1987 Larson DC-165 worth a transom and stringers rebuild? In deep water!

[freeboard]

I have a 1987 Larson DC-165 I/O
which has a rebuilt Mercruser 2.5 Liter engine which runs fine now.
Had it for two years still no joy.
Thought this would be the year only to find myself in the tank with a "newly discovered"
rotten transom. I knew the stringers needed replacement, but thought that was the worst of it. After several mechanics had this boat and replaced gimbal bearing, bellows etc.. Only now does one of them have the integrity to tell me how deep in #%$# I am?

I've put too much money into it at this point to ever recover it.
(selling it as is will be as bad as giving it away.)
The sad truth is, if I let her go, I'll never have another boat.
I'm guessing $2000 to $4000 dollars for what it'll require.

So my question is;
Am I insane to be considering a transom, stringer and sole replacement?!?!?!?

Please tell me the truth.
I've lost my nautical compass.

 

[jc turtle]

Re: 1987 Larson DC-165 worth a transom and stringers rebuild? In deep water!

Freeboard, unfortunately, as you said, the only way to having a boat is to press forward. These projects can be time-consuming, but they can be done by you. Hopefully, you have some handyman skills and a few tools. There are many sites on the internet where you can see exactly how to do these projects. I hope this helps you to get started on breathing new life into your boat!
John

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 1987 Larson DC-165 worth a transom and stringers rebuild? In deep water!

You can do this yourself. It is a lot of work and time and you have to have room to do it in, but it's not complex by any means. The repair and restoration forum here on iboats is the place to go. Guys do it all of the time. You basically have to remove the motor and outdrive and store it someplace, rip out the interior and sole and throw it away, probably separate the cap and store it someplace, rip out the stringers and transom, make new strings and transom out of plywood/wood and fiberglass it in, cut a new sole and glass it in, paint it and reinstall everything. That's a one sentence summary of about 6 months of part-time work. How long it takes and how much it costs heavily depends on how anal-retentive you want to get.
Recreational boats rarely make any economic sense in any circumstance. If you can find another hull that is compatible with your I/O for less than your repair cost that is in better shape than your Larson and will cost less than gutting the Larson hull, then it may make sense to get a different hull and save a bunch of work. Swapping a motor with a rented cherry picker or block and tackle/tree is a weekend job.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: 1987 Larson DC-165 worth a transom and stringers rebuild? In deep water!

I replaced the transom and engine mounts on my 1984 Avanti.

It took me a full week and about $800 so either take the week off, or spend a month of weekends.

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[SDSeville]

Re: 1987 Larson DC-165 worth a transom and stringers rebuild? In deep water!

Hi freeboard,

You can do this! I am a CPA with no prior boat repair experience and I did the deck, stringers, and transom for well under $2k. I actually spent $1715, but $300 of that was for upholstery. Check the link in my signature to see what I did. It is in no way a tutorial, but just shows that it can be done even if you are not an expert.

If you want a tutorial, check out Friscoboater's thread. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=454460&highlight=friscoboater

SD

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: 1987 Larson DC-165 worth a transom and stringers rebuild? In deep water!

You can do it my friend. I have done it twice now.