1990 Javelin 378 FS

[Karma16]

Ok,

I have been reading several different build threads around here and decided that I would start one of my own.

My background... I am a Navy vet (Fire Controlman) and I have built Jeeps over the past few years. I just finished the one pictured below... so I am fairly crafty when it comes to creating things from scratch, thinking out of the box and all that good stuff that goes into one of these projects. That being said.. I don't really know a lot about rebuilding boats.

I had been looking for a good used boat at a cheap price for a while and a couple of weeks ago I landed a Javelin 378 FS for just over a grand. The boat was in pretty good overall condition, although it had a different motor on it than what it originally came with. It has a 1979 Johnson V4 Seahorse, 2 stroke which runs. Carpet is in fairly good shape, trolling motors and depth finders/ fish finders work.

On the flip side, I have a found a few weak spots in the flooring around the drivers seat and up near the bow before you step up on the fishing platform. The previous owner had also smacked a tree branch pretty hard on a night fishing trip and put a hole in the hull which has been patched by fiberglass. It holds the water out, but looks pretty bad. (pictured below previous owners work, not mine) The tilt trim motor was out although I have already replaced that. The fishing seats and the bench seat in the rear of the boat were rotten. The wood just completely gave way when sitting in them in the pedestal mounts. The paint job on the boat, needs to be redone. I don't think it can be polished out. The electrical system on the boat is in desperate need of rewiring. It is fine for now, but does not hold up to my standards, far too much rat nesting and zipties going on imo.

The first weekend I had it I took it out with my brother. I fired it up and we went cruising down river probably 10 miles from where we launched. I trimmed her out just right and we were cruising along at 50 mph just a smooth as a Cadillac on an interstate. It was great. We found a place and fished for about 2 hours and decided it was time to go back, went to start her and nothing. So we started pulling ourselves the 10 miles back to the dock with the trolling motor, luckily for us a guy came along and gave us a tow. It was still a great day on the water.

After getting home and checking it out, I discovered that one of the spark plugs had came out. The previous owner had not put the washer on behind the plug and it had worked itself out. Go figure.

I have already decided to give the engine a bit of an overhaul. I have ordered a new starter (old one could be a bit difficult) & solenoid. Already have the new spark plugs and I am going to go ahead and put new coils and spark plug wires on it. Although on an engine this old, it can be a bit of a pain to find the exact part.

My first question is this. The boats transom seems to be in ok shape. Not new, but not rotting away. At least where the engine mounts and the stringers start; however the wood around what I believe is labled the "foam filled flotation compartments" in this image is not in that great of shape. It's a big busted up in places. I don't know if that is because the wood is rotten or if it is because the previous owner smacked it and busted it up removing and installing batteries. Your opinions please?

I think the boat will be fine for use this summer and I am already planning some trips for her. This fall & winter I plan on completely redoing the boat. Overhauling the electrical systems, the flooring and while I am at it I may as well replace the stringers, foam and maybe even the transom. Then I am going to sand her down and myself and a friend who is an auto body guy by trade, properly repair the damaged hull and paint her.

 

[jbcurt00]

You should have NO problem finding pretty much any part, and easily find maintenance/wear parts for a 1979 Johnson outboard. In fact, most NAPA stores should have access to maintenance parts w/in 2 or 3 business days, and have some parts on hand.

Otherwise, online stores (including Iboats) carry them.

Be very careful using a high speed bass boat w/ compromised wood structure. When things go wrong, they go wrong quickly, and a slow paddle upriver (NOT a pull via the trolling motor) will seem a dream come true in comparison.

GT1000000s bass boat rebuild is as good a place to start reading how to's, plus he's posted an index on page 1
1988/2014 Glasstream Resto-Mod .

FYI, it's gelcoat, not paint currently on the Javelin. But paint can be a great choice to refresh and cover up the metal flake gelcoat. Esp if the flakes can be felt thru the clear gelcoat, and if it's well oxidized and damaged, you probably couldn't bring it back anyway.

Good luck w your project, and nice work on the Jeep.

 

[Karma16]

Well..

I have been using the boat for the past few months. I have done a bit of work to the engine but still can't get it just right. Today I replaced a broken throttle cable and noticed that the floor was worse off than I originally thought. I decided to just go ahead and start with the overhaul. Especially after I was about to rip both driver and passenger seats and mounts out with my hands...

Apparently the only real thing holding them down was the carpeting. Under the carpeting was a layer of fiberglass, under the fiberglass there was nothing but shards of what used to be wood and then the foam. The stringers don't look that bad, I cut into them a bit and they seem firm and the wood ok on the inside. The top of the foam was damp, but after tearing up a few random chunks, the interior of the foam is dry. I believe the top is just wet due to the shards of rotten wood still being wet. The floor towards the bow was very dry, so much that there were spiderwebs and dead bugs up past the bulk head.

So I need opinions and advice and questions answered.

Main question.... is the fiberglass being layed over the wooden decking under the carpet normal? Is that something the factory would have done? Or is that something a previous owner would have done to keep from replacing the rotten wood decking?

Also am I correct in assuming that the foam and stringers are fine? Part of me is hoping that I do not have to take the top cap off and completely gut the boat... the other side is saying in for a penny in for a pound... the boat is 25 years old and I should just completely tear it down and rebuild her. I have the facilities to do so, the time and help if needed. What would you guys do?