Another

[2broke4this]

I found a boat on craigslist a while back and brought it home with me... I did almost everything wrong (bought it on a cold day, no sea trial, didn't even hear it run). It's a 1986 Ebko Biarritz 210SS. The hull is in nearly perfect condition and the boat has barely been used (158 hours)... the engine and outdrive are beautiful... the interior was pretty rough, but I knew that and was okay with it. I walked around inside the boat, and with the exception of one small area, it all seemed solid. That was because the water-logged wood was all frozen! Many of you are probably already shaking your heads, and I don't blame you.... what follows are some pictures of the fun I've been having! I'm starting to think I should have kept the old boat....

See the pretty hull?

Here's the engine... (much bigger than the 3.0 that was in the old boat)

Here comes the fun part.....

An example of the seating conditions...

Started pulling the vinyl out...

Let's see what's under the carpet... maybe this was a mistake! The board is covering a hole, so we don't fall through!

It's not pretty...

Got most of the floor out before we called it a day...

The foam is waterlogged and has to go...

Still have more to pull out....

I've been reading lots of threads about the work I've got ahead of me, and I'm not excited about it, but I have an image of the boat out on the water... so that's been keeping me going! I'd love to hear any comments/suggestions that you all may have!

 

[Robj]

Re: Another

Looks like you'll be having fun. I did the same thing, bought a cheap boat that is turning out to be a bigger project than expected, I am about to put in new stringers. It was cheap so I am OK. There are lots of knowledgeable people on this site who are kind enough to advise you on how to proceed with your repair. That is how I learned. While you are down there, you should check your stringers and transom. Hpoefully there won't be any surprises.

 

[OhioLowell]

Re: Another

2broke,

Well look at the brite side, at least there was a board over the hole so you didn't fall through?!:/

You've get all the help you need for your new adventure here! Wish I could be of more help, right now all I can say is keep at it. Remember, "you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time".

Be sure to keep us posted! I love ot see the pictures of others work.

Bes of luck!
Lowell

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Another

Thanks guys, I'll definitely be checking out the stringers and transom before it all goes back together... I'm just really hoping (but not expecting) that they are okay!

If you want to see more pictures, I'm just putting them up on my cardomain site.... at least until it tells me I have too many pictures up! Page 3 has pictures of the boat before I started tearing it up and Page 4 is where I'll be posting the teardown pics.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2515597/4

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Another

been there done that, one reason i;ve gone to aluminum boats, and never another i/o.

 

[iwombat]

Re: Another

I'm right with you on the i/o. When you stop and think about it you've got a boat with a HUGE GAPING HOLE cut below the waterline.

Talk about some seriously crazy ideas.

:devil:

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: Another

2broke, Yup, did the same thing. Expertise is abound here and some is very good. But, manual labor can not be posted, downloaded or emailed. You got quite a job ahead, hope you have help. I passed mine on to a younger generation, after I did all the dirty work. My advice is: Protect your health! while working on the beast! I'm still suffering........
You could name her "Brittany" (while under construction) pretty on the outside..all crap inside.
Looking forward to future posting pics.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Another

I have pretty much just come to the point here that any older boat I buy will most likely need new floors. I have a few in progress now and a few waiting for my attention. What I don't want to see is lower hull damage or rotted structural wood. I'd rather replace the floors than have to rebuild a rotted transom too.
So long as what's underneath is solid it's not too bad. There are a few modern options to consider too, a couple of local marinas are using Starboard and a few other sheet flooring materials.
If you intend to keep the boat you may want to consider those options, but for me, I keep my boats well covered, and I coat the new wood with resin and finally with a top coat of glass to seal it for life. You have to be super careful to seal all edges, anywhere that moisture could get to the wood must be sealed.

I would think that with the availability of better materials and the fact that the cost of those materials isn't much higher than good marine plywood the boat manufacturers would have stopped using wood floors a long time ago. I would also think that it would be easier and less labor intensive to simply mold the floors as part of the hull. I have also seen a few that had fiberglass floors, but only a thin layer over unprotected plywood. I also have always thought that carpet over any wood floor was a bad idea in the first place, it gets wet and holds moisture, and even if its made water resistant, it then gets wet and holds any moisture that gets under it in. I just stripped out a late 80's SeaRay that had that problem, they used thin plywood for the floor, and then spread a thin layer of glass and resin over top. The floor rotted from the bottom, the wood was totally unprotected from bilge side. It didn't have much of a chance from day one. The guy that gave me the boat said that it was getting soft after only a few years. It's a real shame since the hull is super well built, just the floors were poor. The layout of that Sea Ray looks similar to your boat above. The only good part about this one is that I am not fixing this boat, it's getting parted out. It's down to a bare hull now.

