Restoring 1987 Sea Sprite 4.3 175 19.5'

Re: Restoring 1987 Sea Sprite 4.3 175 19.5'

Sorry of course I messed up my first thread. Below is what was supposed to be included in the first posting!

Hello all,
I am new to this forum and am starting a thread for our new/old project. Its an 87 sea sprite with the 4.3 175 merc in it. A bit of history my family purchased it in 90 had it at the lake house up until 2004. Then my dad essentially forgot about it until I wanted to buy it from him in 2008. We "restored" it back in high school but really had no idea what we were doing. Now a little more experienced and funded (college grads full time jobs) we are back at it for her true "rebuild". We got started back in December pulling motor cutting floor for access to fuel cell, which was unnecessary, long story, but the boat is essentially stripped. I prepped and sprayed the bilge yesterday with ok success. Took me forever with a wire brush attachment and xylene to get it completely cleaned. Still didn't turn out how I would have liked. Oh well better than what it was. Going to put multiple coats to try and hide a bit more of the fiberglass look. Next on the list is patch the floor and frame for the interior. Any input would be great. Will be asking many questions to come with fiberglass repair.
Cheers!!
Ron

Re: Restoring 1987 Sea Sprite 4.3 175 19.5'

WELCOME TO IBOATS! You picked the right forum for advice on getting this boat back to safe and water ready. I dont have nearly the expierence as alot of the people of this site but everyones .02 is worth something. I'm sure one of the many experts will be through at some point to offer advice.

girmscheidb said:

Going to put multiple coats to try and hide a bit more of the fiberglass look. Next on the list is patch the floor and frame for the interior.
Ron

Click to expand...

These two sentences kinda worry me and most others i think. While I think you were on the right track with trying to degrease the bilge, I think a pass with a grinder and 40-60 grit discs would of given you the proper surface for the paint to bond. What type of paint did you use?

By patch, What exactly do you mean, Besides the obvious large hole caused by removing the tank. It was diffucult to tell in the picture but i did notice an area that may warrant a second look. It appears that is the stringer and looks to be rotted, Big safety concern . Also in your 3rd picture it appears to be rotted wood. If that is the case it would be a good time to halt all progress and do some searching to see how far that rot goes.Any "soft/spongy" spots in deck? Also a good time to search Stringer/Transom replacement here on IBoats. If that is indeed rot all wood will need to be checked for rot including transom and removed as needed. Also the flotation foam if there is any will need checking for waterlogging. Core samples of the transom would be a good indication of the condition of the wood. Hope for the best and plan for the worst, but either way this is a great group of people that are willing to help with any advice provided you are willing to put in the time to make the needed repairs correctly to make the boat safe for you and anyone you may take out with you. Best of luck on this adventure.

Re: Restoring 1987 Sea Sprite 4.3 175 19.5'

Bomber Goober said:

If that is the case it would be a good time to halt all progress and do some searching to see how far that rot goes.Any "soft/spongy" spots in deck? Also a good time to search Stringer/Transom replacement here on IBoats. If that is indeed rot all wood will need to be checked for rot including transom and removed as needed. Also the flotation foam if there is any will need checking for waterlogging. Core samples of the transom would be a good indication of the condition of the wood. Hope for the best and plan for the worst, but either way this is a great group of people that are willing to help with any advice provided you are willing to put in the time to make the needed repairs correctly to make the boat safe for you and anyone you may take out with you. Best of luck on this adventure.

Click to expand...

By Core samples what do you mean? And where and how should I check the stringers they are covered in fiberglass? By patching the cutout I mean cutting a new piece of marine grade ply re glassing it to match the existing floor. And no the floor is solid as a rock only a little bit of obvious moisture in the rear sections doesn't seem to be too bad. Even if the rear parts of the stringers are moisture ridden you think it would call for replacement of them all?

Re: Restoring 1987 Sea Sprite 4.3 175 19.5'

Also I used a Rustoluem Universal Primer and Paint in One Enamel. Spray On application.

Re: Restoring 1987 Sea Sprite 4.3 175 19.5'

Use a 1/8" drill bit and drill 3 holes in the transom. 1 port , 1 starboard and 1 towards the center and low as possible, should be easy with the motor out. Don't drill all the way through the boat, 3/4" to 1" should be enough. Examine the shavings, Light and dry= good, dark and wet= bad. The same should be done with the stringers , Drill low through side of stringer about 1/2" starting aft and moving fore about every 6-12". If your lucky and the entire stringer is not rotten you can just remove/replace the rotten portions +about 4" to play it safe. The problem with moisture in the rear sections is that more often than not boats rot from the bottom up so by the time you notice it up top the bottom substructure is already destroyed.The wet sections of rear floor should be removed/replaced and if it turns out stringers are ok which is pretty unlikely you will prevent further rot. This video shows how even the prettiest boats can be hiding some nastiness underneath. Be sure to post pictures of the core samples you get to help aid in determing what your up against.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kopF4muvF0c&feature=share&list=PL02C318B574CD948D

drill approx at red dots, Also around the inside of keyhole you should be able to see transom wood and tell if it is solid or wet and rotten