Arawak
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2010
- Messages
- 486
In the spring, I was preparing to continue my previous project, when I saw a 17' 1988 Bayliner Trophy centre console for sale. I had started to realise in the fall that the Chrysler was going to be less boat than I really wanted, and when I saw this I decided to abandon the first project. This, I told my wife, was almost ready to go, just needed a motor.
Of course, June came around and I was still fiddling with controls, and steering, and getting the FrankenChrysler I picked up running right. The FrankenChrysler was a late 70s 105HP that had been rebuilt with bits of various motors by an older fellow who loved his Chryslers and used to own a dealership. He was a friend of a friend (another Chrysler fan) and once he got it going he put it aside and moved on to other projects.
Anyway, eventually I got the boat into the water, sorted everything out, and was running around Lake Erie and lake St Clair. My first clue that the foam might be soaked came the first time I got her up on plane. It took a bit, even though there was plenty of motor behind her. Later, I came to see that every time I went out, the bilge would drip for days afterward. Finally, when I took my father and godfather out for a trip, I was shocked to see how low the stern was with three big men and a full tank of gas. If I tried to fish off the stern, the scuppers started letting water into the boat!
So, I decided to undertake another Boat Project (tm) at the end of the season. My father has agreed to enlarge his works hop so that the project can be done over the winter. He has a large out building that is half workshop, half two bay garage. He spent the last two weeks putting up and insulated wall between the bays, insulating the garage door, and removing the wall between the workshop and the insulated bay. The workshop is heated by a woodstove, which will hopefully be enough, but if not there is 220v which can drive an electric heater.
So, here I go. My plan is to remove the cap and tub, so that I can get at the foam. I am prepared to have to replace the floor, stringers, and transom as well, but hopeful that maybe the transom will be ok. Along the way, I plan to add various upgrades, like a motor mount for a kicker, an extra bilge, and extensive re-wiring.
This was the boat this morning:
Of course, June came around and I was still fiddling with controls, and steering, and getting the FrankenChrysler I picked up running right. The FrankenChrysler was a late 70s 105HP that had been rebuilt with bits of various motors by an older fellow who loved his Chryslers and used to own a dealership. He was a friend of a friend (another Chrysler fan) and once he got it going he put it aside and moved on to other projects.
Anyway, eventually I got the boat into the water, sorted everything out, and was running around Lake Erie and lake St Clair. My first clue that the foam might be soaked came the first time I got her up on plane. It took a bit, even though there was plenty of motor behind her. Later, I came to see that every time I went out, the bilge would drip for days afterward. Finally, when I took my father and godfather out for a trip, I was shocked to see how low the stern was with three big men and a full tank of gas. If I tried to fish off the stern, the scuppers started letting water into the boat!
So, I decided to undertake another Boat Project (tm) at the end of the season. My father has agreed to enlarge his works hop so that the project can be done over the winter. He has a large out building that is half workshop, half two bay garage. He spent the last two weeks putting up and insulated wall between the bays, insulating the garage door, and removing the wall between the workshop and the insulated bay. The workshop is heated by a woodstove, which will hopefully be enough, but if not there is 220v which can drive an electric heater.
So, here I go. My plan is to remove the cap and tub, so that I can get at the foam. I am prepared to have to replace the floor, stringers, and transom as well, but hopeful that maybe the transom will be ok. Along the way, I plan to add various upgrades, like a motor mount for a kicker, an extra bilge, and extensive re-wiring.
This was the boat this morning:
