1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

[ZenFerret]

After pouring over friscoboater's restoration threads, I felt inspired enough to deliberately purchase a rotted boat.

I've replace a deck and stringers before (badly, I now realize), so I have a rough idea what I'm in for. Luckily, this boat doesn't have much of a floor (it's about 3 feet wide, the rest is hull). At this point, it seems like every piece of wood in the boat has turned to mush. But it's a nice, solid shell. Exactly what I was looking for.

Looking forward to tearing into this thing, and I'm incredibly glad I found these forums first. The few weeks I've spent reading them has given me the confidence for this restoration. I've been looking for a boat for several months now, and it seems my price range is going to come with a rotten deck. I've gotta thank friscoboater for showing me that it's not really that tragic - and it can be made *better* than new.

I've got about 30 years of experience restoring everything from old guitars to old tractors. I'm kinda new to the whole fiberglass thing, though. Wish me luck!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

After pouring over friscoboater's restoration threads, I felt inspired enough to deliberately purchase a rotted boat.

This is Before you started sniffin the resin fumes !! oh my

Welcome to Iboats and we welcome as many pics as you can take.

YD.

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

Hehe, thanks. Restoration is something I really enjoy, especially when I can turn something back into mint condition. I have a matching 1985 John Deere 210 that I've been restoring. It's just right for dragging the boat around the yard.

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

Few more pics...

Interior with seats removed. The strip between the seat platforms is the width of the deck that I'll need to replace. Not really a lot of wood there. I haven't stripped the carpet off the seat platforms, but they seem to be fiberglass. They're very solid. For the amount of money I had to spend, I knew I'd be replacing a deck. Luckily, this thing hasn't got much of a deck. It's all rotted, though. Previous owner slapped a sheet of plywood over the rotted deck with some sheetrock screws. That has long since turned to mush. Oddly enough, there's no place on the deck that you can put your foot through. It's still solid enough to walk on.


Cuddy cabin is in great shape (aside from the narrow piece of decking), helm is intact but not pretty. The wiring has been replaced by something resembling linguini dyed in assorted colors that correspond to no known wiring diagrams:


OMG 3.0 turns, but no spark. New coil, distributor cap, rotor, points/condenser, plug wires, and still no spark from the coil. 12v on the + side, and the - side switches 12v on & off twice with each rotation. Arrggg, it should be sparking!!


Outdrive dangles...


I bet this has something to do with it:

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

This can't be good:


And a side-view:


I've only peeled up corners of the carpeting. I'm not quite ready to rip it all out yet. I'd like to see the motor running, first.

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

Well, now I guess I'm running out of excuses. It's time to pull the carpeting...

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

Well, the boat is going into the shop now. Now that the motor is running, I want to get in I/O solid before I dive into the rotten wood. The motor mounts seem solid. I'm hoping I can limp this poor thing thru the summer boating season, then I can have all winter to fix it up properly.

I realize the structure of the boat is compromised by the rotted wood, but how badly will I damage the boat/motor/outdrive if I take it out like this?

Yeah, I have a wife who wants me to make it float now, or get it out of the driveway.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

I felt inspired enough to deliberately purchase a rotted boat.

are you freekin nutz?

welcome to the dry dock

 

[oops!]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

just read the rest of this thread....

this boat will be a full gut......that means transom, stringers,,,,and foam and deck.

as far as doing damage to the boat by running it......not much worse than a full gut so.....just dont go far, and wear your pfd's

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

are you freekin nutz?

welcome to the dry dock

Why yes, sir, I am. I bought a boat, and you're asking if I'm nuts?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

lol bud....your gonna fit right in .....

boat building is one of the most rewarding things you can do. (after its splashed)

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

just read the rest of this thread....

this boat will be a full gut......that means transom, stringers,,,,and foam and deck.

as far as doing damage to the boat by running it......not much worse than a full gut so.....just dont go far, and wear your pfd's

And thank you guys, I am ready to totally gut this rotted piece of junk. And, thanks to you guys, I expect it will be better than original. Right now, the motor seems solid. That was my biggest worry.

Again thanks for the replies, I feel like a complete n00b.

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

this boat will be a full gut......that means transom, stringers,,,,and foam and deck.

I gotta ask. Can you actually buy a boat that's more than ten years old that DOESN'T need all that stuff? Cause I can't find one.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

most older hulls will need work.....

but with patience...you can find great older hulls cheap.

blown motor stuff.....if you can get acess to insurance claims, that is another real good resource

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

but with patience...you can find great older hulls cheap.

I guess we ran out of that "patience" thing. We've been shopping for months, I just reached the point where the boats were all looking the same, and I took the next one I found. The boat came with a Clymer shop manual, and a quick readthrough tells me that I really don't want to mess with the outdrive. As you can see from my vessel, I am not a wealthy man, and the boat needs to go to the shop. The outdrive LOOKS very sound and clean, I'm hoping that it just needs to be bolted back into place and the lift motor reinstalled. I'm on a budget, and the wife is balking at the cost of putting it in the shop. But she wants the boat in the water last week.

The engine runs strong, and starts right up, now. That's the extent of my mechanical abilities, and THAT was stretching it. I'm more of a woodworker. I REALLY hope I can limp this boat thru the summer, then I'll have several months to do the deck restoration.

 

[mxcobra]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

the windex in the picture is funny to me I think your going to need somthing stronger.....

 

[riptorn]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

Ya's. A nice looking boat but I would not buy a Bayliner I/O because of the hull stringer and transom deterioration, +.

Hopefully just cosmedics ,and stingers, trans are fine. I have also a Bayliner Cuddy.
Good luck with your probing.


Oh ya. Welcome to the site!!

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

the windex in the picture is funny to me I think your going to need somthing stronger.....

I know, right? Stupid boat, the first thing I do is clean the windows. Like polishing a turd. Sigh...

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

Ya's. A nice looking boat but I would not buy a Bayliner I/O because of the hull stringer and transom deterioration, +.

Hopefully just cosmedics ,and stingers, trans are fine. I have also a Bayliner Cuddy.
Good luck with your probing.


Oh ya. Welcome to the site!!

Well, it's a Bayliner. It's not just cosmetic, but then again, there really isn't a lot of wood on this boat. To be honest, I wish I would've shopped around more, but like I've said, I was sick of shopping. Now that the motor is running, I'm falling in love with my boat. As my wife says "it is what it is".

Man, I hate when she says that.

 

[ZenFerret]

Re: 1985 Bayliner Capri restoration

Well, after a lot of cussin' and swearin', the $#&^# boat is going into the shop to tune up the motor, and re-attach the outdrive. Found a good mechanic who will do that, and not give me crap about all the rotted wood. And, man, the more I look at this boat, the more rot I see. I gotta stop looking at it.

Someone tried to fix this boat. There is a very heavy-duty, but incredibly sloppy glass job done all over the engine compartment. Lots of new parts, and then they just gave up. I'm hoping they ran out of money. Or else they found something really wrong with the motor and put it on Craigslist.

Anyway, we drove 250 miles to pick up this piece of crap, then drove it home - 250 miles with no trailer lights. At night. In the rain. So I think I'm off to a good start.