18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

[Bgriffin67]

My wife just got this project boat for me (yep, she's a keeper). <br /><br />Situation: <br />-All the mechanical and electrical systems are working fine, one coolent hose leaking at rear of OMC engine, but the interior was totally shot. <br />-Fiberglass and framing look good so far.<br />-ALL seats, and trim panels were rotten. <br />-The carpet is growing moss. <br />So I have gutted the interior, and will be ripping out the carpet in the next day or so.<br /><br />Questions:<br />1. Anyone know where to get the bow seating cushions from or a good way to make them? Not the seat bottoms but the backs and the contoured pads for around the bow area.<br /><br />2. Has anyone used the Truck Bed Lining paints instead of carpet on fiberglass decks? Just concerned that If I ever have to make any fiberglass repairs that it may be impossible to remove the stuff.<br /><br />3. Side trim.. trying to decied if to make them like the original (wood with apolstery), just wood, or foam with carbon fiber(for looks). Your thoughts?

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Yippie.. Floor Rot <br />Something else to learn.. Wish Amazon would hurry up and get my books to me on renovation. Guess I'm off to the hardware store for a sawsall..

 

[JasonJ]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Welcome to the wonderful world of Fixing An Old Boat. Read my posts, enjoy my living hell known as Project Skanky Beast. Actually, I am in the middle of what I am considering the worst part of my project, glassing in stringers. I have two to go, then its back to Fun Time. Post some pics, everyone loves a rotted floor....Good Luck.

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Thanks, my wife just went and got the camera. LOL<br /><br />Also in digging around I found that the engine is basically just sitting on fiberglass. I just kept scooping handfulls of rotted wood out of what should have been the engine mounts. Geesh..<br /><br />The forward half of the boat seems solid with no rot, but looks like the back end was flooded while it was sitting on the trailer for a few years. <br /><br />So I'm a little afraid to cut all the deck out until I get the IO out. I think the engine supports would give if I cut any more deck out just yet. <br /><br />The fun continues.

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Question.. <br /><br />Since I'm replacing the floor, do I need to cut out and rebuild the engine mounts (look like they are just fiberglass - wood may have just rotted - off to either side of the stringers) or do I cut around these and just do the floor around it. The IO sits right over the open stern portion of the bildge so...<br /><br />And if I don't pull the engine out, will the supports hold when I cut the rear portions of the floor out? I need to get the whole floor out to do the stringers..

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Here are some pictures...<br /><br />

<br />Note the fine attention to detail in the fiberglass bonding done at the factory. Must be a Friday Boat. <br />Also this was a stringer - made of plywood??? <br /><br />

<br />Here is the bildge area after I cut some of the floor out. All that brown stuff is the wood remains of the stringers, frame that was there. <br /><br />

<br />A little better view. Note that the two tunnels are empty, that is the engine bed. Somehow I think something should have been in there. At least the glass in that area is woven. <br /><br />

<br />This is the back of the seating. Yep, making new ones all around. <br /><br />So pretty much except for the Hull, Deck, Engine, and Sterndrive I'm rebuilding it completely.

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

OMG!<br /><br />I finally cut 90% of the floor out, the old stringers were made of plywood. Amazing. I guess that I know why Sunbird went out of business now.<br /><br />Also the Foam was soaked, so dub this "Skanky Beast 2". Might as well go all the way now. <br /><br />- Planning to separate the deck from the hull just as soon as I construct some A-frames to lift it. <br /><br />- Then come the joy of engine and stern drive removal. The book is rather vague on getting the Transom Shield off and has me disassembling the stern drive into 3 pieces. <br />Anyone know if, once the engine is removed if I can remove the sterndrive in one piece? <br /><br />- After that, fabricate real stringers from 2x8 lumber and a engine-bed from a 6x4 block. Think I'll carbon fiber the engine bed just for that super strength.<br /><br />- Refloor & glass it in<br /><br />- ReTransom (might as well while I got everything apart.<br /><br />- Hopefully be able to reinstall the sterndrive and engine. <br /><br />- And put the deck back on. Hopefully be able to get the rubber back into the moulding too.<br /><br />Terrible thing is hearing all the boats on the lake and I'm covered in fiberglass dust (cutting at the moment). Well when I'm done this will be sea worthy for sure, stronger than when it was new. Pictures to follow.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Actually there is nothing wrong with plywood stringers. A plywood stringer would be stronger than a solid piece of wood that is the same dimension. I used 3/4 ply for my stringers, and they are solid as a rock. I can stand on a single stringer and despite my best effort, it will not budge, and I have 200 pounds of mass to toss around. <br /><br />It is best to just tear her down to the shell and start from scratch. One thing I never discussed during my project is maintaining hull trueness. In the end, my hull has turned out more true than is was before I tore it apart. With all the weight and poor structural integrity the hull was bowed in places due to sitting on the trailer. After stripping everything out, the shell weighed little, so it went back to its original trueness. Now that the stringers are glassed it, it is perfectly straight and true. You will want to keep and eye on that while you are doing your rebuild. Good luck....<br /><br />Don't forget, Skanky Beast is a trademark of Johnson Industries

