1977 Bayliner 2550

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

I didn't get much done on the boat this weekend. I did pull out the engine compartment/ cabin bulkead. A closer look at the fuel tank revealed some large corrosion pitting on top of the tank. The tank doesnt leak as far as I know, but will need to be replaced. 36 years is a good long life for a foamed-in tank. The whole project did get a bit smaller in spite of neding a new tank. I checked the condition of the stringers by drilling check holes every few feet. Dry! All I'll need to do is replace the transom, foam, sole and it's support structure and it'll be good to go! Well, it will still need an engine, outdrive, fuel tank, wiring, hole in hull repaired, gell coat repair, interior, exterior, galley, electronics,windlass and pulpit and... At any rate the project got a little bit smaller. Here is a shot of the the interior with the bulkead removed. There still is about 4' of rotted deck to remove. That and pulling the transom wood out is next weeks job.-Tom.

 

[TAD99]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

I didn't get much done on the boat this weekend. I did pull out the engine compartment/ cabin bulkead. A closer look at the fuel tank revealed some large corrosion pitting on top of the tank. The tank doesnt leak as far as I know, but will need to be replaced. 36 years is a good long life for a foamed-in tank. The whole project did get a bit smaller in spite of neding a new tank. I checked the condition of the stringers by drilling check holes every few feet. Dry! All I'll need to do is replace the transom, foam, sole and it's support structure and it'll be good to go! Well, it will still need an engine, outdrive, fuel tank, wiring, hole in hull repaired, gell coat repair, interior, exterior, galley, electronics,windlass and pulpit and... At any rate the project got a little bit smaller. Here is a shot of the the interior with the bulkead removed. There still is about 4' of rotted deck to remove. That and pulling the transom wood out is next weeks job.-Tom.

Looks a lot like mine. Have a 79 with basically the same setup. I have removed the cap to make this a bit easier but even with that it will be a lot of work. I have all the attachments above the floor out now and have started removing the floor and foam. The black color appears to be what Bayliner used in some area's. Not sure why, I would have used white so it not only looks bigger but reflects light as well.

By the way, we are only about an hour apart. If you get to the Sacto area let me know and maybe we can get together to go over the "Battle Scars" from our projects.

Visit the BOC site and look for my project.

Tom (and yes also a Tom)

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Hey Tom! I'll definitly pop over to BOC and see your project. It would be cool to see it in person too. I get up to the Sac area once in awile to check stuff out at that boat recycle/salvage place in Rancho Cordova. Do you know any local fuel tank builders? I'm looking to replace mine, and so far the closest I've found is San Diego and up in Washington. -Tom.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

These guys have been used by others for tanks, but are based in NJ.

Custom fabricated is more reasonable then a drop in Moeller tank?

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Thanks for the link. They look like a good company. I'm concerned that the cross country shipping cost would be cost prohibitive. The Moeller tanks didnt have anything close enough in size or I would definitly consider them. My tank is 95 gallons. Size measures out at 7' long, 31-3/4" wide and 8- 1/4" deep. It's still stuck in the hull so I dont know yet if there is also a "vee" bottom or not. A custom tank would be nice to match this and possibly go a bit bigger. A foot longer and 2 inches taller looks do-able.-Tom.

 

[TAD99]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Haven't had to research that one yet but most likely will. Waiting to get mine out and will at least have it cleaned out and a POR-15 liner put it so I won't have to worry about it in the future.

Have you thought about having yours repaired? If the rust is localized, you might find someone to replace that part of the tank.

 

[Tboner7864]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

I like the tree winch I used a roof joist to uninstall a 100hp outboard with a come along one time, Mind If I join in on your fun?

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

I like the tree winch I used a roof joist to uninstall a 100hp outboard with a come along one time, Mind If I join in on your fun?

Big Bayliner folks need to stick together to repel the Tin Zombie Invasion eep:

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

I gotta say I'm really liking how many big boats are getting rebuilt. And especially big old Bayliners! The update on this project is no update. In a week or so I'll be back at it. Next up is cutting what's left of the sole out. I had cut it about 3" in from the edge just to make sure I didn't cut through the hull. Now that it's all gutted out it will be easy to clean out. Fuel tank removal is also at the top of the list. I did order a bunch of stuff from US Composites. 6 gallons of epoxy, 20 yards of biax, along with a bunch of other stuff to get this project started. It's official now. There is no backing out of this mess now! -Tom.

