1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Hey everybody, I was driving home today and this boat happened to follow me home. I didn't know if I should throw it back or keep it as a pet. Seeing as the admission price was only $650 (hope I did OK), I figured I would keep it. The previous owner found that the stringers and transom were getting rotten and decided it was more than he had time to tackle...so I took over the project. It is a 305 2 barrel that was running last summer until the motor mount rotted out and dropped. The boat was then winterized.

I have been around forums enough to know...if there are no pics, it didn't happen...so here goes!

First a quick IPhone pic on my way home...then a few pics of the condition.

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

A few more pics for good measure






I think it is time to start ripping this baby apart!

Galen

P.S. I blame this project on Friscoboater...I will decide at a later date if I owe him a steak dinner or if he needs killin!

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

That is a sharp looking vessel! Are you planning to keep to the original colors? I love the look of that helm!

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Welcome to the iBoats Dry Dock!

One of the BEST Boat Mfg out there, sooooo, IMHO I'd say you "Dun Rite Gud!!!" Power plant is a good one too!!! You'll get all the support you need right here on the forum.

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Well, I spent a few hours stripping it down and cutting out the port (I believe...left hand side). I feel like it is either Christmas or April Fools Day. While the plywood floor was wet through and through, beneath the wood, the foam was dry and the stringers seemed to be in good shape. I even removed a small chunk of foam to see if it was wet inside...and it was dry as a bone. Here are a few pics of the progress I made before the storms looked to be rolling in.

Here is the first section I cut out.

Here is the chunk I broke off the foam. It was dry as a bone and dry underneath.

Here is a pic of the ply...wet as can be. Once again, foam dry underneath.

Here is where I stopped and vacuumed area.

And finally, here is a shot of the collapsed motor mount that caused the previous owner to have the boat checked out.

Man, this junk adds up fast!


Now for the question...do I need to remove the foam to check out the stringers more thoroughly? Also, since the skim coat is compromised on the foam, is it now susceptible to moisture?

Oh yea, I am planning on keeping the same basic color combinations. I would like to add a sun deck on the back and a bench against the motor. I also want pedestal seats up front.

Thanks for your help and support!

Galen

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

That's GREAT to hear!

If you finish this boat before I finish mine, I'm gonna be PISSED!

Congratulations on a very cool boat Brother. I can't wait to see it in June.

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

if the foam is wet it will be at the bottom down by the hull. I would for sure drill some core samples on the stringers.

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

WOG, I do plan on taking core samples once I have the back half of the floor removed. While I am under no illusion the boat is perfect underneath, I do pray that I don't have to replace all the stringers.

I saw in another thread where you listed what to plug the core holes with, but don't remember which thread it was in. Could you please remind me?

Also, should I just remove the existing foam if it is dry, or only remove it if the stringers need to be replaced in that area?

Thanks all!

Galen

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

looks like you may have gotten lucky with most of the boat, i didn't
have fun with your rebuild.

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Hi and welcome Galen...
Nice score on that CC...I have heard you can upgrade those 305's with a 4 barrel intake and carb and bump up the HP a bit...
Stuff to use for sealing your core sample holes is 3M 5200...
BTW, if you plan to re-do the upholstery in the original pattern, don't throw out the cushions...
Two things, you can use the original vinyl as a pattern and if the cushions are still good they can be re-used...
Best of luck and happy boating!
GT1M

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

That's a sharp boat, well worth restoring. Welcome to iboats drydock.

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Hey everybody...time for another update. We had some bad weather come in from the gulf, so I had to take a few days off. In the last couple of days, I finally got the majority of the floor removed and and the foam out of there. I do know the transom is soft and the stringers surrounding the fuel tank are rotten. I am hoping that the outside stringers are OK. I will check them tomorrow with a drill to give me an idea of that has gotta go.

Here is the back of the ski locker. I swear I don't think they had any fiberglass on the cross brace at all. I removed most of the wood with my shop vac.

