Thinking about doing it myself.

dharmon · Jul 20, 2013

Hello,
I recently bought this '89 Bayliner Capri. I've had it on the water this summer and it runs good and everything. There are some soft spots towards the transom. I am very new to boating, but am "handy" with tools. I was wanting to replace the floor this fall, but need help with the "how-to" part. I am also wanting to know where to get the best deals on materials to see if its worth doing it myself. I would greatly appreciate all advice. I am also new to these forums. I look forward to all of your responses. Thanks!!

Bob_VT · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

I will move this to the correct forum area. Good luck

dharmon · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Thank you.

joelybob · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

us composites is a good place to get materials. Fiberglass , Epoxy , Composites, Carbon Fiber - U.S. Composites, Inc.. good luck with your project. lots of great people in this forum. and welcome a board.

bakerjw · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

I will vouch for the members of this forum. They are certainly a helpful group of people.

Read through some of the major restoration threads. Friscoboater has one of the best of his 1995 Sea Ray at
http://forums.iboats.com/completed-...gnature-deck-stringer-restoration-510077.html

Be warned though, take what you expect as the worst case scenario and be open to the possibility that it will be worse. It just happened to me with my Stratos. Every "expert" advised that the deck was good and strong. Enough fiberglass lamination on water saturated wood can feel solid even though it is on the verge of rotting completely away. And the exposed stringers and bulkheads that you can see aren't the only ones to worry about.

I know nothing about your model of boat, but if you have a soft floor, then be aware that you also might have bad stringers and bulkheads. I certainly hope that is not the case but if so, people here will offer great advice and guidance.

Woodonglass · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Welcome to iBoats!

Soft spots on the deck in the rear of the boat are usually symptoms of issues below. Posting pics of your boat and the problem areas are a necessity for you to obtain good sound advice from the members here. The best way to post your pics is to open a Free Photobucket account, upload your pics there, and then use the IMG Code to copy and paste your pics directly into your iBoats Thread. Lots of Bayliner Capri restorations here on the forum for you to learn from. I've posted a PDF file for you to download and view that has some basic info.

(Click the Pic to download and view the PDF)

View attachment MaterialsList.pdf

dharmon · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Thanks to all of you for your help so far. I'm prepared to put in some work. I'm definately going to post pics. I'll need all the help i can get! I forgot to post this earlier, but what time of year is usually a good time to start something like this? Early fall? Thanks again!! Look forward to buggin you guys for some advice soon!!lol

Woodonglass · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Early fall is Ideal, especially for Texas. You need to be Fully suited for grinding and it's not to comfortable doing that when it's in the 90's and 100's. Temps have to be above 60 to do your Glass work so that can be an issue but you can use heat lamps under a tarp in the garage to help with that if needed.

JoshuaFisher · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

After browsing these forums for the last couple months and starting my own resto i can definantly say these guys are more then qualified to help you out! And as ive read, the only problem with paying someone to do it you can never be sure they'll pull out all the stops to do it right and wont take any shortcuts not to mention the price tag! good luck!

dharmon · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Thanks for the tip! Any tips/recommendations on using jack stands while in garage?

bakerjw · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Not sure about jack stands, but it is important to ensure that the hull is fully supported before cutting out stringers and bulkheads. Before doing any removal of structural pieces, it is essential to take measurements of practically everything.

Woodonglass · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

I'd recommend building a rolling cradle for her.

jigngrub · Jul 20, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

This is a good thread on boat cradles:

http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/boat-hull-cradle-help-584635.html

My best advice to you is to read and study in this forum before starting your project, read all the restoration threadsyou can... both past and present. You'll learn what to do before you need to do it, and will spend less time asking questions and waiting for answers and more time working... but we're always here when you need to ask a question.

Doing this job yourself will give you a better quality job than you can buy and a whole lot of satisfaction... plus you'll get a like new boat for a small fraction of the cost of a new one!

dharmon · Jul 21, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Thanks guys. I'm studying as much as I can before fall. I'm going to look into the cradle. Great idea! Thanks Woodonglass for that detailed list. That's what I needed to estimate cost. Hey Wood, do you still have the plans you used for your cradle? Thanks again guys. I'll keep you posted!

Woodonglass · Jul 21, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Nah, the only plans I had were in my head. Here's a drawing of kinda how I did it... At first it was just flat for when it was flipped upside down to work on the hull then, I made my bunks on pivots so they would conform to the hull. If I made another one I'd make the bunks longer as shown. I carpeted them to protect the hull after it was painted.

Hope this helps.

dharmon · Jul 22, 2013

Re: Thinking about doing it myself.

Hey thanks Woodonglass! Much appreciated!!

Thinking about doing it myself.

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