'90 Maxum 2100SR - restoration & conversion

PC on the Bayou

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I bought this 1990 Maxum 2100SR Bowrider a few years ago to use as a fish & ski. It has a 4.3L Mercruiser Alpha 1 and has been a pretty good platform for me and my family to use on the water. I'm about to embark on a project to restore her and convert her to be a more utility fish & ski platform.

What I currently know is:
(1) that my engine runs well (although I'm having a fuel problem right now and need to get that fixed)
(2) my outdrive is not exhibiting any issues
(3) the vinyl interior and carpet is shot
(4) the floor, motor box, etc. are very dry rotted (doesn't appear to be wet rot).

My current plan is:
(1) remove all of the trim, carpet, and dry rotted wood.
(2) inspect the stringers for any sign of rot or weakness
(3) inspect the motor mounts and transom for any sign of rot or weakness
(4) if necessary remove the motor & drives (but I don't want to if I don't have to)
(5) rebuild any structural issues
(6) rebuild trim & seating boxes
(7) Paint or Gel Coat the interior to make it better for fishing (no carpet).

I'm reading several of the current threads on similar rebuild projects that members have done or are doing and am learning a lot. I'm certainly not afraid to take this on but am learning that it will be a significant endeavour.

I'll try to keep this thread going with my project progress; but, will not go into as much detail as others have done. Please feel free to give me any guidance and recommendations as you wish.
 

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Bondo

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Ayuh,....... Welcome Aboard,........Sounds like ya got the right idea,.......

You should pull the drive, 'n service it, checkin' the alignment of the gimbel bearing gives ya a good idea of the motor mounts, 'n transom condition,.....
It's only 6 nuts, 'n the trim rams, 'n it's off,....

For yer fuel problem with the motor, pull the fuel filter, 'n examine it's Contents for anything but clean fresh gasoline,.....

Btw,..... Dry rot is wet rot, that dried out,....... ;)

Good Luck,......
 

PC on the Bayou

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Thanks Bondo!

The more I read, the more I am inclined to at least take off the drive and check everything out. I had the lower unit off over the winter and did a water pump replacement there. The old oil looked good in it (no apparent water) so I was happy there. I would like to check the universals, bearings, etc.

How hard is the alignment check. I've used alignment tools for clutches in car/truck transmissions; but never in an I/O drive. Is there an inexpensive tool to be had for that? I'm certainly not scared of the work to do it.
 

Scott Danforth

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you need bellows, etc. anyway. the tool is $39 on ebay, a complete bellows and bearing kit with the tools is about $180

Being a 31 year old boat, plan on a complete hull restoration, so the motor and drive need to come out anyway.

there is no such thing as dry-rot, only rot.

since the floor is toast, everything under the floor is also toast.

Maxum was a sister brand to Bayliner and a cousin to SeaRay. build quality in the late 80's was not overly stellar.
 

PC on the Bayou

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Yeah, Scott. I am suspecting that the stringers and transom will need work, too. It will really surprise me if they don't. From what I've seen, doing the bellows and all on an Alpha one Gen one isn't too much of a chore. I certainly want everything back to 100% if I'm going to put this much time into her.

I'm not going to go for show quality; but, certainly want a sound fish & ski platform that will last me for years (or at least until I want to move on to a different boat). I will treat the boat like I do cars and keep it until I am not comfortable with the reliability or have a good reason to move onto a different one. Rebuild / restore is much more economical (to me) than buying new. I don't count my labor as cost since I enjoy the work, too.
 

PC on the Bayou

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I know that rot is rot; but what I was meaning is that the wood isn't all "wet, black, and mushy" like I think of rotted wet wood. What I have seen so far is dry, splintery, weak plywood. They certainly didn't encapsulate the floor boards much.
 

Scott Danforth

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I will treat the boat like I do cars

you cant treat a boat like a car. a rotten car will not instantly sink and try to kill you.

I know that rot is rot; but what I was meaning is that the wood isn't all "wet, black, and mushy" like I think of rotted wet wood. What I have seen so far is dry, splintery, weak plywood. They certainly didn't encapsulate the floor boards much.

boats have a 15 year life expectancy. your boat is 31 years old....well past its expiration date.

Maxum was a sister brand to bayliner. very similar build techniques. especially in 1989 when your boat was built (during the heyday of slapping boats together as fast as you can sell them for profit, no mater if they were good or not). you are lucky if there was any encapsulation at all.
 

PC on the Bayou

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you cant treat a boat like a car. a rotten car will not instantly sink and try to kill you.

