1973 Trisonic tri-hull custom resto: update 6-5

[starleen2]

Well folks here goes for my first post. I recently acquired a 1973 Trisonic trihull with an 888 mercruiser. It?s a bit on the ?seen it?s better days? ? but I?m not into the boat for very much $$$ and the engine runs perfectly. The lower fiberglass hull is in near perfect condition and all the parts were there for the custom restoration.
A little about me first.

? I have spent many years wrenching on engines and have rebuilt several autos ? refurbishing and resto work. However this is my first foray into the world of marine mechanics.
? I am a semi professional upholster spending over 20 yrs doing all sorts of upholstery ? autos, plane, boats, and furniture
? I have carpentry skills? I have built mini campers and not a stranger to fiberglass and epoxy.

Sooo I think I got what it takes to do a little custom restoration on this little number. This is my very first boat to own. I?ve always been a kind of a ?vintage type? of guy so I was able to get this boat to match my tastes. Sure I could have gone ?newer? and spent less and saved myself a whole lotta of work, but where is the fun in that?

My Plan is to:
? Replace the Deck ? soft and rotten wood ? going to cut it all out and glass in the new
? Install new carpet
? Buff out the upper fiberglass gel coat
? Rebuild the engine cover - customize to make a rear elevated deck
? Replace impeller/ lower end rebuild / refurbish
? Install new seats / cushion in the bow area
? Refurbish the instruments
? a basic engine tune up / clean up

Tomorrow I post pictures for your enjoyment! Let the tear out begin!

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Welcome to the drydock, starleen2,

Sounds like you got what it takes to tackle this project, especially the right attitude...

We'll come aboard for the ride to help in any way we can...

Can't wait to see the pics...

Have Fun!

GT1M

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic refurbish

Re: 1973 Trisonic refurbish

As you can see for the pictures - she's all stripped down. I managed to save the carpet in one piece. I'm going to try to clean it up. If I can then I'll reuse it. The Deck was pretty rotten, but the foam flotation seemed intact. Host of the plywood has rotted away from the fiberglass on the stringers (Only one side was done) leaving a perfect shell to attach the new stringer to. Maximum height of the stingers and bulkheads under the deck is 11 inches. This means that I can use 1X1X8 solid lumber instead of the plywood to make them out of. I plan on letting things dry out for a day or two - Texas summer heat really dries stuff fast!. Then I'll cut the new pieces and start to' glass them in. I'm going to try to do one side at a time and glassing over the seams as I go along.

I really lucked out - due to the way the boat was constructed - the rear cap protected the transom and the engine bay. Also the engine cover and drain helped keep the water from intruding and rotting the mounts - so I don't have to pull the engine - Whew



Enough typing and time to get back to work

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Finally got all the old deck out - as you can see - I've some rebuilding and constructing to do - but at least I have some fiberglass to to work with as a guide. I also left a 3 inch lip around the edge so I can slide the new deck plywood underneath. Now to let things dry out a bit

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Dont' want to rain on your Parade but... You need to core sample the stringers and the transom. It's the only true way to know if they are sound and not rotting from the inside out.

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Dont' want to rain on your Parade but... You need to core sample the stringers and the transom. It's the only true way to know if they are sound and not rotting from the inside out.

yep - I was kinda thinking the same thing - I've been reading several posts on transom repairs just in case. I can work to back and get most of the stringers in place before I get to engine compartment. But I have one nagging question: Should I leave the foam alone or remove it all?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

You'll be better off to go ahead and remove that foam, give your boat nice clean fresh insides.

Since you're into the boat this far anyway might as well rip everything out so you can have a brand new boat when you're finished.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

yep - I was kinda thinking the same thing - I've been reading several posts on transom repairs just in case. I can work to back and get most of the stringers in place before I get to engine compartment. But I have one nagging question: Should I leave the foam alone or remove it all?

Core sample the stringers and Transom. If they are NOT wet and do NOT require replacement then core sample the foam. If it's dry then you are One Lucky fella and you won't need to do anything but replace the deck.

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Core sample the stringers and Transom. If they are NOT wet and do NOT require replacement then core sample the foam. If it's dry then you are One Lucky fella and you won't need to do anything but replace the deck.

Decided to give what I have done already a wash down and it answered my question right away - the foam is aged and waterlogged, so time to pull it all out. Four garbage bags full of the stuff hauled off. I think I'll be better for it. I did save a few pieces that will be useful as a contour pattern to fit bulkheads.

