1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

Wow!!! I thought I was biting off a chunk.

Oh, it's a chunk alright I'm just hoping it'll turn out to to be gold instead of lead.

This is going to be very interesting. I have always liked the looks of Bayliners.

The deck on this boat is what hooked me. It's huge. Like a full patio. Like having a pontoon, but 5 feet above the water

I am glad you are bringing her back. I had a 21' 1987 Capri. I loved that boat. It never let me down. I got caught out in 12' seas up in the North Channel once when I owned it. It took me 6 hours to travel 15 miles. My choice was to put it up on the rocks or see how long the ride would last.

Impressive. Congrats on choosing the non-rocks option

 

[cedarlattice]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

I was glad I could boat in it agan. I can honestly say that I didn't think I was going to make it home. With my boat anyway. The whole story is long and interesting but I don't want to make anyone on here seasick. I'm not familiar with your model but my dad has a 89 2650 ciera. Lots of room on deck and the cabin is like walking into Snoopy's dog house. Beamy and lots of room. Think about what the price of a brand new boat that size is. You are going to have a brand new boat when you are done. If you have the skills, and time, you are on the right track.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

I took all the hardware, trim tabs, thru-hulls and cables off the transom today, and began pulling rotted plywood off the inside.

Some measurements to remind me of where the trim tabs were previously mounted:

And discovered that the fiberglass on this boat, at least on the transom, is 1/2" thick:

The plywood on the transom is two layers, nailed together with brads around the perimeter, with a very minimal layer of adhesive up against the hull, and resin on the outside, no fiberglass at all. Someone had filled in a rotted spot with PB or Seacast at some point. It came out with a cold chisel and hammer. I removed wood below the waterline by hand, and scored the remainder with my circular saw set about an inch and a half deep. One layer of 3/4" ply came off cleanly. It wasn't glued to the other layer at all.

The remainder of the last layer will need to be scored a little more, and chiseled away.

The glass under the wood is nice and clean. Whatever adhesive they used doesn't seem to have adhered too well. I think I'll get away with minimal grinding.

 

[Trooper82]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

Nice thick hull! even when half rotten, my transom wood was a pita to get out too.....good luck!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

Pix w/ dimensions &/or the tape visible are great for reference later! Sounds like the transom ply is going to come out, & leave you a nice surface to work with

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

The boat was buttoned up for the winter yesterday. Built a frame over the bridge and deck to hopefully cause water to run off and support whatever snow load might occur.

Covered the open outdrive hole in the transom with a piece of scrap plywood. The bow hatch is how I'll get in and out while it's covered. It's all nice and cozy inside.

I've left the extension cord running into the boat to power lights and tools if I decide to do any grinding during the cold months. There's a halogen worklight in the cabin to take a little chill off. It might be way more comfortable to grind, wrapped up like a mummy, when the temps are cool/cold.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

Can't put lights on the house and neglect the boat.

 

[T748]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

When you removed the firewall bulkhead, is there enough support to walk around on the deck above? I'm following the same path as you on my project, a 1977 2550 Saratoga Sunbridge. Thanks, Tom.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

Absolutely. I worried about that too, but the helm deck seems solid. No deflection observed below deck while someone is above. I think it's the 3/4" ply the deck is sandwiched around, and the added rigidity from the console wall, galley steps, and the transition in height between the helm deck and back deck. I was prepared to add a pair of temporary 'joists' across from side to side if necessary, but so far, it's solid.

Good luck on your resto Tom.

 

[T748]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

Thanks, and good luck to you too. I hope to be caught up to where you are at by spring. -Tom
One more quick question... the picture of the exterior transom in post # 43. Below the rub rail is a white line. Is that your H.I.N? Mine is stamped on the aluminum of the rub rail and I was wondering where it should be from the factory.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

... the picture of the exterior transom in post # 43. Below the rub rail is a white line. Is that your H.I.N? Mine is stamped on the aluminum of the rub rail and I was wondering where it should be from the factory.

Good eye! Yep. It is slightly indented as if a stamped plate had been attached to the mold. I hit it lightly with some sandpaper to make it more readable. There were some pretty thick layers of paint on there.

I see most Bayliner forums spec the HIN to be on the starboard side of the transom, but mine is clearly on the port side.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

As I'm slowly progressing with my grinding and prep, I've been mentally working out ideas for stringers and bulkheads. A post in fieromx3's thread from WoG

This ^^^ is VERY sound advice. The Glass Encapsulating the wood core is what gives the stringer the strength. It will take a long time for the wood to dry as George stated. 3 layers of CSM and 1708 fully wrapped and tabbed 6" on either side will give you a stringer that will be there forever and let the wood rot. Engineered stringers have no core material.

reminded me of one idea I'd been mulling around, so I'll ask here.

