Congrats on the beautiful restoration, Slager. I have an opportunity to purchase an 1895 Storm and was hoping for some direction. My knowledge on hull issues is extremely limited, but reviewing your rebuild process has me concerned that this boat could have similar issues. The owner tells me it is in excellent condition and has always been stored indoors during the offseason. Are there any visible signs I should be looking for that may give hints of hull issues, dry rot, etc. Again, my knowledge level is extremely limited, so any direction would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks..
These 1895 storms are a great boat to fish out of, especially on big lakes. What year is the one you're looking at? If you are serious about buying an older one, the best thing you can do is pay for a marine survey. They cost several hundred, but it will provide either peace of mind, serious negotiating power or a clear reason to pass on that boat. Definitely ask the owner for permission to do a marine survey even if you don't actually have it done. Reluctance of the owner to give permission indicates a problem.
If you don't want to do the marine survey, here is what you can do. First, check every inch of the deck for any hint of soft spots. Any soft spot indicates serious problems. Also, during a test ride, have some one drive the boat while you watch the transom for movement, have them go on and of plane, fwd, rev, and over some waves or boat wakes. The transom shouldn't flex. Out of the water, You can also tilt the motor up some and bounce up and down on the skeg and watch for the transom to flex. After that, you can remove the starting batteries and get your head down into the bilge. There should be limber holes at the bottom of the stringers, about 8-12" from the transom. You should be able to get your finger into those holes and feel dry solid wood above. If the fiberglass is at all loose from the wood, it could be a problem. Tap on the stringers all along its length and listen for the sound to change and look for any soft spots, dark spots, any sign of water leaking out of the stringers. If the owner will let you (its not unreasonable for the owner to be reluctant here), the best thing you can do is drill a couple 1/4" holes in the stringers and transom about 2" up from the hull. The stringers are set on foam strips, so you have to be high enough to hit wood, but not too high to miss water. You may need to go 3-4" up on the transom and if you can fit, do it between the step and the stringer, maybe 2" above the center of the step would be good too. You should get clean, dry wood shavings. If drilling produces anything dark and wet, slimy, stinky or powdery, that is a problem. Those holes can be filled with marine tex putty or 3m 5200. Then, also use some judgement on if the garage it is in looks like it doesn't leak and if the owner has been honest and consistent in his statements. If everything checks out, these are an awesome walleye boat. I like them so much, I was willing to do the work to fix mine. You can also start a new thread here on iboats, post some pictures and more experienced eyes can look at it.
Oh, one more thing. Look at the plastic pieces, through hulls, access port covers. They should be in decent condition. If they turn to powder when scratched with your finger nail, they have been exposed to a lot of sun, meaning probably a lot of rain too.
