1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

After stalling as much as I could, I was ready to get in the boat and start cutting and grinding
:facepalm:. The first thing I did was to cut out all the stringers on the port side with the exception o the one outer stringer that I had already replaced almost two yeas ago. I also got a litle carrried away and cut out most of the starboard main stringer. I am trying to leave one side of the old stringers fiberglass or a channel to bed the new stringer into place to make sure that the new wood is straight. I hope this will not cause any issues by fiberglassing over this old fiberglass with new. I don't think it will because I am using epoxy. Will someone please let me know if you see any problems with the way I am doing this. Here is a pic of what I am talking about. Can I keep this old glass in place to keep the new wood straight while the bedding dries or do I need to totally grind this down before I glass in te new stringer?





While I was grinding I kept finding all kinds of dry spots in the old glass. It felt like hay and could actually be ripped out by hand. (Thanks Bayliner), They must have been training the new guy on the chopper gun that day on my boat. The folowing two pics show these dry spots which are the light colored spots.





I also ran into some big blisters of old glass which thought were just big solid globs that may have feel off the sprayer at the factory or somthing like that. Here is I pic of one of these globs of glass and resin.



But when I started grindng on it this is what I found. It was acually a big air bubble. I could have almost fit two golf balls in it. No wonder why all the wood was rotten. I have a pic of this blister after the top was ground down but I can not post it in this post so I wil put it in the next post.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Here is the pic of one of those globs of glass and resin after I ground off the top. I thought it was solid but this is what I found.



Then if that wasn't enough while I was trying to level this big bubble I found more wet wood that I did not even know was there. While grinding this large bubble a pin hole opened in the hull and water came sqwerting out. Well aparently there was wood glassed into the hull to make the shape of the strakes. And needless to say it was totally wet and rotted. Here are some pics of the area I am talking about on the boat.



And here are a couple pics of the water logged wood that came out. It is shaped like a triangle and each side of the triangle is about 1/2 inch, and apparently it runs all the way from the transom to the bow.





Can anyone please tell me if this wood needs to be replaced or was it just used at the factory to make te shape of the strakes. I am getting really close to replacing the stringers and fiberglassing so I need to know what to do. They are so small in diameter that I can't imagine tat they serve a structual purpose, but I want to make sure. If any thing maybe I could just fill in the canal they were in with something and just fiberglass over it. Please, any info on this will be greatly appeciated, even if it is a phone number to Bayliner so I can ask them. It is te first strake outside of the main stringers. Here is an outside pic of the strake in question.



That last pic is of the outside of the boat taken from the stern or transom.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Hey verybody, I was just wondering if anyone can answer my last question about the wood that I found in the strakes of my boat? Do I need to replace this half inch triangle piece piece of wood or can I just glass the trench it was in. Here's a couple pics, same as above.

 

[proshadetree]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

The shape of the boat is made in the mold. Did not need this wood to form that. The wood you see is for if you strike the stake and punch a hole in it. If it has glassed wood it will not leak as bad. Do you have to replace it? No. Would I yes.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Thank you so much proshadetree. I wat to make sure this boat is done right. I think I will replace this wood like you suggested. I can just get some quarter round stock from home depot. I was also wondering if I could just fill the area with the same filler that I am using to make fillets and bedding which is epoxy, wheat flour and glass strands. I wass thinking this would be stronger than the wood. Yes, more expensive, but safety is priceless. Let me know what you think.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Sorry I have not posted the rest of last weekends work. I have been really busy this week working on other poeples boats. Here is a pic of th boat I am currenty detailing.



Okay, so after findng this new rotten wood I needed to take out my frustration by grinding somemore. I think I grounded for anothher two or three hours before I had to stop and get ready for the family get together, (Easter Sunday)! I was going to say that half the boat was grounded but now because of all of bayliners quality work,:facepalm:, and the new rotten wood discovery, I think I am probably more like 30% done with all the grinding. Oh well, if it wasn't a challege it would not be any fun right. Here are a couple of pics after I stopped grinding, look a all that fiberglass dust!







