1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Bump.............

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

I know I have seen a couple but at the moment my brain fades and I can't remember...I will keep a look out for them and post as soon as I find them...

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Thanks GT1M.
I have found several where it is mentioned but I haven't found any where they actually did it and has pics to amount to much.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

What do you want to know about cutting the cap off near the splashwell to replace the transom?

Post up a pix & someone will likely mark out a suggested best cut line.

Once cut, it should be fairly straight forward to remove it. Rubrail needs to be outta the way, as does anything that runs thru the gunwale on either side: steering, control cables, electrical wiring, etc.............

Once you're ready to put the cap back on & repair the cut, you'll have a good bit of glassing behind you & it should be fairly straight forward to get the repair done & faired/blended so as to be nearly invisible........

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

In the picture below is where I think will be the best place to cut.



What I would like to see is some pics where someone has put one back together. If someone knows of a thread where that was done, that would be awesome.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

They're in here somewhere, might have to dig around until you find one that gives you more info, I can't pull one up yet either.

You DO NOT want to cut the hull where you marked. Repairing it will be a challenge enough w/out having to re-contour &/or blend thru the corner............

Remove the vinyl bolster's on both sides of the hull & cut about 16" forward of where you marked it in that last pix you posted:

 

[glnbnz]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Signing on for rebuild!

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

JBCURT00,
Thanks for reminding me about the corners. Actually the bolsters are already off the boat, see pics below. One trick I learned from where I work is to use painters tape to make all your marks for cutting. This allows you to make all the changes you want before doing any cutting. In the pics below the green tape is the general area where I now plan to cut the cap. I already had planned to modify the splashwell area to build a cast platform and livewell. The blue tape is the general area where I will be cutting and modifying the splashwell to add the platform.






As you can see the motor is ready to come off except the steering. I have already built the stand and plan to get the motor off tomorrow.

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Welcome aboard Glenn.

 

[Daniel1947]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Hey CM...I don't know if this will work, but here is a thread I am following. He cut the cap similar to what you are planning.

http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto.../splash-well-removal-1985-4-winns-629985.html

If that link doesn't work, his thread is Splash well removal. I am a little confused about the blue tape you have on the rear of the cap; surely you aren't planning on "cutting" along that whole line of tape.

 

[Daniel1947]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Please disregard my comment about cutting at the blue tape.....for some reason a couple of the pics and posts, didn't show up as I read your thread.

Dan

 

[further]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Hey CM,
Just read through ur thread. I recently chopped my cap. Haven't put it back together yet since it's gotten too cold for glass work in the northeast I've closed up shop for winter. Anyhoo, I haven't found any threads or pics of any that have been put back but doesn't seem like it's too much of a big deal considering the amount of glass work we'll be doing. Here's some pics of mine.

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Daniel1947, thanks. That one will help. He is ahead of so I can follow along as he gets his done.

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Hey CM,
Just read through ur thread. I recently chopped my cap. Haven't put it back together yet since it's gotten too cold for glass work in the northeast I've closed up shop for winter. Anyhoo, I haven't found any threads or pics of any that have been put back but doesn't seem like it's too much of a big deal considering the amount of glass work we'll be doing. Here's some pics of mine.

Further, it looks like you were ahead of me on your rebuild. I am in Spring, TX, just north of the Houston Intercontinental Airport. Our high for today is supposed to be a chilly 71. Our winters here are usually pretty lame except for the humidity. I have mine in the garage so I don't expect to many delays due to weather.

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Update. Well the motor is off and on its stand.



These are of the transom. You can see where the original motor bolt holes were. My dad filled them with resin of some sort. I think he used epoxy.



This is the top of the transom. There was resin on top of the wood but it was cracked in a couple of places and the screws that held the trim in place didn't appear to have any kind of sealer on them. You can tell the wood is in bad shape but it isn't worm dirt yet.

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

Update & Questions - The cap is ready to be cut or taken off. It is completely broke loose from the hull.


While doing a little more tonight I punched out the old drain. In the first pic you can see where I started punching it out. In the second pic you can see that, when the drain tube was removed, water began flowing out of the transom core.



While I was pondering making the cut to remove the splashwell section one thing caught my eye that I had not thought about until now. I know I have seen a couple of caps cut and then put back after repairing a transom but if you look at the picture below you will see the outside of the cap and where I plan to make my cut. The question concerns how to match up the metal flake stripe. Can that be done and it look right? Or is this a deal killer for cutting the cap?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

You'd probably need to be exceptional at applying metal flake gelcoat to hide a metal flake repair that involves cutting off the splashwell.

Removing the entire cap, although problematic, often allows you to keep all your rookie glasswork in hidden & non-visible areas. Or hopefully only in areas that require a re-spray of a generic white/off-white color.......

Is there any other damage to the metal flake gelcoat, that if severe enough to warrant a repair, that will force you to 'decide' to paint the entire hull, rather then match or replicate the metal flake. Re-shooting all new metal flake isn't an easy, straight forward task either. Although possibly slightly 'easier' then trying to match existing flake....

 

[cmperry56]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

jbcurt00, the only reason I was considering cutting the splashwell off is because I don't have any place to put the cap once it is off the hull. The metal flake stripe doesn't need repair anywhere.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

If you want to keep the metal flake then I would NOT advise cutting the cap unless you want to Paint a stripe or some other feature at that location to "Mask" the repair. If you design it right it could look good and enhance the look of the boat.

OR

You could try what one of our esteemed members did and you might get the same results he did...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRIA6yWx0g

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1980 17' Magnum 171 Rebuild

That's the rub. Cap could be slid forward enough for you to work, but then you won't be able to close the garage.

Moving it back & forth every day you want to work on the boat will be challenging, and risks damage to the cap every time you move it.

Lashed to a full size pallet, wrapped in a tarp & leaned against the side of the garage outside, maybe <<< WOULDN'T be my 1st choice, 2nd or 3rd even.....

Rent a 20ft deep storage unit w/ garage door access outside & store the cap for 30-60days.... Paying to store the cap may be motivator enough to get the demo done & redo the transom quick.....