22' Islander rebuild

[sidingguy]

Well the hunt is over! My buyer backed out yesterday. Said he thought the boat was too big for him to handle by himself.Got to agree ,so back to work on the old girl!

 

[mattsteg]

Well the hunt is over! My buyer backed out yesterday. Said he thought the boat was too big for him to handle by himself.Got to agree ,so back to work on the old girl!

Hah! The 22s can surprise with their size for sure.

I do think a good captain should have no problem handling/launching/loading solo though.

 

[captainnate]

Are you in Gladwin? I see an islander for sale on craigslist for $5500. I'm in Freeland. I'm working on my 1972 Starcraft Nova. I appreciate learning from you and others on iboats.

 

[sidingguy]

No I am half way between Mt Pleasant and Midland. I have'nt listed the boat.

 

[Capt Spaulding]

Just wanted to say thanks for a great thread. I'm starting a project on a Islander that has been sitting too long.
the floors you did looked great! You mentioned earlier in the thread that you did a "hull leak test". New to reconditioning boats so not sure how to preform this test on my Islander. Could you please elaborate on that?

 

[sidingguy]

Sure, my method is to set the trailer in a level area.Fill the hull with water to the appropriate level,keeping an eye on the trailer tires. Get on the creeper and roll around with a magic marker.Use your trailer jack to vary the level of the water.Drain the hull,tighten ,replace any rivets that need attention,and repeat the process if necesary.

 

[baddad1]

I would caution anyone doing using that method... 1 cubic foot of water = 62.4 lbs. Do the math and the overall weight adds up quickly. Add in a rusty trailer and it's probably not the safest thing to be under that boat/trailer on a creeper with no time to react if something gives quickly. Not trying to judge, just tend to put safety first. Another method is to purchase a suction dent puller from Harbor Freight and test rivets with vacuum. This method was suggested to me and I have used it successfully.

 

[Capt Spaulding]

Sure, my method is to set the trailer in a level area.Fill the hull with water to the appropriate level,keeping an eye on the trailer tires. Get on the creeper and roll around with a magic marker.Use your trailer jack to vary the level of the water.Drain the hull,tighten ,replace any rivets that need attention,and repeat the process if necesary.

thanks for the info.
did you replace the foam you removed from under the floor when you did the floor repair?

I would caution anyone doing using that method... 1 cubic foot of water = 62.4 lbs. Do the math and the overall weight adds up quickly. Add in a rusty trailer and it's probably not the safest thing to be under that boat/trailer on a creeper with no time to react if something gives quickly. Not trying to judge, just tend to put safety first. Another method is to purchase a suction dent puller from Harbor Freight and test rivets with vacuum. This method was suggested to me and I have used it successfully.

Interested in how that technique is done. do you have a model number of the harbor freight tool you used?

 

[baddad1]

You can get them trough Amazon as well: Body Panel Suction Pullers.

You basically need to get two sizes, one larger and one smaller. Use the larger one for multiple rivets on flatter surfaces and the smaller one for single rivets on irregular surfaces and to identify which rivet leaks if the larger cup finds a leak.

First wash the boat and rinse well, keep a small bucket of clean water to lubricate the suction cups as you move around the boat.

 

[sidingguy]

thanks for the info.
did you replace the foam you removed from under the floor when you did the floor repair?

Interested in how that technique is done. do you have a model number of the harbor freight tool you used?

Yes pulled old foam and replaced with new pour in foam.

 

[SHSU]

@Capt Spaulding
For leaking testing, the best route, by far, is to take it to a lake and put it in while hull is empty.

Otherwise, while I agree not the best method, filling hull has been used by many, including myself. Some precautions and adjustments can be made to do it safely if you must do it this way.

Problem with suction cup method is doing your side seals. Can't form proper seal around all the rivet, even with the small one. Plus on an islander that has to be North of ~2500 rivets to check.

Just my 2 cents, take it for what little its worth....

SHSU

 

[baddad1]

For anyone reading this now or in the future, boat trailers are not regulated by the NTSB like an automobile. As such, the safety margins for loading are not the same. Adding several thousand pounds of water in addition to the weight of a boat on an older trailer is a risk. The dangers lie in the areas that you can't see. Having lost a friend in a similar type accident is the reason I spoke up.

 

[SHSU]

For anyone reading this now or in the future, boat trailers are not regulated by the NTSB like an automobile. As such, the safety margins for loading are not the same. Adding several thousand pounds of water in addition to the weight of a boat on an older trailer is a risk. The dangers lie in the areas that you can't see. Having lost a friend in a similar type accident is the reason I spoke up.

Apologies if you thought I was out of line. Completely agree that a rusted or ill repaired trailer would not be something I would want to get under even without water in the hull. The argument has been made that it can also damage the hull.

Either way, the information has been posted and future readers can make their own decision.

SHSU

 

[baddad1]

SHSU:
Appreciate your response, shows great character... For the record, I wasn’t judging you or anyone else for their comments or helpful suggestions. In my lifetime, I’ve come to realize many of the paths we cross are not accidents. So when that inner voice speaks and says - Dude, say something, I do...

Share another story: My son who lives in Delaware buys a 22’ center console less than 10 years old sitting on a galvanized trailer. I go down to help him get set up to do some mahi fishing. He asked me to help adjust brakes and look things over before he takes it to get inspected. In that process we ended up replacing every single bolt on that trailer. I could not believe how the corrosion hid itself so well. Even the axle ubolts were so eaten away in just the thickness of the retaining plate that I easily sheared them off with a wrench. The scary part, looking at it you could not tell. The only reason we found it was because one of the swivel bunkers was stuck and I attempted to adjust it. One easily sheared bolt led to checking others and the rest was history...

These forums are a great place to learn and gain understanding. Hopefully that includes a little safety reminder...

My apologies for hijacking the thread...

 

[sidingguy]

Okay guys ,decided to sell both my Islanders.The 22' sold the first day I listed it.The 19v5 sold in less than a week.The boat market is hot here in Michigan!
2 week before these sold I picked up an 18'Holiday to restore. 120 mercruiser. Hull looks great ,interior is gone,floor is mulch.I now have time and space for another project. The Holiday will work great on the Saginaw Bay .

 

[BWR1953]

Congrats!