Chaparral 2000 SL Sport floor, and more?? [SPLASHED Sept 2017]

[Baylinerchuck]

So I decided to start a repair thread for my 1990 20' Chaparral bow rider. I purchased the boat in Virginia. The boat spent the vast majority of its time on Lake Anna, and only had one owner. Though the PO claimed to have taken very good care of her, there were several issues I saw right off the bat that would need addressed. Since this boat was exactly what I wanted as far as motor, design, and price, I made the purchase. I spent about 6 weeks trying to make her run right, seeking advice at times from this forum. Everything I replaced was what I would consider basic maintenance. Oil, filter, plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, thermostat, exhaust shutters, and retimed it. I cleaned the fuel pump, installed a new fuel filter, fuel lines and checked the tank. While cleaning the carb I found a blockage that could not be cleared. I purchased a remanufactured carb. While all this was going on I gave the trailer some attention. New tires, rebuilt the master cylinder, new brakes, bearings and seals, and new wobble rollers. The PO had the boat positioned so far back on the trailer that every time I hit a bump, the surge brakes activated. I extended the tongue a foot and pulled the boat forward, repositioning the wobble roller brackets. New LED lights, soldered and heat shrunk connections completed the trailer work. I have had the boat since early July and even thought it didn't run perfectly, we still managed to use it every weekend. Now that the motor runs strong and is reliable, and trailer is safe, it's time to begin focusing on some other things. The floor has a soft spot right in the area above the fuel tank. It's a plastic fuel tank, so I'm sure condensation has a lot to do with the floor. Stringers in that area don't look great either. There are some other wood related issues such as the backers to the port side vinyl. I'm sure I'll uncover more as I progress. I plan on using her a few more times before digging into the floor. I really want to take in some autumn scenery at Raystown Lake before I start. I'll have a few more posts of things I've already done in the coming days or weeks.

 

[SeaDooSam]

It looks great from the outside! Wow sounds like a boatload of work. Don't forget to enjoy it too!

 

[tpenfield]

Tagging along. looking forward to updates. Post some pictures of the soft spots, the fuel tank bay and the stringers that don't look so good, along with any other areas of the structure.

Funny thing about fiberglass boats (at least of that era) . . . Only the outside of the hull is fiberglass, the rest is organic and even with good care can absorb moisture and rot.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

It looks great from the outside! Wow sounds like a boatload of work. Don't forget to enjoy it too!

Thanks!! I thought she was a looker too. The gelcoat is in real good shape. One thing the PO did well was waxing. He wasn't much of a mechanic, (nor was the marina apparently), but he kept the outside nice. The vinyl is still in good shape too. Much of the wood backing needs replaced as you'll see in future posts.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Tagging along. looking forward to updates. Post some pictures of the soft spots, the fuel tank bay and the stringers that don't look so good, along with any other areas of the structure.

Funny thing about fiberglass boats (at least of that era) . . . Only the outside of the hull is fiberglass, the rest is organic and even with good care can absorb moisture and rot.

Thanks Ted, I'll try to keep them coming enough to keep you wanting more....lol. Thanks for following.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

The PO had mentioned how he took great care of this boat. Like I stated, it looked great. Mechanically, not so much. As part of the "new to me" maintenance I do on all my new toys I found many things that needed immediate attention. According to the PO, the marina did all his mechanical work as he was not very mechanical inclined.

The fuel filter was completely stopped up with aluminum corrosion from the fuel pump. Blocked passages in the carb meant buying a remanufactured carb. I opted to retain the carb instead of using it for a core. These quadrajet marine bodies for the 4.3L are getting harder to find. The carb I bought is actually a V8 quadrajet due to the diameter of the primary bores. It was jetted down to work on a 4.3L.

 

[tpenfield]

Yea, lots of folks think washing and waxing is taking good care of their boats. Good thing that you are digging into it and finding the issues.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

It looks great from the outside! Wow sounds like a boatload of work. Don't forget to enjoy it too!

We were enjoying with our friends as much as possible in the little time we had. This is my Chaparral, a 20' Rinker and an 18' Sea Ray. We like to meet up on the Potomac river for water sports or a little relaxing. As it starts to get colder, I'm already missing summer! Some great memories are made every year.