My original quote was "I will treat the boat like I do cars and keep it until I am not comfortable with the reliability or have a good reason to move on to a different one." I never said that or even implied that I would risk life or limb on an unsafe boat. Comfort with reliability includes not only a running engine, but having the entire boat or car mechanically and structurally sound. I wouldn't consider a car with worn out tie rods, ball joints, tires, etc. or a rusted out frame as reliable or safe just as I wouldn't consider a boat which has a weak hull (i.e., stringers, transom, etc.) reliable or safe.

My intent, like I have tried to communicate, is to start working on the boat by first removing the rotted floor and doing a thorough inspection of the structural integrity of the stringers, transom, motor mounts, and hull. I fully intend to fix anything that I find. It won't be going back into the water until it is structurally and mechanically sound.

I may not do as thorough a "restoration" as some have done and documented on this site; but, I will have a structurally and mechanically sound resto-mod when I'm done and ready to get her back in the water.
 
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PC on the Bayou

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Been taking out the interior bit by bit and pretty much have all of the carpet and vinyl out. When pulling back/out some of the old wood, I haven't seen anywhere in the boat where there was any foam. Is this normal for boats manufactured in this time frame ('89). I thought that flotation foam was a coastguard requirement.

Once I have all of the old interior and floor out of the way, I'll take some pictures to share.

BTW, thanks to those of you (Scott & Bondo) who have chimed in on the thread so far. Any information that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
 

chevymaher

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Foam was a requirement until much bigger boats than yours. Odd maybe someone fooled with it before in the past.
 

Mad Props

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Flotation foam is only required on boats 20' or less... your's just exceeds that, so by law it was not required... If it were me, I would put it back with foam... If anything, you can typically get away with a thinner deck material (like 1/2") as long as its supported by 2 or 4lb pour in foam. If there is no foam under the deck, I would go with at least 3/4" material. Foam also provided a lot of sound deadening.
 

Chris51280

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It also depends how far away your stringers are. I used 5/8 plywood BCX for the deck. Over the tank area I added "bridges" since they stringers were 24" center distance
 

PC on the Bayou

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Thanks for the info, gentlemen. I'm just about ready to start cutting out the old floor and other rotted wood. Can't wait to get it out of the way so that I can get a good look at the stringers, etc..

Next step after that will probably be to remove the drive and motor. Gotta build a gantry like I saw in Mad Props' thread. My automotive engine lift, obviously, won't work.
 

chevymaher

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No the cherry picker isnt quite enough is it? I got one I measured for a week. I just couldnt magically come up with those extra few inches.
 

Chris51280

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The cherry picker is borderline and I used a 2 ton unit that i extended out another 2 feet. Need the operator to stand on it since the load was over the front wheels. The engine with exhaust weighs around 800lbs +-. I'm not saying it was safe. It did the job. I was in a time crunch and I was not able to build a gantry style hoist. It sure is alot easier when you are on your own. Definitely the way to go.
 

PC on the Bayou

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I was thinking about trying the engine lift, extended out all of the way. I think that the transom of the boat is a bit high, though to be able to clear it with the lift. I also thought about once the engine was supported by the lift, raising the bow on the trailer and seeing if it would clear. If I can't figure out a safe way to get it out with the lift, though, I'll probably build a gantry and either get a Harbor Freight chain fall or rent one.
 

Chris1956

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Gee, I built a "Hangman's scaffold" to pull my 4.3LX. It had 8' 4X4s supporting a double 2X10 header, plus 2X4 braces to keep the 4X4's upright. A cable hoist lifted the motor, and I could pull the boat out from under it.

It was plenty strong, and was able to be knocked down afterward.
 

Mad Props

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Gantry is definitely the way to go unless you have a nice healthy tree branch to use... I used a neighbors engine hoist to pull my motor out, I had to extend the arm the entire way, and still had to help it out over the transom, then while lowering it, the weight was out too far and the hoist actually tipped over and the motor hit the ground... fortunately it was not too high up... it broke off one of the feet on the bottom of the bell housing, but fortunately thats all... was a scary moment for sure and I'll never risk using a engine hoist again.
 

Scott Danforth

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one thing I have done......

pull the wheels, run the hubs right on the concrete, or on 2x4's to get the boat low enough the engine hoist will work.
 

PC on the Bayou

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All great info, gents. I didn't think about running the axle on the hubs. My wheels are 15" so that would buy me a few inches. Definitely need to do some measuring.

Thanks all.
 
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