99 Explorer 19tv restoration

Capt. TW

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Sep 5, 2018
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Hello, new to the site and I have recently purchased a 99 Explorer 19tv for a great price and my plan is to bring it back to great condition and hopefully enjoy for a long while.

I am located in Texas near Corpus Christi so this style of boat is pretty common here and was bought out by Dargel.

The boat is completely solid as per the hull and the 99 Yamaha 115 commercial 2 stroke seems to be strong. There are some nicks and dings that I will have questions on as per the bottom of the hull.

My my plan is to:
1) strip off everything that is bolted on with exception of the engine (still to be determined)
2) Clean the boat up like someone cares about it, the previous owner said it was kept inside but the stacks of leaves and black mold in boxes said the truth.
3) Make repairs to bottom (gelcoat scratches and gouges) fix dings and nicks
4) Buff out entire hull and begin reassembling.
5) Build lean post, forward casting platform, cooler racks and install live well.

I welcome and ask for any comments good, bad and ugly. Thanks and look forward to your comments.
 

Woodonglass

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Dec 29, 2009
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25,924
Uhhmmm she's 19 years old sooo...I'd highly recommend core sampling the Transom, Looking for any soft spots in the deck and checking her Weight. Her age would lead me to believe she may have some WaterLogged foam and rotted stringes below the deck. Not totally familiar with this boat, but they ALL have typical issues after their 10th Birthday.
 

Capt. TW

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Sep 5, 2018
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Thanks for the reply, as to this point I have stripped her down, removed the main hull drains and got about a half gallon of water out. I tipped boat up almost straight up with tractor and it just dripped. Boat did not pull heavy at all.

I was thinking the same about the transom and stringers however I did the hammer tap test and got the same solid tap all the way through. I also stood on engine and no movement at all. I was thinking about cutting access ports in the deck to inspect stringers but wasn’t real sure what area to cut them in.

The deck is is solid with no soft spots I can find.
 

Capt. TW

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Sep 5, 2018
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When I pulled main drain ports I did find the port side to have only a dab of sealant on it so I’m guessing that’s were the water came from. Of course that area of the core is wet and it seems to be about 2.5” thick.

I also drilled a led a hole through the transom to add a live well pump and it was solid and dry.
 

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Capt. TW

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Sep 5, 2018
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Here are the scratches I discussed, questions.

Would it it be best to just rough up with 80-120 grit clean with acetone and respray with gel coat?

Or

Rough up as above and coat with epoxy mixed with graphite?

Was not sure if epoxy would stick to the gelcoat?

Thanks
 

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Capt. TW

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Sep 5, 2018
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I’ve read a lot about these hulls and have had some gelcoat issues from factory. I found these in the pocket tunnel. This is and area that has extreme stress. Should I be worried.
 

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Woodonglass

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Most Everything I'm seeing in the pics is Cosmetic and NOT structural. No NEED to fix but you can if you want. The one pic does seem to show a long gouge where Glass fibers are expose. If that's true then you DO need to repair it. Basic glass repair using Resin, CSM, and Fabric.
 

Capt. TW

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Sep 5, 2018
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Sounds great. When stripping the deck I removed the hatches and was surprised to see the deck core was 1” thick and glassed on both sides.

I also installed a live well pump through the transom and the core was solid and dry.
 
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