 

[drewm3i]

On one of my old Chaparral's (a '95 2130 SS) that was immaculate, it had the "soft spot" in the floor above the fuel tank. I initially thought rot, but it was far from any other piece of wood, so I got a closer look and saw that there was a large stress crack in the plywood because there was no cross member installed under the deck. Keep in mind this is a high trafffic area and over time the wood flexes and will crack because it has no support (stringers are too far apart).

 

[Baylinerchuck]

On one of my old Chaparral's (a '95 2130 SS) that was immaculate, it had the "soft spot" in the floor above the fuel tank. I initially thought rot, but it was far from any other piece of wood, so I got a closer look and saw that there was a large stress crack in the plywood because there was no cross member installed under the deck. Keep in mind this is a high trafffic area and over time the wood flexes and will crack because it has no support (stringers are too far apart).

Thanks Drew. I agree with you as far that area being a highly stressed part of the deck. I plan on feinforcing that area when I lay down the new deck.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

Some of the first projects I've done on this restoration is trailer work. I tow with an F250 diesel, so though not overly concerned with trailer braking for a 2500 lb boat, I like to have everything working. I have the surge brakes all straightened out with a master cylinder restoration, an new drum brake backer plates. The most important thing for me was getting the boat positioned properly on the trailer for safe towing. The PO had shortened the tongue and moved the boat back. The result placed all the weight behind the axle. I could lift the tongue with one hand. This meant the surge brakes would activate with every bump in the road. What an aggravating trailer to tow. I needed to keep this trailer short so t his 20' bow rider will fit in my garage. I was able to source a 3 X 5 X 1/4" wall rectangular tube steel for the tongue. The length I chose would add 12" to the length of the trailer. I moved the rear wobble roller bracket to the next hole forward in the frame. I was able to move the boat forward about 16". This distributed a lot of weight forward on the trailer. Now I am unable to lift the tongue of the trailer, and the whole rig is much more tow friendly. I got a heck of a deal on factory second EZ Loader wobble rollers. Most places have them for 7.99 and above each. I got mine for 3.99, and though slightly blemished, you can't really tell. I needed 32 of these bad boys, so I was happy to save some money. New, wheel bearings, wiring and LED lighting finished off the trailer.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

One of the first restoration projects I did to wet my whistle was replacing the seat bases. The vinyl was stapled to plywood then attached to a plastic frame that is attached to the pedestal. I removed the vinyl from the rotten wood as carefully as possible to ensure I had a good pattern. I drilled additional weep holes and painted the wood with Rustoleum Top Side paint. I had to use a heat gun to soften the vinyl enough to reattach it to new plywood. Anyone know of any products that soften old vinyl? I current use 303 vinyl protectant.

 

[gsxrdan]

looking good, i got a bunch of wobble rollers and brackets second hand, the trailer was 1 of the first jobs on my build, but buying that stuff new was out of the question!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

looking good, i got a bunch of wobble rollers and brackets second hand, the trailer was 1 of the first jobs on my build, but buying that stuff new was out of the question!

I know, it's insane what those rollers cost. If I wouldn't have found those blemish rollers, I would have surely converted to bunk. I see how some folks fight with heavy boats on bunks at the ramp, so I'm really happy to have the wobble rollers.

 

[79_banshee]

Wow man you got lots done to it already can't wait to see you start ripping into the floor. Nice looking boat too

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Wow man you got lots done to it already can't wait to see you start ripping into the floor. Nice looking boat too

Thanks, and glad to have you aboard. I'll be posting some more pictures today as I start tearing into her.

 

[79_banshee]

Right on bud can wait. Love pics

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

Today I got started on some demo. First I had to clean out my garage. I took a couple of "before pictures", and measurements of key areas. This post will contain just a few before pictures. On the surface it doesn't look too bad. As I dig in you'll see the soft spots.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

Here are some of the issues. A soft floor just aft of the ski locker. Seat pedestal screws pulling out of the floor. A stinky fuel fill line and vent that will need to be replaced. Soft stringers in the aft area of the ski locker and next to the fuel tank.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

I got the port side panels off. Much of the plywood backer is rotted. Also started taking out the rear couch. Much of this was already loose from the floor, as the screws were pulled out. More to come. I just don't understand why stainless steel hardware wasn't used, and for crying out loud.....paint bare plywood!!!!