Introducing Walter.. A boat made by chrysler, named after a ford, made by mazda..

[Oddballmotorsports]

So Been wanting a boat for a while now.. I wound up trading a quad with my guy that I buy all my used atv parts from that had been sitting in the back of my garage for ever.. Here he is.. (a guy naming a boat a male? ok what ever lol) anyways its a 1972 Chrysler Courier 154 Walter P. Chrysler.. Get it?

One thing you can say, Yup that's orange.. its not from 1972.. noooo.. anyways, I'm keeping that orange hue.. needs work. go figure.. floors are good, but the upholstery isn't. so time to fire up the ole singer, and stitch up some groovy orange cushions.

its got a johnson 28 on it now.. good for umm iunno. 10mph? ooh. so the 28 will go away in favor of a 90.. which is what the boat is rated for.

no onto the problem. the transom.. its needing attention..

OUCH! ok so I knew about this.. completely okay with firing up the sander, digging this out, and re 'glassing it.. which is where the questions start...

It's not the most accessible area, its going to be a pain. so since this is a very structural area, it needs to be strong (obviously). however its mostly not visible, so I have two paths I think I could take.. The first, is take the cracks, drill the ends, bevel around it, fill the crack with cloth strips, then add on top of it, essentially bridging the crack. this would save from a ton of labor sanding down around the crack to make the panel level once repaired.

The other way, bevel out 4-8 inches around it, and fix it the way you would on an outside panel. when its done. it would look as it did when it left the factory.

now, as far as the transom itself goes, I can't tell but is it straight glass mat? or would there be some wood in there? I can peek inside the original mounting holes to see whats there, but at first glance, it looks like straight 'glass. and as far as repairs go, what resin should I use? I plan on using a standard non waxed marine grade poly resin, with a final waxed coat, then gel.

should I be using cloth or mat to repair this? and as far as the inside goes I think I want to brush on the gel coat, as given the area, spraying gel would make a pretty nasty environment. it doesn't need to be pretty, as it will never been seen. just needs to work..

and while I'm in there, would it be adventitious to add some aluminum brackets? to keep this from happening again? or what? I know its almost a 50 year old boat, so take that for what it is..

as far as accessibility goes, the part that closes in the transom (no idea what they call that) seems to be non structural, which is also showing some cracks. I could cut that out for better accessibility and then reattach afterwards. don't mind doing that, just a ton more time if I have to.

So I have a couple of months before it gets too cold to lay resin, I'd like to get that taken care of so I can focus on the "new" motor, and upholstery over the winter.. so what do y'all think, do I have a solid plan of attack? are there any time or labor saving tips on repairing the transom? I'm all ears.. The boat is in pretty good shape overall, and I've thought maybe buying a newer 4 stroke once I get everything else sorted out...

 

[CrazyFinn]

So... having no experience with this model of boat, and not being to see everything other than what you have in the photos, my guess is that the transom has (or originally had) a plywood core. That core is likely rotten, and as a result the fibreglass is now cracking because the rotten core is allowing it to flex, bend, and collapse too much. It shouldn't flex at all.

If that is the case, the rotten wood needs to be replaced before the fibreglass is repaired.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Hard to tell exactly what locations are in your pics, but I think CrazyFinn may be right.... you need to check underlying structure and make sure everything is sound and safe.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Obviously not what you want to hear, (trust me, I understand). I agree, the transom core wood is mulch at this point. I would be willing to bet that under the floor is also mulch. Wood core fiberglass boats rot from the bottom up.

Cool looking boat though.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you have a project boat. your transom and stringers are rotten, and most likely your foam is soaked.

If you love the boat...
de-rig the boat
remove everything from the interior
build a cradle
pull the cap (easy 1 hour job),
buy PPE
fire up the tools of destruction
grind for days
make new structure
fillet and tab for days
make new floor
foam
finish
install new carpet
re-install cap
make new interior
re-rig
go boating

the cost of this adventure....about $4-5k

or if you dont love the boat, strip it down, sell the motor and bits, then cut the hull up and dispose of it.

 

[kcassells]

At least you can now lose the orange! Welcome to Iboats! That's a total rehab brother.

