Is it really worth it......

[8AteEight]

to redo my floor???? I have an 85 Tara 17' IO. Its been a great boat for the last 2 years, and it was only a song and dance to buy it. But now I have a baby on the way, and I seem to get everything tore down....and then it gets put on hold.

This lil boat has 3 or 4 soft spots (1 big one right over the gas tank) in the rear. and Id like to just redo the whole rear of the boat. I am afraid of getting in there and finding that I need stringers, etc.

How much money/time/efford would I end up investing to do it myself? How much SHOULD it cost to have someone else do it??(they charge triple around here):'(

Thanx in advance.
Jon

 

[deejaycee_2000]

Re: Is it really worth it......

rather fix it properly the first time around ... to get someone to do it will cost you a pretty penny ... much cheaper to do it yourself, but alot of effort ...

 

[ziggy]

Re: Is it really worth it......

yep, like deejaycee says. do it right the first time. my ol skow had a new floor put in, in 98. new wood scabbed onto the old stingers.new floor put down on the new boards hooked to my spent stringers. well. my front motor mount holes were striped. this has lead me to start rippin out the old floor to see what was up. spent stringers is what's up. i have a full restore on my hands. my floor is puttin up much resistance too as it is still intact from the half way attempt to have a good floor.....do it right the first time....i agree with that for sure.... i'm boatless now...as for money and time. so far, i aint far enough to spend any money. but i can see lots of time involved if i fix it..........and lots of skills perhaps.....i don't know about the money part, yet. i also have a spent drive and engine. so i am in real bad shape. consider what yer workin with. mine will be much $'s if i ever get that far......

 

[tmh]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Old, cheap boats are only worth fixing as a "labor of love" imo. You can get another old, cheap boat that isn't so spent for the same cost as fixing yours, OR LESS. Especially if you need engine.drive work, then it's MUCH cheaper to get a new boat than fix yours.

Old boat with bad engine is worthless.

 

[8AteEight]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Ok, Do you guys have any idea how much itd be in parts, tool, and materials if I did it myself??? The time thing isnt as big a deal, as itll be winter for a good 8 months here.

 

[8AteEight]

Re: Is it really worth it......

and Y does it give me that stupid smiley when I type in ? ? ?s ??

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Is it really worth it......

It gives you that smiley when you type 3 question marks. Each smiley has its own code. Go down to the bottom of the page to where you see all the smileys. Click 'all' and it will show you what letter combinations make certain smileys.

 

[MASTER Brian]

Re: Is it really worth it......

I redid the floor in my sister's 14' tri-hull a few years ago. It took me and her husband about a day or two to rip the old stuff out and then I spent a few hours here and there during the week getting it ready and making stringers and such. Then about another day or two putting foam in, and plywooding it up. I did a little glass work as well, during this time as I set it up so they could have a storage cubby in the floor for a cooler or whatever.

I think total cost was about $100 in marine ply, $100 in two-part pour foam, and maybe another $50 in misc stuff. Turned out really well and the boat floated about 6" higher in the water after.

The only tools used were a circular saw (under $50 for a cheapy) and a drill, hammer, prybars, etc....

 

[sport15]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Shop rates vary on location. Up here $40-$60 hr or at an independent $20-$30. The time it takes depends on your nerve and skill. I say nerve first because you just have to get in there and grind away. Fear will paralyze you into indecision and delay the project. If it looks questionable assume it is. Look around and see what kind of trouble you will get into, figure out how to fix it and grind away.
To fix or not to, if the boat really means that much to you fix it! If you scrap and start again new to you old boats also bring their own collection of unknown problems and are a crap shoot. If you see something you like better that is a different story… My wife has a comic strip framed in the kitchen at camp that shows a guy and his wife in a little skiff. The guy is looking wistfully at a “nice” yacht in the distance and says “You known Honey, for another $42,632 we could have had a really nice boat..” If you like it, fix it!

Dave

 

[JB]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Messing with boats (as opposed to messing about IN boats) should not be done unless one loves the messing.

The cost in time, aggravation and bux is always far more than the worth of the finished product.

Only if you love the creative/recreative process is it worth it. If you love the process it is priceless.

 

[8AteEight]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Yeah, I guess all ya'll said is very true. I guess the wife 'n I'll decide which is better at the moment. I do love a good project, its just finishing them that becomes the problem. i.e. Ive got a Mustang (car) project that finally runs after 8 years of tinkering. and it has at least another 8 years b4 its done. :'(

 

[crunch]

Re: Is it really worth it......