Like I said I have been busy with other peoples boats this week, (gotta fund my project some how!) so all I have been able to do to my boat is vacuum and clean it out.
My next post I wil be asking some questoins, so I would appretiate it if anyone who reads my next post could help me out because I am at a point now where I can not g any ferther without some advice. Thanks for reading

 

[proshadetree]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

I am just adding a guess here but wood should be lighter than glass. Wood bonded to glass would be in my opinion harder to break through than just glass. What I am trying to say is you will raise the impact point of breakage either way, But if it beaks with wood molded in it will not break all the way through. Before I would fill with epoxy and fillers I would just leave just alone. However 1 or 2 layers of 1708 or other mat will add just as much strength as filled would and be somewhat lighter and much stronger than the rest of your hull. Food for thought.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Thanks for the advice proshadetree. I was thinking that I might as well go ahead and just put new wood in because eighther way this area is right nex to where the new stringers are going in so it will be getting three layers of 1708 anyway when I glass in the stringers.

I also have a question about this grinding phase that I am in the middle of. I was wondering if I need to grind all of the old glass and resin out down to the roving or do I just need to scuff up the surface? I am going to be using epoxy and if all I need to scuff it the grinding would go a lot faster.

The other thing is that I am finding little pits in the old resin. Most of these pits are about the size of a ball point pen head, but a few are bigger, about an 1/8th of an inch. Here are some pics.



My last question is about may plan to keep the little channels from where I cut out the old stringers. There are three reasons I would like to be able to keep these and not grind them down. First reason is to know exactly where the sringers are placed, next is to hold the new srtinger straight while the bedding dries, and third they would become built in fillets and save me a lot of epoxy. Here is a pic.



Does anyone see why this would be a bad idea to keep these channels of old glass?

 

[proshadetree]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Need to make sure all old Gell is ground off. I vacuumed my hull wiped with acetone and went to bonding. Those pits you see are common for most boats they blow this glass in there with a gun ,they are not hand laid like you are going to do. In my opinion hand laid beats the crap out of blowing it in. You can leave the channel most do, I ground out the last set i did as they followed the lines of the hull.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Thanks again proshadetree, you have been a huge help!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

The wood is just a low cost filler that makes it easier to glass over the strakes in production, it does add some stiffness, but that is a secondary benefit. Some boats use foam, some use wood, some putty others use nothing.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Thanks for looking at my project thread. I had been hoping you would find it. Thanks for the info on the strakes. You seem to be one of the top pro people to talk to on this site for glassing and hull repair. It is an honor for me to have you look at my little adventure.

 

[baylinerguy2009]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

I have an 89 Bayliner cobra, I will be replacing the floor on mine. great boats. i look forward to seeing pics throughout the rebuild

 

[88BLiner]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Hey guys i am back. I have not had a chance to work on the boat for the past few weeks so i have no update pics but I what to give an update anyhow. I will be back working on her this weekend. I also came up with a pretty cool idea for the boat. I will write later and explain. TGIF

 

[Drunken Clam]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Following your thread man, very sorry for the fire-loss, but glad to see you back at the boat!

Excellent work so far, can't wait to see what you have planned for the interior.

 

[flaman]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

gotta hand it to you for the project - great job. i too have a 1987 Bayliiner Cobra project nearing completion. been following your thread. sorry for your problems. but i am sure you will make it happen as you seem the type. good luck

 

[macebigelow]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Hi guys,
I read through the whole thing and all I can say is "wow!". Great motivation. I am a very very new boater and have only had the pleasure of being on boats but never the owner. I am fixing to pick up my first boat and shes a 1988 Bayliner Cobra. Everything works and well..im pretty excited. Just wanted to say thanks everyone for input and heck goodjob 88Bliner!

 

[atmeco9]

Re: 1988 Bayliner Cobra 1800 restoration.

Interesting read and photo's. Im in the middle off restoring an 88 Bayliner Cobra too, its the closed bow model tho (dont see many of them around) they are nice looking boats. When i got mine it was in two halves, most parts were missing (nightmare sourcing parts from Shetland in the UK) the hull had been rubbed thru the whole length so quite a bit off fibreglass repair's needed. Its together now with most of it finished, about to start the wiring and half way through making new seating panels, should be good when finished. Anyway nice to read someone elses experiences and to see photo's of a similar boat online .