1986 Galaxy Admiral restoring

[HudsonValley_boater]

I recently acquired a 1986 Galaxy admiral 199 from my neighbor who just wanted it gone, so i got it for free. It hasn't seen water in 5 years and has been sitting out in the open (maybe with its chewed up cover protecting it some) for at least that long. I have watched some YouTube videos on how to take apart the out drive, Gimbal housing, and whole transom along with how to re-do a boat that needed new everything. I really haven't touched the boat since i got it last week because of the cold, but i have ripped out the seats (they were already off because of rotten wood) and taken the out drive apart. The engine still has clean black oil (no water), pistons still turn (after letting them sit in oil a few day), but not with out some grunting, out drive gear oil is nice and clean, and the engine seems to have been winterized before it was covered up, and from tapping on the fiberglass around the engine mounts and ski-locker it seems solid. I'm just wondering on what to do next and how to proceed. The ultimate plan is to use it not as "speed boat" but as more of a fishing boat with an open floor plan.
The picture is with the seats still intact, all that remains is the front two lounging seat's frames.

 

[gm280]

:welcome: aboard HudsonValley_boater. Nice to have you join us...

I have no idea what all is wrong with your new-to-you boat. But usually when one sits out in the weather without proper care, it take a lot to get it back to a solid setup. Tapping on the fiberglass is not the best way to determine if it is solid. You have to drill inspection holes at different place to see what is going on.

Using a 1/4" drill bit, drill low in the transom to see if dark wet shavings comes out or light dry wood shavings come out. Only drill about an inch into the transom. Don't drill all the way through. If the shavings are light colored dry wood, you're good to go. Then do the same with the floor and stringers. If any place you drill has dark wet wood, it has to be removes and replaced.

Take a lot of pictures and post some more on here for us to see what you are seeing. And get back to us with your sample drillings and we will go from there. JMHO!

 

[Woodonglass]

Did ya get a title??? Where are you located? Without a title in some states, you could have a problem.

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

I have a registration for the boat and a certificate of ownership of the boat when it was first purchased in 1988 from the state. I am located in the middle of the Hudson Valley in NY. What troubles could i run into with out a viable title or registration?

 

[Woodonglass]

This may offer the information you need...http://dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv821b.pdf
http://www.dmv.org/ny-new-york/boat-registration.php

You may not need a title since it's a 1986 model

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

Thanks i will follow up on that when the time comes. My neighbor is really nice and said he would do anything necessary to switch over any registration or titles to my name.
The next step for me though is to see what engine components need replacing or fixing so i want to see if the starter will turn over but looking at the wiring diagram in the manual and the actual starter, i cant figure out how to "jump" the starter to see if it will even turn over. I will probably take out and pull apart the trim/hydraulic pump to see what need replacing because it looks kind of bad on the out side.
I will post pictures of what the engine looks like right now and try to show the plug drilling samples by the end of the day with descriptions and explanations so you can better understand my situation. thank again for all of your help.

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

I cant upload the pictures i took from my camera because the files are apparently too big, but i can say with out dealing with a boat of this size before, the deck is rotten and I'm guessing the stringers as well. The plywood is water logged and flakes off very easily. My next step is then to tear out the existing deck and see how to make a new deck with a relatively low cost.
So... how the heck do i tear out the rotten deck without going into the hull, and how much fiber glassing/waterproofing do i really need to make the new deck to prevent water damage?

 

[jbcurt00]

Pix posting help
Http://forums.iboats.com/forum/forum-rules-and-guidelines/9938375-photo-upload-tutorial

There is a lot of work ahead. New deck, stringers probably transom arent likely to be inexpensive. For a small 15ft, materials alome was pushing $800, and was a much smaller scope then you likely face.

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

This is the plug from the port of the deck

This is a side wall of the engine compartment

All of the carpeting has been removed

front end of the ski locker wood

back of ski locker wood

Bottom of the engine compartment

Trim motor

left side of engine

front of engine

I know this is a long post but i want to make sure you know what I'm getting into so you can better help me. Tomorrow I'll try to post pictures from removal of the carpeting from the cuddy and the status of the fiberglass/decking. Right now i can say that from the ski locker forward the floor is springy, but back towards the engine it is solid, but that could be because of extra stringers in place. Planning on seeing if the engine will run before tearing out the decking and redoing it all.