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

One other thing that has been concerning me is the engine bed (the fiberglass engine mounts). Sure doesn't look all that strong, but with me swapping out the floor I'll have to do something with it. <br /><br />I know that if I try to fabricate a new one the odds of me actually getting the engine & sterndrive aligned right are slim. I guess I can just grind them off the stringer and reglass them to the new stringer with woven without actually taking them out of the boat.<br /><br />Think I'll call this one "The Bionic Boat", I can rebuild her, stronger, faster, better. LOL

 

[jomac]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

BGriffin67 Stop cutting a measure! Home depot motto measure twice and cut once. If you will measure the inside dia. of the cavity left you can get a rough idea of height &width you'll need to get close to the original pieces besides OMC's had a lot height adjustment built into there motor mounts Good luck! Breath! don,t force it back in

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Just an update...<br /><br />Finally got all the floor and foam out. Amazed me that even the foam at the bow was wet.. /shrug<br /><br />Things took a bit longer due to me not having a garage and getting folks over to help lift the deck off was like pulling teeth. But it is done. <br /><br /> <br />I have been noticing that that transom is pretty hollow. This is an IO though so I'm thinking that I might drill some holes in the top and fill the cavity with expanding foam (like the 16 lbs foam on US Composites Web Site ) or epoxy. On an IO I don't think the transom is the main load bearing structure like in an outboard. If I can just stiffen it up some (esp around the sterndrive) I don't think it will give me any problems. I know that some boats actually use foam core construction. Mine looks like balsa, and it just falls out the bottom leaving the fiberglass cacoon behind. If I can find a epoxy that will dry in the enclosed space I would rather use that and have a psudo-solid fiberglass transom.

 

[jomac]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Your transom does have to holdup to the trust loads from the outdrive,needs more than foam. I've be looking at some new stuff a pourable transom never used it, but it sounds good check it out http://transomrepair.com/

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

WOW GREAT SITE. <br /><br />That is just what I was looking for. Thanks!!

 

[jomac]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

P.S. Let me know how it works and the costs, if you do decide to try it

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

I sent an information request to the folks at TransomRepair. So far haven't heard anything. <br /><br />I've been noticing that everyone focuses on the outboard repairs, which seem a bit simpler than dealing with the big 'ol whole in the middle for the sterndrive. Been trying to figure out how to get the remaining wood out, might just be able to use an air compressor as the plywood has broaken down completly. <br /><br />Was thinking about the foam again though. WOuld alow me to leave some of the wood in there (the stuff that doesn't want to come out) and woudl have some good strength. <br /><br />Specs on the 16lbs foam:<br />

<br />Physical Properties:<br />Parallel Compressive Strength: 580 psi<br />Tensile Strength: 450 psi<br />Shear Strength: 230 psi<br />Flexural Strength: 750 psi <br />

Where the original plywood (from the best info I could find) only has a flexural strength of 40psi to 100psi. I'm really confused.

 

[jomac]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

B Not sure what to advise, I got out of the bus. before these new high density foam's became widely used, I like to use the old tried and true methods(if it's rotten replace it)BUT, everything changes, do some research let us(me) know what you find.P.S. (Compression rate)at the transom plate, will the foam shrink under constent compression!!! (water leaks)

 

[Bgriffin67]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Sorry for the delay in responding.. <br /><br />Aye that is something that has me concerned too. Granted the wood is pretty much gone from between the two fiberglass sheets making up the transom and it didn't really leak before so... Dunno. I'm still talking to the companies.

 

[Walleye King]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Well this is more like what i was looking for! I have an I/O as well and the same questions are in my mind as well. The I/O is a whole new ballgame!<br /><br />that pourable Transom repair looks great and if it holds I will be in business! The only thing is the size of a 17" boat could cost me plenty, but if it holds up better than wood, worth every penney!

 

[RICKRICK1]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

I used the seacast from transomrepair.com (bassboat), it is as easy as it looks and has great strenght. You can use a good quality tape to seal the edges of the hole where the i/o goes. I used two layers of duct tape to seal several holes. Just make sure the area to be sealed is clean and you get a good seal on the tape. Also if you have any drains and can not save the original openings, use PVC of the right size with grease on it and the stuff will not stick to it and will be easy to remove. The filler sets up in about two hours, but I let mine set overnight. Used one 5 gal bucket. It can also be used to make stringers.

 

[Walleye King]

Re: 18' Sunbird 195 IO Project - aka "The Bionic Boat"

Well I looked at it about the stringers too and believe thats the way I will go as well. The transom wood looks good and solid not soft, the foam is wet and has to removed but the foam on the sides is excellent and dry. <br /><br />Took the seats out and now need to get the rest of the floor out and the stringers, this is getting to be like real work now!