1993 Sprint 286

[cnthinkoname]

Hey Guys,

I'I have a 1993 Sprint 286 with a 1994 Evinrude 150. The motor runs well and has good compression. Being my first boat, I was beyond excited, and when I looked at my first one I forgot EVERYTHING I read. I bought the boat and later found cracks in transom.

I would love to work on it myself (so I know it's done right and also save $) and have done minor fiberglass work before (1979 Corvette) but nothing on this scale. I would GREATLY appreciate any advice and words of wisdom before perusing this project.

Best,
Robby
Northern Arkansas

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

By the transom (transom is solid, 300lb friend stood on motor and no budge)

Top cap close up

Yet another of the top cap

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

Also a little added bonus question. Whenever the boat slows down the wave it makes comes back and goes over the transom, any way to prevent this other than slowing down less rapidly and turning?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

hey.....there ya are......

im still goin with the impact damage....

as for the thrust wave......you are really heavy in the rear end.....try moving a gas can or battery more forward......that wave should never come over the back of the boat. (that is however what the splashwell is for) but a huge wave that goes over the back of the boat could swamp you....what size was the motor again....and what is the cap rating for the craft?.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

It looks like there are a few things going on.

The plywood floor appears to have been glassed in poorly and the bond isn't very good, that's why the laminate has come loose all the way around.

To get cracks in the hull sides like that means they may be too thin and flexing a great deal. Having a poor laminate on the inside to the floor can increase the flexing also. The same thing is going on with some of the cracks in the dark metal flake.

Other parts of the metal flake cracking looks like they may be caused by thick gel coat.

Thick gel coat is very susceptible to cracking, so this may also be contributing to the cracking elsewhere were its flexing.

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

Currently it has a 150 Evinrude from 1994. Its rated at 175.

Now my question becomes why is it flexing and what can I do about it?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

well my friend.....with that...

you have two choices.

sell it or fix it.....a fix will be around 2500 diy. forget the pro....over 7k.

you can run it like that....for a season or two....as long as there isnt any rot.

if you want to fix it.....it is a full rebuild.....from what ondarvr said....it will need to be pulled apart and a layer or two of glass added to stop the flex of a bad laminate.
that will take care of the glass......but them the gell coat has to be fixed.....that means it has to come off.....the exterior fiberglass re glassed. and be re sprayed......
at that point.....you can re gell (i would scrap the metal flake) or paint.

if you want to know what you are looking at for a fix......click the link in my sig......yours will be a 10 of the work i did.....but the basic is the same.

sorry to be the bearer of bad news.....one thing......if you do decide to fix it.....you will have a boat you can be proud of and one that you know is better than factory.

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

She's really that bad? I have no money for restoration but am afraid of the loss if I sell. How much would I loose? Or better yet how much could I sell her for?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

it will still hold water......you can run it the way it is.....but it will get worse.

i dont recall how much you paid.....post pics of the overall boat and specs....and we can guide you.

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

I don't have any bigger pictures but I can try to describe it. It has a 1994 (Evinrude) motor that runs strong. Brand new seats, 2 humminbirds, and a 24volt 55lb trolling motor. The carpet is in decent shape, but torn in area. The trailer is very nice.

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

I was also thinking of going another direction and getting another hull to move the motor over to. How much should I expect to pay for just a hull (no motor, no trailer) in sound shape?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

each area is different...... and i have no idea where you are.

around 2 k tho

no trailer......5-800

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

$800 sounds a lot better than spending thousands to fix the current hull.

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

Alright well after thinking out all my options here's my plan:

-Run the crap out of the boat until winter, then take the motor off and do maintenance and paint the motor. (I'm pretty well versed with cars, so I should be able to get some basic outboard work done)
-Save up 20% of each pay check
-This summer take 3 weeks full time, tear the boat apart, replace all wood and re glass all seams. Paint the whole boat (not gelcoat)

I should then have a boat that will look good enough and last me a long time. I have read a few resto threads, but not many are bass boats. Are there any really good detailed bass boat threads that you guys know about that I might have missed?

Thanks so much for the advice and support.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

you need to fix the crazing before you paint or it will just crack the paint.....

ill check for bass boats........but it really doesnt matter. !
most boats are built the same....
once you get in there....(start ripping every thing out) you will see how it was constructed......just duplicate it and make it better where you can !

if you do it over the winter....it will be done by spring.....and as far as the money goes......it does not hurt little by little.....this check buy resin....next....glass....in the mean time.....you can start ripping stuff out for free !

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

How would I fix the crazing? I was planing to strip the gelcoat and take it to bare glass then prime/paint. Would I need to reglass?

How many hours would something like this take on average? 200?

How heavy is the hull? Could I flip the bottom upside down to paint?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

rather than taking all the gell off....i would grind off the crazing....and re gell that....if you are painting...who cares what color ithe gell is......then just fair the gell to 240 grit....and paint......you could flip the boat....just protect the windsheild...or remove it.....the wind sheild is very hard and evpencive to replace

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

Lol, what windshield :facepalm:

 

[cnthinkoname]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

Also, if i'm grinding the crazing off, will it be okay to paint over the bare glass, or will I need to prime the areas?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1993 Sprint 286

Also, if i'm grinding the crazing off, will it be okay to paint over the bare glass, or will I need to prime the areas?

the gellcoat is really thick stuff more than an 1/8 th inch.....so if you grind off the gellcoat.....there will be a dip in the final product..you have to fill that void...(and bondo wont cut it)

paintng over bare glass is problematic at best.....it is very pourous...you would need to sand it down....primer it a few times...or a high build (high solids) primer.....then paint.
but you would still have a dip....where the gellcoat ends.

take a grinder to a bad area and see what you are up against....

you could re gell,,,,but scrap the metal flake....getting the right flake size is difficult....and then you have to color match the base coat gell....then clear gell it.....even then.....it will discolor over a few years .

gellcoat gets its uv protection form the pigment....clear gellcoat has no pigment.