Has anyone created the cores for stringers and bulkheads out of blue or pink foamboard then laminated over them? The idea appeals to me because of the relative ease in creating unique forms and shapes, and shaping them to fit the hull. I also like the idea that there is nothing there to ever rot again.

Yay's and nay's?

Provided that was a viable method, I'd have to decide whether the sole should be wrapped then simply glued to the stringers before tabbing into the hull, or if the stringers ought to contain a small strip of wood along the top edge for screwing the sole to.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

The problem with engineered stringers is that you either need to be an engineer to design them or have an engineer design them for your specific boat. I'm not saying you can't, but if you did I would suggest large doses of overkill.

This product has recently come to light:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/honeycomb-tansom-core-586442.html
... but I'm not too sure about how securely you could fasten to it.

Here's a quote I like:

We all need to remember that, for the most part, all of the boats that are being restored here on the forum, are 10+ years old and have more than likely been severely abused. We occasionally see boats that are 50+ years old that have been Well taken care of (Mine for one) that all the wood components are still in Great Shape. While the manufacturing methods do play a role I believe the much more significant issue on determining the longevity of a boat is the proper care and maintenance of it by the owner. Nothing lasts forever, but with proper care, we can extend the life of it.

If you put your boat back together the way it was built and take care of it gwpjr will be operating it when he's an old man.

Along with taking proper care of your boat and keeping it covered when not in use, I would suggest installing easily removable deck hatch covers for periodic inspections below deck and ease of repairs in case problems arise in the future. There's a lot to be said for being able to find a small problem and fixing it before it becomes a major catastrophe.

Had there been easy access to your hot water system, that little problem wouldn't have killed your boat like it did.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

Has anyone created the cores for stringers and bulkheads out of blue or pink foamboard then laminated over them? The idea appeals to me because of the relative ease in creating unique forms and shapes, and shaping them to fit the hull. I also like the idea that there is nothing there to ever rot again.

Yay's and nay's?

Provided that was a viable method, I'd have to decide whether the sole should be wrapped then simply glued to the stringers before tabbing into the hull, or if the stringers ought to contain a small strip of wood along the top edge for screwing the sole to.

Yup, it's been done... but layup and materials are a bit different. Lay down a couple of 12-14" wide layers of 1808 on the hull. Then center and set the Foam Cores then apply the coving material (PB) then Minimum of 4 Full overlapping layers each of CSM and 1808. It's usually best to design the Stringers to be 3-4" wide to make wrapping them easier. Air bubbles NOT tolerated in the lams. In my mind a bit costly and not needed but...If you wanna do it you can. Just remember a Wood Stringer with a Couple layers of CSM and 1708 that is Properly Maintained and Cared for will last 50 yrs +.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

I spent a few hours cutting and grinding yesterday, and managed to get all the rest of forward stringers and another bulkhead cleared. I was surprised to find that the larger ones were formed from a 2x2 wood core, covered with polyurethane foam, and then laminated to the hull with a layer or two of mat. Far less substantial than I would have thought.

I feathered the rough areas back to solid glass in the forward third of the hull. That was enough work to convince me to take Christmas Eve off from grinding

Well GWP Jr decided to spend a few hours out there today with the grinder and a flat bar. Apparently he kicked serious buttocks:

Not bad for a few hours work! He says a lot of it was easy to peel off the hull with a flatbar and hammer, leaving a fairly smooth hull. The engine bay is now full of chunks and dust. It'll be time to vacuum and shovel dust before going any farther.

I admit, grinding in 30* weather is WAY more comfortable than 80* You still work up a sweat, but you don't have to empty quarts of moisture out of your boots.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Santa was good to me today!

Now I can go shopping for a FAS mask and a few other little tools, like maybe an air chisel.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

It looks like Santa wants you to go to work!

 

[GWPSR]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

It looks like Santa wants you to go to work!

Yeah, Admiral Claus and the two overgrown elves are all kind of excited about enjoying this beast when finished.

Maybe next year Santa will bring me a media blaster.

 

[ricohman]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Chain pickerel actually. I was surprised because it isn't all that common to catch them while trolling for trout and salmon. The rest of the day's catch was all trout and one small mouth bass.

Your project is looking good. Wish it was warm enough here to even walk outside (its -36).
BTW the chain pickerel is a pike or jackfish. I just looked it up as I never heard of chain pickeral before. We refer to walleye as pickerel in Saskatchewan. I thought that little fish you were holding looked familiar

 

[Teamster]

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Re: 1981 Bayliner Victoria 2781 - Restore or Bust

Gonna tag along to watch this,...