Boat in garage leaking....

[Barnbldr]

I searched and couldn't find a suitable answer so here is goes. <br />Boat has been in garage, on trailer, since November. I removed boat from trailer last week to paint trailer. Last night I noticed water leaking under the boat & I looked and found a few craks in keel. Now this raises a few questions.<br />1.) If it's been trailered inside for 3+ months where's the water coming from?<br />2.) The boat hasn't seen water for 2+ years so is it just rain water that has leaked in through the many holes drilled in the topside over the years?<br />3.) Should I be worried? (I'm thinking YES on this one)<br />4.) How can I find out how wet the inside of the boat is?<br /> a.) Cut holes in it to do some probing<br /> b.) Remove the top as I've seen in a few pics here<br /> c.) ???<br /><br />I paid $250 for the boat, trailer, and working 35hp motor, so I don't want to get in too deep, but would like to see what I can do.<br /> <br />

 

[jshoes52]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

I bought an old lobster boat several years ago for cheap money since it had swamped on her mooring and turned turtle. I got the boat home and turned it upside down in the back yard where it sat for 2 years. The bow was higher than the stern, and I took the 6" deck hatch off to facilitate draining becasue I could see and feel water in the foam. When I moved the boat into the shop, I tore out the deck, and to my surprise, the foam under the deck was still sopping wet after 2 years upside down! I bet I tore out 300# of wet foam. When I put the boat back together, the new deck was sealed with epoxy and fiberglas. I decided against putting new foam under the deck. There was no way for water to flood the bilge since the deck was sealed, and I isolated a float chamber near the bow should the hull ever get pierced. No more foam for me.

 

[Tinkerer]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Could it be that the weight of the boat on the trailer sealed the crack, but the edges parted when it was off the trailer and let out water that's always been in it?

 

[prockvoan]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

The foam will never dry,chances are you will find no more stringers and ribs!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Barnbldr,<br /><br />The motor alone is worth $250. Trailer maybe $100. So it wouldn't be a loss if you cut the floor out to see what the damage is and decide to haul it off to the dump. Just sell motor and trailer and any hardware from the boat (steering wheel, running lights, windshield - $$$, etc). <br /><br />So I would jump in with the circular saw the remove the floor to see what is what. Find a soft spot, set blade to 1/2" and cut out a 1 ft square. Should give you a good view of what is there.<br /><br />The money you spend on installing new stringers and floor (as well as properly repair those cracks) is at least what you would spend to find a solid boat to replace this one. Plus you will know what you have when done. And you won't mind customizing it with your own seat layout, etc because it is not in show condition. <br /><br />If you mess it all up, just toss it and keep the valuables.<br /><br />Mark.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

3.) Should I be worried? (I'm thinking YES on this one)<br /> <br /><br />aye..sell boat..however you can for profit or break even..this boat is an Ouchy<br /><br />YD

 

[Evinrude Boater]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Barnbldr, The cracked keel likely opened a bit when you slid the boat off the trailer. You're lucky you found out on land, not in the middle of the water. It can be repaired. Anything can be repaired. It's just a matter of how much time and money you want to put into it. I'm a few months ahead of you and a few hundred bucks ($500)poorer. After 2 gallons of resin, cloth, matt and a lot of labour my boat has the interior frame work ready for the floor. Then comes the underside repairs and painting. Now I'm thinking that buying a solid boat without a motor and trailer would have been more enjoyable and the better course of action but I'm on a mission now. My advice to you is to cut an inspection hole in the floor as suggested previously. Then you'll know exactly what the condition is. Then read up on repairs that have been done by others that share on this site. After that you can decide if you're up for it. Do these photos look like fun to you?<br />

 

[Barnbldr]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Ok so a hole in the floor it is. And I was so hoping this would be easy If nothing else maybe I can break even. We'll see this weekend.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Classicboater,<br /><br />Are those stringers redwood?

 

[G DANE]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

classicboater man you did a good job on this - I'm impressed, you have a reason to be proud.

 

[tengals123]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

yeah classic boater, hve you any more progress pics for us???

 

[Barnbldr]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Couldn't wait for weekend... Cut a 10"x10" hole int he floor and here's what I found. Foam is saturated. Stringers, not sure. It's a tri-hull, and I'm not sure where there's suppose to be wood. Cut the hole about 2/3 of the way to the bow. Sorry guys, I'm new to all of this, but everyone was once right?<br />

 

[Solittle]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Save yourself a lot of pain and a pile of money and follow the advice given above. Chain saw time for the bost as in cut it in little pieces & take to the dump. Sell the motor for whatever you can get - old Chryslers are not known for reliability and parts are very difficult to get. The trailer has the most value if in good shape.

 

[tengals123]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

i disagree. If you want to fix it fix it. Itwill take you heaps of time, it will cost you cash. Rip the floor, repair your hull, cut and install new stringers, get the whole this sealed, install your new floor and you now have a soild hull. It's just hard work. IMO cheers

 

[Mark42]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Yeah, wet foam is not too good. I did not realize this is a tri-hull. I would try to contact some of the Crosby owners at the www.fiberglassics.com web site and ask them for an opinion. If there are no stringers in the W shaped hull, it may be a matter of removing just the floor, scrap out the foam, patch leaks, re-foam and new floor. A lot less work than if new stringers are involved. <br /><br />Anyway, I suggest you contact some Crosby owners to find out how that boat was constructed before doing anything else.<br /><br />If you find out it's junk, then dump it. There are lots of old boats that need a work available...<br /><br /> 59 Oxford.

 

[Evinrude Boater]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Mark42,<br />No, the stringers aren't redwood, just good ol' plywood. Two layers of 3/4" bonded together. I would say it looks good from afar but it's far from good. This is my first try at boat rebuilding. It was free, so what the heck. It's certainly better than boating on rotten wet balsa core and disintigrated stringers. There's lots more scary pictures in my Photobucket. Try this link.<br /> Rookie Floor Repairs

 

[tengals123]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

keep up the good work. cheers

 

[agitator]

Re: Boat in garage leaking....

Crosby sleds were famous for their speed and stability as a fishing platform. Think you will find just a rotten floor to replace and perhaps a keel beam. Should be relatively simple. Firtst strip it out completely and see just what youve got. Good luck and you will need it with the Chrysler. I think any other wood you find if any will be horizontal.