'89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

Well I am finally at it again. Beautiful day here today. I got more of the floor up and i am finding more evidence of previous work done. Who ever did this just laid new pressure treated stringers beside the old rotten ones. They did not glass them or anything. They just put a band aid on the problem.

Oh well, they are all coming out. At least i have a couple good templates for the new stringers going in.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

At least you'll know that when you're done, she'll be better than new and will last you and your family a long time! Make sure and wear your PPE!!!

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore



this is slower going than I thought. But, got one side clear up the window. I have not found any dry foam yet. The foam and the wood was wet all the way back to the transom. This is leading me to believe that it may be bad as well. I plan on getting all the stringers out before I check out the transom.

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore



Now the other side is out. i was looking around the transom assembly and stuck my finger in one of the holes and the wood is all spongy. Urgh!! Looks like the transom is bad too. I kinda figured it but....now i know.

The floor in the bow is soft too. can i just replace that part of the floor without taking out the seat boxes?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

Uhhmmm, You should be prepared to De-Capitate the boat and do a complete "Gut Job". If you want the boat to be safe and sound. The entire substructure needs to be replaced. In order to get to your transom easily you will need to remove the top cap of the boat. this will also make it much easier to replace the deck, especially the bow section. Do some searching and reading on the forum. There's lots of pics and examples of others that have done exactly what you are about to undertake.

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore



from this picture you can see my transom does not go all the way up. There is a molded swim platform on the back. I have read FriscoBoaters thread on his Searay. My boat is very similar to his. I think i can get to everything without taking the cap off. I hope anyway. when I get back home I plan on getting the rest of the stringers out all the way to the bow...then start grinding.

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore



even more removed from the boat now. almost ready to start the dreaded grinding. I also had to look at the transom, so I took the skin off and....



OH MY!! I could wiggle the bottom bolts on the transom assembly by hand! They were corroded right in half! I think i know where a lot of the water was coming in. One more day of tearing stuff out and I will start the grinding.

I cant wait to stop the destruction and start the construction!

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

okay I have a question for all of the brilliant minds out there.

I am a truck driver so I have an abundance of time to sit here and think about things. Sometimes I tend to overthink things. Today I have been sitting here thinking about my transom.

I was going over the thread from Frisco Boater on his Sea Ray boat. I was looking at the way his transom was. When he replaced his it had a piece of plywood going from one side of the boat to the other with the second layer just in the bilge area. mine is just a double thickness in the building area only. So my question is should I rebuild mine the way Frisco did? Wouldn't that just add extra strength to the transom area?

any input on this would be greatly appreciated

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

Nope, Put it back just the way you found it. No need for the added plywood. Your Transom is "Inset" and that gives it addition strength. When you tab it and wrap the glass around the edges it will be strong as steel. Make sure and measure the thickness now at a "Good" spot so you'll know how thick to make the new one. It's critical so the outdrive will fit correctly. Glad you can get to everything without a "De-Capitation!

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

I forgot to measure the thickness before I took the skin off. after I took the skin of it measured an inch and a half. The hall is about a quarter of an inch thick so I am guessing two sheets of half inch plywood? Or should I use 5/8 inch? I know I have to get it as close to the original thickness as I can. What kind of Tolerance am I dealing with? Can I be an eighth of an inch off?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

What outdrive do you have? You can google it and find out the tolerances required for the Transom thickness for your specific outdrive. Typically it's 2 - 2 1/4"

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

I found another thread that says 2 to 2.25. I tried the BoatInfo site to look at the manual but my computer will not show me the pages for some reason . So maybe 3/4" ply wood...the is 1.5 in + .25 for the hull. How thick will 2 layers of 1.5 CSM and 2 layers of 1708 and gel coat be?

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

I did not get anything done last weekend, It rained all weekend. Hope fully this weekend will be good so I can get in and finish the grinding. It is getting really nice here and I want her in the water real bad. Not sure if I am going get much boating in this year. The floor is going real good but I still have to finish the motor. But i have to have a boat to put it into so I am focusing on the floor at the moment.

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

got 3 days off and it has rained for the 1st two!! Grrrr! Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I need to figure out a tent or something. This is getting ridiculous!! I want to get this done

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

I got a bunch of grinding done the other day. I did not get as much as I hope but it was almost 90 degrees out. I was absolutely miserable in my spacesuit. I am hoping to get some more work done this week. The weather is supposed to be much much cooler in the low 70's to upper 60's. This is much slower process and I thought it was going to be.

do I need to get all of the old fiberglass and resin out or do I just need to get it down to a nice flat workable surface?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

For your transom, I'd recommend sandwiching a 1/4" piece of plywood in-between the 2 3/4" pieces which will put you @ 1 3/4" + the thickness of the transom skin. When you install it and glass it you should be just about "Spot On" for your thickness. It's all about being Flat and Parallel when you get it ready to install everything back.

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore



It has taken me almost 3 hours to get this much done. This is going to take forever!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

What are you using?

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore

I am using a 4.5 inch angle grinder with a standing disc. I found out I was using 50 grit. Switched to 36 grit and made much better progress. Still is going to take a while.

 

[RCrockett]

Re: '89 Wellcraft Eclipse 186 restore



Almost every day I have had off has been raining!! Been real hard to get in and do any grinding. I need a tent over my boat or something. But...I am almost half way done! Both sides up to the window have been done this much. Most of the grooves are gone and just need to grind a little more to get everything done. Still need to do the front and the transom, but I am seeing progress...Now if the rain will hold off I will get it done over the next couple of days. I can only grind for 30 minutes or so before the grinder gets too hot. But that is about the life the sanding discs, so I blow it out with the air compressor and let it cool down.