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

Fiberglassing general know-how

I need to replace the stringers, deck, and transom of my 18' cuddy and need to know what kind of fiberglass to use, how much, and how to apply it in order to waterproof. Of you could give me even some equation to determine how much fiberglass I would need so I can price out the project to just see how much it will cost me.

 

[ondarvr]

The first thing to do would be start reading as many rebuild threads on here as possible, this will answer many of your question and you will have many more that you didn't even know about at this point.

You'll get all the help you need though.

 

[jbcurt00]

Go back to your Galaxy rebuild topic and look at the links in WoodOnGlass's signature.

There is a link to How to redo decks, sstringers and transoms. Using that info and the height, length and width of whatever you're glassing will get you the amount of 1708 and CSM you'll need. Same for resin.

I"ll merge this into your Galaxy topic, it doesnt have to be separate. Often the discussion about 1 aspect of a rebuild is tied to others, having it all together can be very helpful to you and those trying to help

 

[jbcurt00]

The first thing to do would be start reading as many rebuild threads on here as possible, this will answer many of your question and you will have many more that you didn't even know about at this point........

This is very true and can be extremely helpful to see how others have done similar work

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

Ok so this is how the cuddy looks like, all in all not too bad, but it will be a b***h to work in and i am hesitant to take it off (if that is even possible). the floor has to be taken out because the roof vent and windows seemed to have leaked and of the lovely family of mice that made a home in the ceiling carpet. Probably, if cost doesn't prevent me doing the restoration, will keep the cuddy plain and barren and use it for storage, at least for a while.

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

Based on calculations of having 274.31 total sq.ft. and Woodonglass article on transom, stringer, and deck construction (as a guide) i have come up with the following figures:
24.43 total gallons of resin
541.36 sq.ft. of CSM
356 sq.ft. of 1708

Do these figures look to anything i should be getting for a 19' boat? And then how would i calculate how many yards of fiberglass i would need based on both a 38" and 50" wide roll?

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

OK, i figured how to calculate my linear yards so now all i wonder is,
who the heck to do guys order your fiberglass from? there are so many companies that sell it i don't know who is reliable, has good quality glass, or is the best value.
I NEED HELP!!!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Typically for a boat your size a Good Stating Place is 15-yards each of the 50" CSM and 1708. 20 gallons of resin is a good start to. Where are you located??

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

I'm about 90 miles north of NYC and 80 or so miles from Albany. So smack dab in the middle. I have talked to a guy who had to re-do his boat the same way as i do, and he said he just used pressure treated wood for the stringers and deck and slapped them together as normal building and then did the transom with fiberglass and all along with the deck. he then painted and sealed the deck really well.

This boat isn't meant to be a really long lasting boat, just one for me to gain experience and use a little fishing and then get rid of for a better one later on. i'm trying to do it as cheap as possible and don't think i'm going to do all the fiberglassing of each stringer and deck in layers of fiberglass after thinking long and hard about it.

I'm heading of to college in august so this is really a spring/early summer project for me to have fun and explore with. So i'm now changing my plans to do pressure treated stringers and OSB plywood deck soaked in resin and sealed and painted with a transom of whatever thickness to make the existing done properly with fiberglass and peanut butter.

Is OSB a good choice for deck plywood or something else, and what thickness should the plywood be?

And then i was thinking creatively of a good sealer for the deck, and i have come up with seeing if the spray on truck bedding is a good sealer. it is rubberized, and meant to seal the truck bed and have water and other liquids flow off.

For the stringers is using 2x4 pressure treat good or what should i use instead?

The transom im going to do all fiberglass so i'll use Woodonglass template of csm, 2 1708, csm with peanut butter holding the plywood to the hull to glueit together

 

[Woodonglass]

Here's what you need to understand. The Stringers ARE the BackBone of the hull. The deck Ties the sides of the hull to the stringer substructure making everything come together to make it a homogeneous unit. If you DON'T Glass the stringers to the hull and the transom and then glass the deck to the sides of the hull your boat will not be safe. OSB is NOT a good product for your boat and Polyester resin without CSM is useless. If you don't have the time and money to do it right...Then don't do it at all. If you want to get on the water fast and cheaper...Go find an Aluminum boat.

 

[HudsonValley_boater]

So what kind of plywood do u recommend? I'm going to go by what ever size Galaxy went by when they built the boat unless it is flimsy. I have been looking around and saw many are suggesting BCX grade, but not what kind.