How a boat is built.

[mogfisher]

Hey guys. I'm looking at purchasing a 89 bass tracker fiberglass boat. I know nothing about how fiberglass boats are built so I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction. I'm quite a hany guy, so I figure if I know a bit more about how a boat is constructed, I'll know more what to look for when I look at it. The seller states that this winter is the only time it ever sat outside uncovered. He said the drainplug was removed, but I'm not certian whether it was tilted up or not. he said there was no standing water in it when he pulled it out. However, he also said "I have it almost dried out and it's much lighter than it was when I first pulled it out". Not really sure what to make of that. My main concern with this boat is the integrity of the hull. I don't want to buy someones rotted pos, although I think for the price, the motor may be worth close to the asking price. It's got a good running 150 mercury blackmax on it and it's an 18' bass tracker. He's asking 2400 but I think I can get it for 2k.

The guys in the boating forum told me about the mallet but I really don't know what to listen for. Someone else said to drill the transom and see what comes out but I doubt the dude is gonna let me drill into his boat. It looks like a really nice, clean boat, but I know there is a lot more to a boat than how it looks.

Thank you for any more advice you can give. It's thoroughly appreciated.

 

[jonesg]

Re: How a boat is built.

I watched my mechanic who is also a shipwright bang on my transom, he knew what to listen for but to me it just sounded like noise.
But we already knew it was rotted.
Unless you have an educated ear, its just banging, if its fulll of water it will sound solid too. After replacing my transom I know the difference in banging.

The only real way to inspect is by getting under the deck and behind the transom, poke around with a small screwdriver, if it goes in the wood like its cheese the wood is gone. If the hull is 20 yrs old just assume the wood is in need of replacement unless you can prove otherwise.
They always rot from the inside, from the bottom up.

If you find a soft spot on the deck the stringers are rotted, it shows up in the deck last, they don't rot from the deck down. And when the stringers rot they take the transom too. It spreads because its a bacteria.
New boats are built without wood.

The first time boat buyer typically looks at the outside, stands at the bow and the seller says it doesn't leak, they rarely leak though, the problem is always trapped water inside the stringers , foam and transom. Everything else is cosmetic by comparison.

If it got water in the hull over the winter and the foam got soaked it will rarely ever dry out and must be gutted out, the wet foam will rot the stringers in short order. A lot of owners don't realize they are selling nothing more than a project or hazardous waste and the buyer discovers he bought nothing more than an outboard on a trailer, the boat is junk.
It can easily take another $1K+ to restore it and thats strictly DIY.

Post your location, maybe theres an experienced boater nearby who can give it a look over.

It happens all the time, thats why we're here.

 

[tinkeringwackyone]

Re: How a boat is built.

jonesg pretty much hit it on the head. If you are handy, have the patience, and really like the boat, anything is a fixer, just beware if you are looking to get a starter boat,looking to upgrade in a year or two, stay away from it. but if you rebuild her and she's mechanically sound you'll have a stronger than factory boat that will last for 20+ years. good luck in your decision

 

[mogfisher]

Re: How a boat is built.

Thanks guys. I'm really looking forward to seeing this boat tomorrow. I'm going to try to convince him to let me drill core samples. I hope he does. This is how I look at this boat. It's cheep cheep cheep in my opinion. I've pissed away more money than this on dumber things. I'm hoping all the mechanicals are decent and that the hull will let me fish it at least through this summer. If I find out it needs glass resto work, I'm cool with that and I've done a lot of glass work in the past. I figure if I can get the boat for under 2k I'm happy no matter what. If the 150 merc is good then I'm happier. So I'm off to see it in the morning armed with a drill, a plastic headed mallet, and some other basic tools. I'll post up what happens because I know everyone likes follow up! Thanks again folks.

Oh, and do all boats have foam? Will this boat have foam that is probably waterlogged if it was not tilted up? Is it hard to get to so I can remove it so it doesn't cause more issues?

 

[bananaboater]

Re: How a boat is built.

"However, he also said "I have it almost dried out and it's much lighter than it was when I first pulled it out". Not really sure what to make of that."

Sounds like that could be a serious problem, a leak that eventually drains or dries out. Might be easily solved but be aware.

 

[osborn159]

Re: How a boat is built.

id work him lower than 2k on this boat if the samples come out bad, and just to ease his pain if he does let you drill, take some 5200 to reseal incase you decide to walk away.
good luck hope it works out for you. D

 

[mogfisher]

Re: How a boat is built.

Well. I ended up dragging it home! It's a bit of a basket case, but I got it for 1500. I'm pleased. We ran the motor. Runs good from what I can tell. Didn't do a compression test as my tester is broke. Still no tilt. One solenoid is bad and maybe the tilt motor. Electrical will need some work, but I do 12v electroncis for work for 12 years so that's no biggie for me.

As for the wetness. It was still kinda damp in the front storage compartments but it hasn't been for long. I stuck my whole head in there and could see the stringers and they were bright yellow and wood colored. I didn't drill them but I beat them with the hammer and they are solid. The front casting deck will need replacing within a year as it's a tad soft, but it's really thin anyway, so maybe that's just how it was built. The main floor by the helm is ROCK solid as are the back seat areas. I couldn't see the transom from the inside as the gas tank was in the way but I whacked it from outside and it sounded very solid to my untrained ear. Overall you can tell it was somebody's baby at one point. Just not recently!

So i"ve got some work to do but I think I did OK for what I got. The trailer is mint too. No rust at all.