 

[Oddballmotorsports]

Been doing some searching.. and here's a weird one, does anyone know if my boat even has stringers? I found this picture when someone removed the floor to replace it on a different chrysler,

and there isn't any, there was just foam, open cell flotation foam, not structural.. so. kinda scratching my head on this one.. I don't really mind tearing into it, but if all it needs is a transom replacement, I'm okay with that, or stringers, but if the floors good, and there isn't stringers, there really isn't any point in tearing up the floor.. at least for that.. so here's what I'm thinking, gonna do some knocking on the transom tomorrow see what it sounds like. I think that will give me a good idea of whats going on with that. as far as the foam under the floor, since the floor is pretty nice, I can assume someone has replaced the floor, now if the foam under it is waterlogged, how can I check for that? weigh it? thought maybe drill a hole somewhere on the floor that I can plug later to see whats underneath? like maybe with an inspection camera? looks like the sump in the back where the bilge goes could be drilled into, one because its cracked already. and also would gain access to underneath without disturbing the floor. that being said, if I get "lucky" and the foam underneath has been removed, are there any products out there where I could inject foam into the cavity without having to disturb the floor? and for what its worth, I like the awful 70's orange lol

and to note, the trailer it sits on is a 76.. that kinda blew me away, and i know the odd's aren't in my favor, but is it possible this cracked because of an impact? given the age, I'm going to say no, but hell I can be hopeful can't I?

 

[Woodonglass]

very good possibility it did NOT have stringers. Center keel only. This is typical of Tri-Hull Boats. Foam filled hulls made them very stable and strong but...If not cared for properly very prone to getting Water Logged Hulls and thus VERY heavy.

 

[kcassells]

And if the foam is waterlogged it needs to be replaced. It will never dry out.

 

[Oddballmotorsports]

Ok, took the anemic 28hp off, did some knocking, yup sounds like my transom is mulch lol anyways, looks like the water intrusion was from the bottom drain, (collar fell out at some point) and the holes for motor mounting.. I stuck a pick inside and went straight to the wood core, and it was soft. so transom repair here I come.. anyways, I was thinking since the outside of the transom is good, and the inside is pretty hashed. would it be better to remove the inner layer of glass and repair it that way? from the oozing out silicone, won't I have issues with adhesion anyways? just seems counterproductive to remove the good layer of glass, and repair the cracked layer.. so the floor might be coming out anyways.. that being said, what foam should I be looking for to replace? expanding flotation foam? closed cell foam? I'm not looking to have this boat last for 20 years, I'd say about 5..

and what would be the most effective way to remove things? from knocking around it seems like the end of the splash cover thing that's closest to the interior is also structural, so where would y'all recommend I cut to gain access? I'd like to reduce the amount of cutting and replacing to the bare minimum so I'm not sanding and glassing until the end of time lol

 

[Oddballmotorsports]

so reading reading, do I need a cradle? and if the answer is yes, wouldn't it be much simpler to just run a brace from side to side, (like say a bolted down piece of wood?) or is there a reason for external bracing?

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Yes, you would repair the transom from the inside which looking at that boat, looks like you would need to take the cap off. You could look into sea cast for a composite solution, or plywood and fiberglass.

Closed cell foam for sure. US Composites was the cheapest I could find when I was doing my boat. You would need a 2 part urethane pourable foam. A 2lb foam is sufficient, though some will do the 4lb for additional structural integrity.

I would try try to build the support for the hull off the trailer since it’s already supporting the boat. Use planks on top of the rollers to spread out the weight. As you remove foam, the rollers can create pressure points which can deform the hull. Once you remove the cap, the hull will get pretty flimsy. If somehow you can do all this without removing the cap, there really is no need to brace IMO. The bracing is to keep the hull from deforming which could make it impossible to put the cap back on.

 

[Oddballmotorsports]

I'm still learning all the bits and pieces that make up my boat.. the cap is the entire top part yeah? how do they attach it to the bottom? and can I say make a cut, undo just the back half? is it bonded? how the heck does that work? and yeah, US composites has some great pricing, I've used them for numerous supplies in the past... I'll be using them again.. as far as seacast goes, I don't know how I feel about using a chainsaw.. just doesn't sit well with me.. I like the idea of not having to reglass, but just doesn't sit well..

so, here's the problem with making a cradle, the boat doesn't fit in the garage.. so I have a couple options, first is make a cradle that rolls, which, seeing as its sitting on something that could do that, I could modify the trailer, basically add more bunks to take the weight off the rollers, then add some side bracing..