I'm doing a partial floor, no stingers as the boat has none.

40 hrs maybe... $20.00 for the plywood...$300.00 for fabric, resin, hardener, and special tools and $ ? for the floor cover? Don't know, haven't decided yet, certainly NOT CARPET !!!!

LOOK at

http://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,276,00.html

and

http://forums.iboats.com/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=26;gtid=1146872

To see what I'm doing... It might give perspective.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Is it really worth it......

The cost has a way of sneaking up on you. Its the little things that gets you. I think I spent around $600-ish in materials just to do my floor. My total amount spent on the first phase of my psychosis was over $3000, but that includes the initial purchase price of the boat which was 800 bones. The rebuild after all was said and done buying everything for all the stages of the project was another 1200 or so, and then stuff like fishfinder and bowmount trolling motor and batteries and seats and stuff made it add up.

Then I tore it down and reconverted it to another format, but I had all the materials except carpet. I ended up getting new seats, so I ended up spending another $300 on the reconversion. I just keep flinging cash at this thing...

In your case, you should budget at least a grand. That should get you through if you are not having to replace the entire interior.

BTW, where are you in glorious Idaho (and don't say down south, that's not Idaho, thats North Utah).

 

[8AteEight]

Re: Is it really worth it......

.......Ok, Im "Not" in Idaho Falls; then. 8) But yeah, its totally North Utah here. I assume your in the Panhandle? Where? My lil sis is in Moscow right now.

And I think a grand is a bit much to set aside, but thats about what I was thinking Id spend. Too much for a $500 boat, no matter how much potential it has.:0

 

[Fishin' Jeff]

Re: Is it really worth it......

I just bought a $100 boat and don't know what I'm getting myself into. I'll bring it home on the 18th of this month, and I guess we'll see! It's all the guys on this site that got me excited about this restore. I love wood working, don't hardly anything about engines, but from what I've read here, It can be done! I'm sure I'll get my post count way up there this fall and winter as I get this project going! All the people around here seem to be quite knowledgeable and ready to answer any questions I've asked in the past.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Another view...

I am in the midst of redoing a 1970s Starcraft 18-foot fiberglass boat. I already have a rebuilt 90hp Johnson, so the motor cost isn't an issue. The boat has been COMPLETELY gutted, with every piece of structural wood being removed. I have, so far, installed a new transom and keel, with the stringers and floor to come. shortly. Monetarily, I figure I will have between $1500 and $2000 into the completed boat, including new carpet, vinyl trim, and back-to-back recliner seats. When I am done, the boat will be as good, and likely BETTER than it ever was when new, AND it is as good, and likely BETTER than anything I could buy today off a showroom floor when it comes to construction quality and attention to detail. Anyone priced a new Starcraft 18-foot fiberglass runabout lately? I suspect it would be several times the cost of my 18-footer. PLUS, I like the clean lines of my classic boat much better then the weird wavy shapes they put on the new stuff.

So, basically, I look at it like this. I could go down to a dealer, sign the paperwork for a loan and drive away with a new boat - that I'll be paying for for 10-15 years. OR, I can buy a junker that needs a bit of TLC, pay cash for the boat and related materials and parts over the course of rebuilding it, and in a year or so I will have an essentially new boat that I own in full - not the bank! I can spend that monthly payment on other things - like gas, water toys, more boats, motors, etc...

- Scott

 

[sport15]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Scott and JB nailed it... Also, don't forget how much you (we) learn from these projects. Rebuilds are great if you don't get overwhelmed or discouraged. Draw the big picture for the cash estimate and just to be safe add 10% to what JasonJ said just 'cause the price of stuff goes up and there WILL be a few "while you're at it" things and the price of good beer is going up too. Have the Admiral sign off on it and get going. Break the project into little pieces and make sure that it all makes sense (don’t paint only to have to grind off to glass type thing) and whittle away at it and remember that it is more about the journey then the destination.

Dave

 

[crunch]

Re: Is it really worth it......

and remember that it is more about the journey then the destination.

EXACTLY!

Live to learn, Learn to live.

 

[strizzy]

Re: Is it really worth it......

Hard to say if you feel pressured to do it. I would make sure that you are cautious with any fumes you are working with! It took me about 8 weeks after work (50 hr/wk) 3-4 days a week to replace my stringers and floor and I knew what I was doing. Have to ask yourself if its worth your time, and if you can put it on hold, is that really ok? I know it would be for me because I would be back at it as soon as I could! You did get the boat for a deal so you might be tempted to do the work and keep it that way.

my 2 cents.