I didn't take any other exciting pictures as most of you have seen bare stringers without foam in the middle.

I did find what I thought was a good deal on my front seats. If anyone has any suggestions for/against the seats, please post up! DISCOUNT! Large Bucket CLHS2901 Helm Seat

Thanks all! I hope to have the engine out this weekend so I can start the serious destruction!

Galen

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Nice boat! I have the same one and I found most of the rot around the ski locker and under the motor mounts. The mounts on mine were basically a fiberglass shell filled with black wood pulp.

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

NorcalChrisCraft said:

Nice boat! I have the same one and I found most of the rot around the ski locker and under the motor mounts. The mounts on mine were basically a fiberglass shell filled with black wood pulp.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what I am finding so far. The design of the ski locker was crap in the original design. It allowed water to pool between the drain hole and the back of the locker. The outboard stringers so far look good. I wanted to check them out today, but rain is coming in and I have been feeling like crap today. I hope to drill core samples tomorrow...along with getting the engine ready for yanking out on Saturday. I do know that the transom is soft, so it has gotta go. I just hope that I have good wood in the front of the boat so I don't have to pull the cap off the boat.

Galen

Crap...just looked at your post again. I was wondering how you were going to handle the bow area...but you aren't there yet. Hurry up, I need to copy what you are doing!

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Galen,

I have the perfect solution to keep water from collecting in that area.



Use the big one in the middle with a 3 pound sledge.

Please report back with your results.

Hilton

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Hey Hilton, how about a 5 pound sledge and skip the chizzle?

Just for a little background, I gave Hilton a boat that I didn't take proper care of and he is restoring it now. That is how I choose my name on this forum. He is the reason I found this forum and Friscoboater is the reason I decided to take on this boat. We are now in a "race" to see who splashes first. I think he is gonna win as I am now weighing out removing the cap on mine. Here is a link to his/my old boat thread. http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/1989-ski-brendella-boat-restoration-progress-575658.html

Galen

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Galentheboatkiller said:

Crap...just looked at your post again. I was wondering how you were going to handle the bow area...but you aren't there yet. Hurry up, I need to copy what you are doing!

Click to expand...

I will try to get a picture for you this weekend, but I was able to get most of the bow stringer/foam out without pulling the cap. I was able to cram myself up under there, not fun but way less work then pulling the cap!

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Galentheboatkiller said:

Hey Hilton, how about a 5 pound sledge and skip the chizzle?

Just for a little background, I gave Hilton a boat that I didn't take proper care of and he is restoring it now. That is how I choose my name on this forum. He is the reason I found this forum and Friscoboater is the reason I decided to take on this boat. We are now in a "race" to see who splashes first. I think he is gonna win as I am now weighing out removing the cap on mine. Here is a link to his/my old boat thread. http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/1989-ski-brendella-boat-restoration-progress-575658.html

Galen

Click to expand...

Boat killer

Good news - father-in-law found key, bad news it broke. Sorry man. Looks like you are making good progress on the boat, keep it up and good luck.

Chris

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

Hey Chris, glad to see you found this post. The progress is indeed going slow but steady...it is gonna take some time though!

Alright, today I finally got the chance to take a drill to my beautiful stringers...there is rot that goes under the front cap. The only way I see to be able to get in there and do the job correctly is to remove the cap. Here is the question...what exactly is involved with removing the cap? I see removing the rub rail that goes all the way around the boat, but then is there a sealant that joins the two halves? The boat seems to be well supported on the trailer, so I don't believe that is a problem.

Thanks for everyone's help!

Galen

Re: 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 186 Stringer and Transom R&R

The rub rail is attached with hundreds of rivets or screws/bolts. The cap may have some sections where some sort of sealant has been applied. Sometimes back around the splashwell especially. You'll just have to investigate and cut and chisel where you find it. Your previous pics show your trailer to have large bunks so I agree that support of your hull should not be a problem. Take lots of measurements before you de-capitate her so you can put her back Exactly like you found her so the cap will fit back on.