Sure enough - there was water just pooling under the foam. Even when I cut it out - you could just see the water coming from it - kinda like that green foam that you stick flowers in to keep then hydrated!

Anyways - it's out now and I'm still working my backwards. What's next: remove the battery and fuel tanks and give the rear end a good inspection and let the good ole Texas sun do it's thing to dry it all out. Then time to take out the small saws and trim flush on some of the areas and prep it for the stringers. I want to get this part right. Sure it's a lot of work, but It's gonna pay off in the end when I put that new deck down.

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Picked up this little beauty today - It'll make flush cuts in fiberglass - I can set it at variable depths to get up close trimming

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

. . . Oh, and another question: Since this boat was constructed before the era of epoxy - should I use polyester resin or does due to advances in epoxy - does it really matter? I'd like to use resin due to being able to obtain gallons locally and keeping the boat "all one type" of resin. I know that polyester resin does stand up to UV better than epoxy - but this stuff is going to be covered over. I have used both over the years to weatherproof campers so I'm familiar with the differences. Resin or Epoxy?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Your boat is made from Poly. Use Poly but DON'T use the stuff you get locally. It has wax in it and is basically not very good resin. It is also VERY expensive when you buy it One Gallon at a time like that. To replace the stringers, Transom and Deck on your boat you will be using approx 15 gallons of resin, 20 yds of 1.5 csm cloth and 10 yds of 1708 Biaxial Cloth. You can get it all online at www.uscomposites.com You're looking at spending somewhere in the $750 range for all the materials to restore this boat. Maybe a bit more.

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Kinda feelin' my age today. It's been a while since I crawled around on the deck of a baot - ripping and pulling foam, plywood, etc - so I taking the day off to relax a bit and give the ole muscles a break. Not complaining either since I'm gettn' a workout too - bonus!

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Anyone know of a good relief for the "fiberglass itch"??
(next time I'm gonna wear long sleeves):facepalm:

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Anyone know of a good relief for the "fiberglass itch"??
(next time I'm gonna wear long sleeves):facepalm:

A Tyvek suit.

Wash in one direction, I pull the wash cloth down from my shoulder to me hand.

Talcum powder after bathing.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

YOu should rub Talcum Powder on and REALLY rub it on hard, Prior to grinding. JNG suggestion for the Tyvek suit is good too. Hopefully you are wearing a dual filter respirator with goggles that have the air vents taped over as well.

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

YOu should rub Talcum Powder on and REALLY rub it on hard, Prior to grinding. JNG suggestion for the Tyvek suit is good too. Hopefully you are wearing a dual filter respirator with goggles that have the air vents taped over as well.

you betcha on that one - after just removing the old deck - I knew I needed something more than a short sleeved shirt - I just need to get the goggles for eye protection

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Thinking. . . . debating. . .almost convinced. . . .

pretty sure I'm gonna pull the engine on the trihull. It's a Ford 302 mercuriser 888. I haven't made it back to the transom area yet - but I'm on the the way. Texas weather has been cooperating rather nicely to dry things out. How hard is the removal of the engine? what are some things I should be aware of? I have been reading a lot about alignment issues - What exactly does that mean? Any help before I start unbolting the unit is appreciated.

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Finally got some time to do some cutting and grinding. Real nasty stuff ? thank goodness for the respirator or the dust would have been horrible. I also wore long sleeves and gloves this time. The ?itch factor? was almost non existent. I?m almost finished with the front area and getting ready to cut the stringers and bulkheads ? then to the rear area I go! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

 

[starleen2]

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Re: 1973 Trisonic

Got some wood laminating together to cut the bulkheads out of. so i'm watching glue dry! In the mean time I was able to make sense out of the engine wiring - it had wire going all over the place. If six inches of wire was sufficient for the connection - then evidently someone thought three feet was better (with wire splices no doubt)! I also got both fuel tanks removed. One had been replace by a plastic fuel cell while the other was an original that came on the boat. I do have some good news - the transom is in great shape ( not bad for a 39 yr old boat.) Also spent the day stripping the foam out of the seats so I can build some new one- evidently the drains worked well enough on the boat after all these years to keep the the area under the lip and engine dry. it appears that a coating was applied the rear of the boat to repel water to the drain area (almost like a bath tub!) I made a harness for the wires so now i know where everything goes and in it's proper place. At least with this boat - there aren't a lot of complecated electronics or wiring - pretty simple stuff