2nd option, do this with the cap on.. but this pretty much ensures I can't install a new core in one piece.. say I cut the splash cap, for access, and say its a 3/4" core. what if I made a composite core, say with 3 overlapping 1/4 layers in smaller pieces. and if this is not as strong as a single piece, which I would say it isn't as that's what plywood is. I think trying to do it this way probably won't work.. but just kinda putting ideas out there...

and to bring up the silicone question again, doesn't silicone cause adhesion issues when reglassing?

 

[kcassells]

Just make a cradle on the trailer like everyone else does. It keeps the sides in line for placing the cap back. So that is why everyone is saying measure measure measure for records to see if anything goes off skew while working on da boat.
IF you want to do it off the trailer that's ok too.

 

[steve_h7]

I'm just as new as you and can't offer much advise... but yes, the cap is the entire top where the hull meets it. I also have an outboard but not a bow rider. I just cut my splash well out to replace the transom and it worked fine for me. I did still build an exterior support just to be on the safe side. Check the link in my signature and skim through my ongoing build... it might help answer some questions.
If the underside is wet and rotted, I don't think there's much difference in rebuilds that last 5 years and 20. Depending on what you find when you remove the floor, replace everything that's wet and it will last as long as you own it and you'll feel good about selling it to the next owner.
Good luck and I subscribed to watch how it goes!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

The top is the cap and they are normally attached with rivets beefing the rub rail. Pull the rubber insert carefully out of the rub rail then drill the rivets out. I was able to do a complete restoration on my open bow Chaparral without removing the cap, but I doubt that’s the case with yours.

You don’t have to use a chainsaw to clean out the rotted wood from the transom. You can cut the edges (tabbing)off the fiberglass skin that covers the transom wood. Carefully pull the skin off, then clean all the mulch up. Tab the skin back on, then pour in the sea cast from the top. Sea cast has some videos they link to on their website, and are extremely helpful when you call them. A friend of mine just poured his motor mount out of sea cast in his Rinker. The plywood was rotted and the motor dropped through it on the starboard side. It’s really great stuff, but very expensive.

The transom should be done using one solid core IMO. You can cut the splash pan, but the restoration would be much easier with the cap removed.

Im not sure what you would use silicon on. In short, don’t.

 

[Oddballmotorsports]

Ugh, ugh ugh ugh.. so started to do some "exploratory surgery" on Walter, prognosis terminal incurable cancer. started to pull the carpet back to see where I can cut, and hopefully repair, I don't think I can shout "NOPE" loud enough.. first pulled the aluminum trim back.. found this

so this has been messed with, transom was total mulch on the bottom, ok I knew this, explore sum more.. started to pull the carpet back to see whats up and where I can reattach the new work, find wood so rotten the carpet glue took the 'glass with it.. Rut ro.. ok need to pull the carpet back to see whats up with the rest.. Oh good god!

hmm, I don't think that's marine plywood lol...

well Gee, that's some hack work,

Walter's in hospice at this point...

Some people just need to stop.. ok at this point, we've got a floor, transom, and we need to decap.. gross plywood needs to go, and through the awful shoddy "put the bottle of Popinov" down work, I can see foam, very very very wet foam, time to pull the floor..

Walter just slipped into a coma...

pictures stop at this point.. the horror continues, delaminated stringers, not just spongy stringers, black mulch stringers, and pressure treated deck boards wedged under the rotten cross support boards..

Beep, beep, beep, beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep....

I'm sorry Walter has passed...

The up side, Walter was an organ donor, I now have a nice trailer, steering system, a 90 and 28hp outboard, and two control units

And I got to watch Walter's dead lifeless body get torn to fiberglass splinters by a dump claw, which was a bit horrific, but ultimately satisfying...

Godspeed, you wretched pile of garbage haha...

 

[garbageguy]

Well, you tried. As you know all to well - "waste is a terrible thing to mind"

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Nooooo!!!say it ain’t so!! Lol. Welp it was a good, albeit short journey nonetheless.