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Man it's hot out today! I blew off the last few boat work days. I spent some time on the little boat fishing instead. Nothing like a little boat to get the juices flowing for the big boat. I can't wait to have a boat that can be walked around in. With all this new found motivation bubbling over, it was time to tackle tank removal. The water tank came out pretty easy. a long hand saw run down between the plywood and the tank cut through the foam and the tank popped out with a bit of the pry bar. The gas tank was glassed in on the aft end with a bit of CSM. The sides were held in with foam. The sawzall worked wonders on the CSM and the handsaw took care of the foam. Pry bars and 2X4's were called in to pop the tank up. The surprise was in how heavy the tank was. Earlier in the year I pulled out about 60 gallons. I thought it was about empty. With the tank tilted up I was able to get another 22 gallons out of it. After getting that out it was much easier to get up and out of the main hatch and out into the yard. This tank has serious pitting where water sat on top and on the sides of the tank. I was surprised to find the bottom looked good. Even though the wood below was rotten wet. It did have thin strips of plastic running down the length of the tank. That must have been enough air space. -Tom.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

That poor tank! Do you think it's repairable? Hard to tell how deep those pits are versus the total thickness of the material. Good that you could get yours out of the boat. Makes replacing it with something else at least an option. Don't know what I would have done in that case.

Looks like you're cooking with gas. (No pun intended )

 

[Tboner7864]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Hey T748 you got that right today is suppose to be the last day of this heat wave Happy 4th everybody!!!!

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

The tank is beyond repairable. Some of the pits look to be 99% of the tank wall thickness. I can't believe this tank wasn't leaking. Just looking at the exterior, the top and sides would need to be replaced. No telling what the interior looks like. The previous owner treated the gas in the tank so I've been able to use it. The $300 or more in gas money saved by using it, will help mentally, when paying for the new tank. I believe most of this boat's rot came from rainwater coming through the hatches and leaking port lights. This allowed water to stand on the decking. With the cracks in the fiberglass decking the wood rotted out. Now the water pools on top of the tank and just sits there. Although most say that foaming in a tank is a bad idea, the areas that had foam on it faired pretty well. The bare top took the brunt with the pooling water. The fiber glassed section still got water under it and had pitting too. The bottom looks almost as good as new with the exception of one spot. The transom has rot too, but this appears to be the typical rot started by a sonar transducer mounted without sealing the screws. -Tom.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Here's all I can say, I have been totally amazed with POR-15 and what it can do when it come to repairing rusted out and corroded metal and aluminum. I don't think I'll ever give up on anything again until I see that POR-15 can't fix it. I'd for sure give it a go with that tank.

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Hey T748 you got that right today is suppose to be the last day of this heat wave Happy 4th everybody!!!!

Thank goodness! I'm ready for some cooler weather. Happy 4th from me too!!! Getting ready to fire up the grill.. -Tom.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Have you decided whether you'd rather go with another aluminum tank, or poly this time? Original was a 90 gallon? Going with the same capacity?

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Have you decided whether you'd rather go with another aluminum tank, or poly this time? Original was a 90 gallon? Going with the same capacity?

It will have to be an aluminum tank. I couldn't find any poly tanks in the size needed to fit under the sole. I'm leaning twards having Barrett tanks out of Washington state to build the new one. Custom Marine Fuel Tanks by Barrett Tanks, LLC Still not sure if I should go bigger or stick with the stock size. I think I could go up to 2" taller and 1" wider. The stock tank measures out to 94.54 gallons. Going 2" taller and 1" wider makes the tank 26.96 gallons bigger for a total of 121.5 gallons. Not sure if pushing the dimensions for 27 gallons is worth it. I might just keep it stock and use the space to beef things up instead.
Here is a pic of the interior as it sits today without the tank in it. This is sitting inside the v-birth hole looking back at the transom. It doesnt look like much, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And a box fan too!-Tom.

 

[T748]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Here's all I can say, I have been totally amazed with POR-15 and what it can do when it come to repairing rusted out and corroded metal and aluminum. I don't think I'll ever give up on anything again until I see that POR-15 can't fix it. I'd for sure give it a go with that tank.

I've heard great things about Por-15 in the car world. I think this baby is too far gone for even that. I'm thinking of cutting the tank up and using the good botom on a few projects around the house, like using some to make a new dash for the boat. -Tom.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

It will have to be an aluminum tank. Still not sure if I should go bigger or stick with the stock size. Not sure if pushing the dimensions for 27 gallons is worth it. I might just keep it stock and use the space to beef things up instead.

That's probably wise. Personally, unless I hit the lottery, putting a full tank of fuel on board will be the exception. I don't know if there's anyplace I need to go that requires 50 hours of fuel

It doesnt look like much, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And a box fan too!-Tom.

I think those must be standard equipment in these Bayliners

 

[Tboner7864]

Re: 1977 Bayliner 2550

Yeah i will be installing my box fan soon