwich a new bulk to the old one pour new foam and pl new fool down and fiber glass floor to sides so I just want to know if I'm going the right direction and yes I'm quite sure the transom is wet but it seems to be really solid also. Also the add for the old bayliners like my boat say they are made with Alaskan yellow cedar is this why it seems still so strong ?? Thanks Dan
 

jigngrub

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

Post some pics of your boat with the deck out so we can see what you have to work with.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

the right direction would be to remove ALL of the wet and rotten wood and glass in new wood
 

DAN M VAGOS

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

got some pics also I really do not want to go any more to the transom because there is a fin type thing glassed in from the transom to the floor and the bulkhead that seems solid.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

you need to decide... is the wood rotten OR solid... unless it's soaked and frozen it can't be both
 

jigngrub

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

I wouldn't want any of that wood in my boat, and the fiberglass job on your stringers isn't heavy duty... it's just the normal layup.

If you don't replace all of the wet and rotten wood now you're going to be picking at it and replacing little bits every year or two, which will mean probably undoing what you're going to do now.

... but if you aren't going to listen to advice, just go ahead and build it the way you want... it's your boat and you can do it any way you want.
 

DAN M VAGOS

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

I know it can't be both but I know it must be wet because the water was in the foam but when I hit it with a hammer it's very solid and that little fin thing that is glassed in and also divides the bilge seems so strong . What I'm trying to get at is I can't do the transom and its not worth it and it only has a 50ph on it and I know wet wood is bad I guess I just want to throw out what I'm thinking and hear someone tell me some good news lol and what about that Alaskan yellow cedar is it really that much better
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

it IS possible to have wet foam and solid wood... to determine if it's rotton you need to drill test holes... if you get dry shavings it's solid... wet crumbles or mud... rotten.. ... You then either start ripping or fill and cap your holes

I can't say for sure but I'd be very surprised if your bayliner had any super premium non rotting wood.
 

jigngrub

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

There's not that many people on this forum that will encourage you to half way fix your boat.

Some people have used cedar in their restorations, but I wouldn't use it or recommend it.
 

DAN M VAGOS

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

I drilled the stringer as you can see in the 2 pic and the shavings can be seen also in the pic they seem to be ok to me. But what I was talking about with the cedar is that bayliner used it in the build not me. And thanks for all your advice I do know what the right way to fix the boat is its just some guys can't afford to do things 110% and some times you need to keep that in mind. I have seen 1000 of pics and videos of transoms cracked wide open and splits right down the hull with 250hp motors on them and some use there boats for years and years. I'm not going to 100 miles off shore with this thing. 90% of every boat in the water has some problem some where and I don't see the need to condemn them all..
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

If we expected everyone to go 110% we wouldn't even post on a rotten bayliner thread... we're here to help....

If it's solid you can patch it up... if it's rotten IT IS JUNK and like you said not worth rebuilding.... you don't have to be 100 miles offshore to be killed when your transom gets ripped off when the outboard that doesn't need 250 hp to do it lands in your lap still running at wot

This decision CAN'T be based on what you want OR what you can't afford... ONLY on the structural condition of the boat...

If it turns out to be rotten then you can diligently shop C/L for a solid hull to put your motor on... maybe even find something free like I did (in my signature)

Do you know how to check the transom for strength? stand on the lower unit and bounce hard while someone else closely watches the transom from he side for flex.... no flex=good... flex=BAD

If all you REALLY want is to have someone tell you exactly what you want to hear, just hang out... eventually SOMEONE will come along and say we are all a bunch of prudes and blow pink fluffy smoke in just the right spot. ;)
 

DAN M VAGOS

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Messages
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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

I know your right all of you. I did do the bounce test on the engine and it did not seem to move at all but who knows. Thanks
 

jigngrub

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Re: Need advice on new deck please give me your info

I drilled the stringer as you can see in the 2 pic and the shavings can be seen also in the pic they seem to be ok to me. But what I was talking about with the cedar is that bayliner used it in the build not me. And thanks for all your advice I do know what the right way to fix the boat is its just some guys can't afford to do things 110% and some times you need to keep that in mind. I have seen 1000 of pics and videos of transoms cracked wide open and splits right down the hull with 250hp motors on them and some use there boats for years and years. I'm not going to 100 miles off shore with this thing. 90% of every boat in the water has some problem some where and I don't see the need to condemn them all..

I do know what the right way to fix the boat is its just some guys can't afford to do things 110% and some times you need to keep that in mind

The thing about this ^^^^^^ is if you can't afford to repair your boat the right way, you can't afford to own a boat... and if you have the time and money to put gas in your boat and run it around the lake or bay, you have enough time and money to fix it right. Boats are expensive play toys and fiberglass boats are the most expensive.

These aren't 250 hp motors... and the first one didn't even make it to the water:
bustedtransom.jpg

IMAG0145.jpg

... and the second one barely made it back to the dock.

You have the perfect boat to practice on and gain experience working on fiberglass boats. An old rotten Bayliner is worth much and if you completely mess it up you have really lost anything... but if you just mess up a little bit while fixing it it'll still be a big improvement over what you had.

We're here to help you, and we can guide you through this so you won't even mess up a little bit if you'll listen and pay attention. You say you're looking for some good news, well here it is. If you fix your boat the right way you'll have a like new boat for very cheap compared to a new one and you won't have to worry about fixing it again.

The "triangle thing" you speak of at the transom is just a transom brace, and it's probably rotten too and needs replacing... this isn't difficult.

If you want to repair your boat the right way, we're here to help... if you just want to half way patch at it you can do that too.
 
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