Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

[exp2000]

Ok guys, I am going to start restoration on the Bayliner I just bought. I am handy, but have never done anything on the boat. I will need to replace (I guess) the floor and fix some chips. I posted the pictures at shutterfly after I pulled the carpet out. It look like he floor has rotten "only" lengthwise from the windshild all the way to transom. There are some chips at the bottom of the transom also. So now I wonder if there is a way to fix the floor without tearing it all out.

Current progress:

1. How to remove steering cable :
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=380413

2. How to remove outboard engine:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=381649

3. How to remove the cap:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=2568924#post2568924


Pictures: http://bayliner1700ls1997restoration.shutterfly.com/34#28

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

If you can post the pictures in the forum. It will help you get more resposes and help. This is the right place for advise.

Photobucket is also one of the best hosts for pictures.

 

[archbuilder]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

I agree, it gets old clicking on links or thumbnails....it is a little bit of a pain, but it makes it easier to grasp what you are writing about. You can read and look at the pictures as needed without flipping back and forth. Glad you are moving forward, hope its nice down there.....warmer but overcast here.

 

[SKIBUM1M]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

Face it if the floor is soft then you are taking on a large project. Just assume at this point that you will be taking to cap off, replacing the floor, stringers and transom. And all foam in the boat. Check out any of the project threads here and they all look similar. You are at the first step of denial

 

[exp2000]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

Tried uploading here in the forum, but the size it too big, and upload does not auto-resize it. Will have to figure out something.

 

[exp2000]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

How does one take the side panel with vinyl of without damaging vinyl? It is in a great shape, looks like new. It looks like they were glued.

 

[kartman]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

what happened to the hull by the drain plug?

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

Upload to photobucket and use the 640X480 setting. It is super simple.

 

[exp2000]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

I have no clue what happened by the drain plug, but i hope i can patch it up?

 

[Robert4Winns]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

It looks like someone tried to brace the deck around the ski locker with regular pieces of 2x4. I would remove those and if necessary add in appropriate bracing with properly sealed wood. The damage around the drain looks bad. I would check to make sure it did not allow water to get to the wood in the transom.

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

exp2000,
I just looked at your pic's and it does look like the PO braced up the floor around the Ski locker.
My guess is that you have some serious problems below deck.
Nothing that can't be fixed, but it's not going to be a weekend repair.
Remove your deck and take a good look. Take some core samples of stringer and transom.
I didn't need the core samples. I could remove some of the stringer without any tools.
I hope yours isn't that bad, but odds are not on your side.
Welcome and have fun.
Bob

 

[kenny26]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

i've got a 1700 bayliner too, but mine is a 1990. My deck looked about like yours, and my stringers and transom while not completely rotten were rotten in spots, and were completely wet. Check out my restoration thread in my signature, it will give you an idea of what you are in for. I'm done with my tear down, and have replaced my transom (looks like a similar configuration as yours). I'll be putting the cap back on soon and starting to replace the stringers and floor.

As long as you are a bit handy with tools (circular saw, jig saw, grinder, hammer, crowbar, chisel, wrenches, etc..) You can fix it better than new. All the info is here. Its dirty, nasty, messy, and time-consuming work though. Grinding fiberglass is <expletive deleted> horrible. I'm about a month into my restore I've worked a couple hours a night and a good deal of the weekends to get the deck torn out, the motor off, the cap removed, the hull grinded smooth and the transom replaced. Don't be afraid of removing the cap and motor its no big deal to do it.

The book "Runabout Restoration" was and is a big help to me. It explains what you need to do pretty much step by step. You can get it at any of the online bookstores (amazon,barnes&noble) or your library may have a copy. Worth every penny. The rest of the info you need can be had here.

Good luck!

 

[system-f]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

As long as you are a bit handy with tools (circular saw, jig saw, grinder, hammer, crowbar, chisel, wrenches, etc..) You can fix it better than new. All the info is here. Its dirty, nasty, messy, and time-consuming work though. Grinding fiberglass is <expletive deleted> horrible. I'm about a month into my restore I've worked a couple hours a night and a good deal of the weekends to get the deck torn out, the motor off, the cap removed, the hull grinded smooth and the transom replaced. Don't be afraid of removing the cap and motor its no big deal to do it.

The book "Runabout Restoration" was and is a big help to me. It explains what you need to do pretty much step by step. You can get it at any of the online bookstores (amazon,barnes&noble) or your library may have a copy. Worth every penny. The rest of the info you need can be had here.

x eleventy Billion



Lowkee's creed needs to be put here:

The 10 steps of restoration denial:

1. That soft spot just needs a patch
2. The foam will dry out
3. It's just the deck, the stringers are fine
4. I don't have to pull the engine; I can work around it
5. The transom feels solid
6. I won't have to remove the cap, plenty of room
7. I will just buy a couple of gallons of resin
8. $1,000 is plenty for a job like this
9. I should be on the water by the end of the month
10. I need a beer! Nothing is going as planned!

 

[199q]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

I am interested what you will be doing to the get coat, as I have minor chips and a worn area where my boat has been beached on for the last 24 years.

Good luck! its a lot of work but it is certainly worth it!! I also recommend the books they are great. read up here, its possible!

 

[exp2000]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

Ok, finally got some decent weather here in TX to work on the boat. So, my plan was following:

1. cut out the deck, floor, leaving about 3 inches around perimiter.
2. cut new pieces for the floor, epoxy them, get stainless screws, screew and glue with epoxy new floor on the remains of the old one and then glass over.

Yeah, that was the plan, but i looked at the stringer and in one spot it was rotten, I started cutting stuff out and it is maybe 5 inches wide where it comletelly rotted away, but rest is solid although it feels wet (darn). I took core samples and it looks ok. Only the right one is rotten and I know way. There was a cross brace (is that the term?) that connected these two stringers, and it was not done right, so water leeked in.

Sooooo, what to do. I don't want to spend whole Spring working on this boat, it is not worth it, and I don't plan on keeping it more than 5 years anyway. On the other hand I don't want to just patch it up and pass the problem to somebody else. I am thinking of leaving fiberglass in place, and chipping out and cleaining the portions and using Seacast to fill it up. Does that sound like a good idea?

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

I believe sea-cast would be an excellent route to take for the stringers. However, I would reccomend taking out ALL wood-not just pieces. I don't think it would be wise to have half wood and half seacast stringers because the parts that are in good shape wont be in 5 years then you or the future owner will be tearing out your new deck to fix the rotten stringers below.
Hope this guides you on the right track.

 

[exp2000]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

You are right, I'll take all of the wood out.

This BL seems too have stringers done in two pieces? First piece runs just behind the seats, then there is a cross piece of plywood and then after that second piece. I cut of the top of the stringer at the spot and I can clearly see the cross piece goes all the way accross, not just between stringers. This cross piece is solid, has some minor rot on the top only in the middle section.
When I was taking the floor out, it rotted only in the middle, everything else was bone dry, the foam is bone dry. Only rot was it the very middle of the floor. Soooo, I am hoping that I don't have to redo the transom.

 

[exp2000]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

More rot found. Slowly starting to realize that all needs to come out. Oh man, how long will this take...

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

Hey exp2000,
Can't say when it will end, but I can tell you it will. I thought I would never see the end but I did. I did have the hull left.
Keep the faith and keep plugging away.
Good luck.
Bob

 

[exp2000]

Re: Bayliner 1700 LS 1997 restoration

Progress was good after weather imporoved. I have engine and the cap off, and started removing transom. Transom could have lasted at least another 3 years, but since I am doing this much, I'll replace it to. Here are some pics