First rebuild - '89 Campion Allante 185 - Stringers, Deck, Transom

[Scott Danforth]

before you go any further. get the motor off the boat and make a cradle for the hull

 

[steve_h7]

before you go any further. get the motor off the boat and make a cradle for the hull

Will do... I just ordered a lifting ring to pull the motor and have to build a stand for
it so that's the next step.
Since the cap isn't being removed is a cradle necessary? The trailer has rollers which
I've read isn't the best, but I thought I could get away with leaving it on the trailer if the
majority of the cap remained in place... no?
I can see I'm going to have a million questions so it might be time to start an actual
project thread to keep it all in one place.

 

[kcon]

Can confirm, when I was tearing my deck out early in the process I blasted right through the hull with a massive firefighter crowbar, easy fix! What Wood posted (great artist skills by the way) is exactly what I was thinking too.

I think you may be able to get away with not building a cradle (I didn't on my project), but it will absolutely still flex a bit both width and length wise, it's certainly better that you do so, might save you frustration down the line.

 

[ACon977]

Since the cap isn't being removed is a cradle necessary? The trailer has rollers which
I've read isn't the best, but I thought I could get away with leaving it on the trailer if the
majority of the cap remained in place... no?

Building a cradle isnt too difficult, depending on how your hull fits in your trailer. Here are a few pictures of my hull constraint, I measured everything before removing the cap, VERY IMPORTANT. I'm about to put my floor back in, and my dimensions are still the same, thankfully.

My one recommendation, is if you are to do the little wedges, make them at a smaller angle, then they will stay in place better. Ive had them falling out as I climb in and out of the boat 100000000 times.

I can see I'm going to have a million questions so it might be time to start an actual
project thread to keep it all in one place.

You can ask a moderator to change the name of this thread to something else if you'd like. You are already in dry dock on the restoration page, with some great followers, I would keep using this one.

 

[BillP]

I would make the splash well cut in one of two ways. 1. straight back along the side deck to the transom. 2. 45 degree angle in from the transom corners. Either way will leave structure to help keep the hull straight and room to insert wood. I posted pics and info yrs ago here on a Cobia restoration I did this way...which I still own and still going strong. On that one I cut the splash well straight back to the transom and preserved the side decks all the way back. To get the transom wood (2 layers of 3/4" ply) in I cut each layer diagonally and reversed the layers so the cuts were opposing each other.

 

[BillP]

afterthought...these cutting methods will keep you from dealing with the rub rail and deck to hull joint. Nothing worse than pulling old rub rails off and having to replace the whole deal.

 

[BillP]

pics are better than words...

 

[steve_h7]

Thanks everyone! And AC, thanks for the tip on redoing the title of the thread... that's a great idea.

I got the last of floor out at the bow... the only dry wood I've found in the whole boat!
Tomorrow I'll see if I can't put a stand together and then rent a cherry picker on Friday.

 

[ACon977]

There is actually a thread where MODS are watching and will change the name of your thread for you!

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/othe...moderator-team

 

[Woodonglass]

Roller trailers are notorious for warping the hull if the stringers are out. They only support the hull where the wheels make contact and without the stringers they can make indentations. Even with the cap on. I'd do all you can to try and avoid this.

UPDATE: You don't Have to cut where the drawing shows. It's my recommendation due to it giving you maximum access to the entire transom and it's much easier to repair on the go back. IF your rubrail is not totally brittle it easy enuf to heat it with a heat gun and remove it as well as reinstall it. removing a few rivets from the aluminium rail to get it out of the way is not that big of a deal. However if you don't want to do that the other methods suggested is doable but access to the entire transom could be problematic. Your Boat....Your Choice! It's fiberglass... Sooooo no matter where you cut it WILL BE repairable.

 

[BillP]

Roller trailers are notorious for warping the hull if the stringers are out. They only support the hull where the wheels make contact and without the stringers they can make indentations. Even with the cap on. I'd do all you can to try and avoid this.

UPDATE: You don't Have to cut where the drawing shows. It's my recommendation due to it giving you maximum access to the entire transom and it's much easier to repair on the go back. IF your rubrail is not totally brittle it easy enuf to heat it with a heat gun and remove it as well as reinstall it. removing a few rivets from the aluminium rail to get it out of the way is not that big of a deal. However if you don't want to do that the other methods suggested is doable but access to the entire transom could be problematic. Your Boat....Your Choice! It's fiberglass... Sooooo no matter where you cut it WILL BE repairable.

You make removing old rub rails sound so simple but there are other considerations not mentioned. More often than not you have to pull the rubber out of the channel to expose the mounting screws or rivets for removal and to install the channel back. When vintage rub rail is pulled out it doesn't always (like hardly ever) just press or slide back in...with lube or heat. Most slide in from the channel ends and it can be most difficult or impossible to slide them out or back in the same way. The mounting channels get beat up, banged up, corroded and constrain movement. Been there on too many old rub rails and is why I try not to cut the deck to hull joints that have good rub rails. Your mileage may vary.

 

[steve_h7]

There is actually a thread where MODS are watching and will change the name of your thread for you!

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/othe...moderator-team

Thanks for that! The request is in to change it...

 

[steve_h7]

Regarding where to cut the splash well, it's good to know that I have options. I'll remove some of the
rub rail and see how easy or hard it is to put back in place. Cutting just the splash well is more
what I envisioned initially, but I do like the idea of cutting it at the gunwales so the whole back is
exposed and the transom is more open to access.

If the lack of stringers is what will cause the hull to flex, there's so little solid stringer left anywhere on
the boat that it makes me wonder if the flex has already happened with the roller trailer. Or maybe
I should have taken measurements before removing the floor... although it was mostly mush too.
Honestly I'm just running out of room in the driveway to put the boat on a cradle but I'll keep it in
mind that that's the best option.

Motor mount supplies bought but ran out of light before I was able to get started so there's always
tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[89 resorter]

Steve, you don't need to build a separate cradle.... I had good luck just building up some wood bunks between my trailer and the boat and it worked well. My boat was also on a roller trailer and I looking back, I would absolutely not begin the process of removing the stringers unless I had bunk like supports. You will find that with floor, stringers and transom out of the boat, the hull is flexible as a Tupperware bowl.

 

[Scott Danforth]

You make removing old rub rails sound so simple but there are other considerations not mentioned. More often than not you have to pull the rubber out of the channel to expose the mounting screws or rivets for removal and to install the channel back. When vintage rub rail is pulled out it doesn't always (like hardly ever) just press or slide back in...with lube or heat. Most slide in from the channel ends and it can be most difficult or impossible to slide them out or back in the same way. The mounting channels get beat up, banged up, corroded and constrain movement. Been there on too many old rub rails and is why I try not to cut the deck to hull joints that have good rub rails. Your mileage may vary.

it helps to take old rubber rub rail out, coil in a 5 gallon bucket and hose it down with some Mequires rubber restore/conditioner or other product and let it sit. I used 303 protectant last time and will be pulling out shortly. the rubber is original to my boat and is now 31 years old.

 

[steve_h7]

Steve, you don't need to build a separate cradle.... I had good luck just building up some wood bunks between my trailer and the boat and it worked well. My boat was also on a roller trailer and I looking back, I would absolutely not begin the process of removing the stringers unless I had bunk like supports. You will find that with floor, stringers and transom out of the boat, the hull is flexible as a Tupperware bowl.

Thanks for that. I'm a visual guy (and often clueless about many boat terms) so pictures always help.
I took this pic from your Coronado restore; is this the bunk you created? Does it physically lift the hull
off the rollers slightly? (Beautiful boat btw!)



I still have a ways to go before stringers come out so it sounds like after the OB removal I'll start
researching some way to support the hull during the rebuild. Boy, this gets to be more fun by the
minute.

 

[89 resorter]

Yep, that's the one. It did not lift the boat to the point where the rollers were free but it definitely took a lot of pressure off of them. Once I had all of the supports in place, I simply pounded wood shims between the up-right pieces and the boards on the floor and trailer beams to get a nice tight fit.... crude, but effective LOL.

 

[ACon977]

If the lack of stringers is what will cause the hull to flex, there's so little solid stringer left anywhere on
the boat that it makes me wonder if the flex has already happened with the roller trailer. Or maybe
I should have taken measurements before removing the floor... although it was mostly mush too.
Honestly I'm just running out of room in the driveway to put the boat on a cradle but I'll keep it in
mind that that's the best option.

IMO, its not the stringers that are holding your boat hull from flexing, its a combination of the floor and cap. Now that the floor is gone, the cap is the last thing keeping the hull from sagging outwards. It wont sag significanly, but I've read a few threads where people are putting the cap back on and have 1" to make up, but cant.

Just something to plan ahead for! As long as you measure and do something, and confirm that its in the same shape before you put the floor back in, you'll be fine.

 

[steve_h7]

Where should I be measuring and how often? Am I measuring across the beam and up at the
cap height or just below since part is getting removed? Or lower? Do you measure just a couple
of places or every 6 in. or?

Engine stand is built and lifting eye tool came and fits perfect. The rent-it place shows it's open till 5:30pm
so I run up to get an engine lift... they closed at 1:30pm. :facepalm: Engine removal will have to wait till Monday.

 

[Woodonglass]

You want to measure at the beam, at the deck attachment and the height from deck to top cap. This MUST stay the same after all the new stuff is installed. Nylon Straps encircling the hull will help it from flexing outwards.