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Another

Thanks again guys, I spent a little more time on the boat tonight... I must admit I'm not looking forward to this and have definitely decided that I won't be putting carpet back in the boat. I pulled a little more of the floor out and got a little better look at the stringers. They seem mostly solid, but there are definitely areas where they've gotten wet and rotted.

Reelfishin, the floor was built exactly as you described the SeaRay, so it's been fun trying to get through the fiberglass to the rotted wood. To top it off, the ski locker was completely carpeted! When I pulled the carpet out of there it was literally dripping, and the carpet that was stuck to the stringers ripped off the fiberglass! There was so much moisture under the deck that I can't believe ANY of it was still solid. I don't think I'm even going to put in another ski locker, but I may change my mind on that if I can figure out a way to do it without causing myself a whole lot of grief. I forgot to bring the camera tonight, but I'll try to get more pictures up next time I work on it.

I'm still not exactly sure what I'm going to put back in for a floor... I'm leaning toward just coating wood and then fiberglass over it, but I'll definitely look into the Starboard. I've already purchased a cover for it, so hopefully I won't have to do this again! I would really like to be on the water some time this summer, but I'd rather do it right the first time than have to do this again in a few years. I'm just happy/lucky to know people that have shops that I can work in and that I don't have to do all this outside!

Now to bed, so I can lie awake all night trying to figure out what all I still have to buy for the boat....

-Carl

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Another

That looks like a lot of work. However, that is a BEAUTIFUL boat. Well worth the time and effort. You'll have one classy and expensive looking craft when you're done.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Another

i've learned on thing, that has proven to help me on the big projects. break them down, make little goals, and complete them. the reward of completing that goal, will keep you going on the next.
don't get ahead of yourself. when it gets bad. take a day off, then go back refreshed. sometimes it's better just to stop. and sleep on it.
my best solutions come after being frustrated, i sit in the boat, and have a couple of adult beverages, and contemplate the situation. tasha, and i have spent many hours, just sitting.

before i ever tackle a new boat i'll spend several hours, just deciding on the plan of attack and the results i want.

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Another

Okay... time for a little update!

I spent a little more time in the boat last night (it's hard to find time to get over to it, it's in somebody else's garage and I'm trying to finish up grad school). The intent was to get it ready to tow to the mechanic to have somebody who actually knows what he's doing check it all over and get it ready to run before I cover the engine area all back up and make it hard to work on. The first $500 is on my boss, because I sold him my old jet ski... It would be awesome if the bill doesn't go over that, but I'm not overly optimistic. The steering cable is frozen and I'd be real surprised if it doesn't need bellows work to make her seaworthy. I really wish I had more time and my own place to work on the boat, but that will hopefully come after I graduate and get a real job!

I pulled a little more of the floor out last night and started pulling the wet foam. That stuff is disgusting! The stringers are pretty solid, except for the area around the driver seat. The floor is the worst there too, which makes sense. I'm hoping to get a more educated idea of what all I have left to do when I bring the boat to the shop. I don't want to skimp in areas that will come back to bite me, but I'd REALLY like to get the boat in the water before the end of the summer! I am a little concerned about towing the boat with it in the state it's in, do you guys think it will be a problem? I won't be pulling it on the highway or anything, but it's about 20 miles to the shop, and the boat is on a roller trailer, so it's not supported like it would be on a bunk trailer.

This is a pic of the area below the driver's seat...

Here's the other side....

The ski locker area with the carpet pulled out... I can't believe they had carpet down there... it was SOO wet!

The massive gas tank.... it's unburied now!

I cheated a little and picked up premade seats to put back in... to save my time and sanity, so those will eventually go in.... but first, it's off to the shop to see how much money I'll have to dump into the engine area! Thanks for looking, and for any comments you have!

-Carl

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Another

Oops! I meant to post THIS picture of the gas tank....