Re: looking into fixing up my 14ft MFG Niagara. Any suggestions
Re: looking into fixing up my 14ft MFG Niagara. Any suggestions
Hi Matt,
Oh man, that poor MFG! The PO really did some hack work. Well, a lot of it is easy to repair, some will take a little more research and work. But for starters, here is a list of things to do/don't do:
1) The rubrail:
- is aluminum with a vinyl insert.
- DO NOT TRASH THE ALUMINUM!!! it is very expensive, and fairly easy to bend and repair where dented.
- The black vinyl insert is about $30 for a 40 ft roll when I bought it a few years back, and easy to install.
- Remove it all, and store in a safe place while you work on the boat. Save any oem screws, they are stainless or aluminum.
2) The transom:
- The aluminum top cap is missing, so the transom MAY have already been repaired. Drill a few test probe holes from the inside to see if the wood is dry or wet or just dark mush resembling potting soil.
If wet/rotten:
- Remove the splashwell to work on the transom. Looks like the splashwell was hacked up a bit on the side openings, just sand them smooth to get rid of the hacked appearance.
- Decide if you want to do a Seacast or traditional plywood repair. I suggest doing a new plywood transom because of the much lower cost, and if pressure treated ply is used, even if future leaks develop, it will still hold up. There is lots of info available on these forums on transom repair, also on shareaproject.com. So I won't go into detail here.
- You do not have to use the same style brass tube drains if you don't want to, the brass "screw on" style from the outside will work fine too.
3) The deck:
- Niagara's came with a solid fiberglass floor (at least the first few years) with fiberglass stringers. It was often a light beige color. Yours looks funny, maybe its glue from carpet? The plywood was probably used to add strength for the post seats.
- Fill the holes in the floor from the original seat mounts by grinding a dip and laying a few layers of glass and resin.
- If it feels solid, it probably is.
- If it feels soft, its probably cracked, and you might think about cutting it out and redoing it with plywood.
4) The gel coat:
- So it was painted, probably was past being rejuvinated.
- I would sand and prep for a nice paint job.
- That CRACK!!!!! That crack is on the starboard side a few inches aft of the dash, right? Big, nasty crack. Not hard to fix. If you look up from under the gunnel, you will see its plywood reinforced (if the original foam is missing). So inspect the ply to see if its cracked too. If it is, just put a patch piece about 18" long over the crack (from below) and attach with construction adhesive. Use a few short screws to hold it until adhesive dries. Then grind away the crack from above, feathering the crack back about 6 inches on each side of the crack, then apply a few alternating layers of mat/resin and 10-12 oz weave. Top with mat. Sand smooth, primer and its ready for paint.
5) The outer underside perimeter of the cap:
- The factory fill this gap with what appears to be a polyester filler.
- Remove all the bondo or whatever the PO packed on there.
- Pull out loose pieces.
- Replace with glass reinforced body filler. NOT regular body filler.
- Fill the thin cracks/gaps with a water proof construction adhesive.
So that should get you started.
Check out the boat in detail, let us know how it stands. Especially that transom.
What about the condition of the windshield?
Steering? Has it been upgraded with a teleflex type rotary helm?
That control box looks like a 60's Johnson/Evinrude unit. Will probably want to go with a newer unit to match the motor you use.
What are your plans for use? Restore/refurbish for just running around for fun? Convert to fishing boat?
Good luck, and keep posting pictures.
Mark
