Newbie Questions About Project Boat

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Start low on the INSIDE

Since we don't yet know how your boat was built, the transom may (probably is) be full height w/ the deck stopping at the transom. The transom would have been installed first.

Depending on how their product line was set up, the deck might have been installed 1st (but probably not) extending out to near the rear fiberglass skin. The transom would stop at deck height. It is unlikely, but it is possible. Tin boats are generally built this way, or at least don't have transom wood extending all the way down to the hull.

Good luck!

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Start low on the INSIDE

Since we don't yet know how your boat was built, the transom may (probably is) be full height w/ the deck stopping at the transom. The transom would have been installed first.

Depending on how their product line was set up, the deck might have been installed 1st (but probably not) extending out to near the rear fiberglass skin. The transom would stop at deck height. It is unlikely, but it is possible. Tin boats are generally built this way, or at least don't have transom wood extending all the way down to the hull.

Good luck!

Okay, I will drill as low as possible on the inside. When the tank is below the deck level, does that typically mean the deck was laid on after the tank was installed, or does it mean the deck was cut out or not installed in that area?

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Majorly depressing day for the boat project. Took seats out and pulled carpet back to the bow. Found hollow feeling fiberglass in the center. Cut a hole in it and found 3" of standing water. The deck had rotted so bad it fell into the stringer bay. No foam in the center two stringer bays.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Started drilling a hole in the fiberglass of the inside transom near the fuel tank and the bit jumped into a 1/2"-3/4" cavity and hit something. I stopped drilling because I thought it may be the fiberglass on the other side. I'm not sure why I didn't drill into plywood immediately after getting through the fiberglass. Here is a pic to get a reference of the location of the pooled water and rotten stringers:

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Yuck, not good.

Not surprising & don't take it as a terminal gut shot.

As I mentioned before, it is not a short easy road. But it can be done, has been done, and has been done on worse.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

That's encouraging. Where to start? Full deck demolition up to the bow threshold?

Yuck, not good.

Not surprising & don't take it as a terminal gut shot.

As I mentioned before, it is not a short easy road. But it can be done, has been done, and has been done on worse.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Started drilling a hole in the fiberglass of the inside transom near the fuel tank and the bit jumped into a 1/2"-3/4" cavity and hit something. I stopped drilling because I thought it may be the fiberglass on the other side. I'm not sure why I didn't drill into plywood immediately after getting through the fiberglass.

The cavity is likely where transom plywood 'used' to be. Some makers used fiberglass & resin to glue lam the transom plywood together. You may have drilled into the fiberglass sheet between the ply lams.

Not good either, but also not unrepairable.

If you choose to take a step back, keep after getting both motors running 100%. They may be the value you take from this project. Perhaps the trailer too.

But it still isn't the worst.

Yours, unfortunately, just wasn't as obviously not a good 1st boat as this one:

^^^ yikes, and the seller was 'asking' $800 :faint2: :der: Here:is this worth trying to fix up?

Comparatively, ya done good, real good, if ya can get both motors running & get a serviceable trailer too....

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

We would like to give it a shot since we have nothing to lose initially. This boat obviously can't be sold "as-is". I'm wondering where the factory stringers terminate. I took this removable piece of deck off the bow and found some sort of drain in the gelcoated bottom. Under that is more gelcoat. I think there may be no stringers under the bow. In the next pic one of the stringers terminates almost under the steering wheel. From that point forward, there is just foam up th the bow. The center stringer runs closer to the bow under deck I have not yet demo'd.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Backing up a bit for reference, the stringer above can be seen at the bulge of foam in the next picture.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

My questions are:

Where do the stringers stop?

Can I replace them without removing the cap?

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

The floor of the bow, under the hole is gelcoat:

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

I also cannot figure out where the water that drains into this hole goes to.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Don't know where the water's supposed to go on yours, but on most, it's supposed to have a drain hole at the back for the bilge. Didn't you say it had a drain hole BELOW decks on the transom? Yep, supposed to work it's way back there.

Unless there's some thru hull fittings on the outside of the hole, that connect somewhere below deck to a hose....
.

You likely need to remove the foam under the bow, based on the amount of water & general funky-ness below decks. Based on your initial core sample of the transom, it also needs to come out. You'll likely never be able to full dry the wet foam, and if you do, it's still lost buoyancy since the cells have ruptured (how else would they hold water).

Those 2 ^^^^ make it all the more likely that the cap needs to be removed.

Gotta go, early am

Nice work on the exploratory demo & pix?

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Don't know where the water's supposed to go on yours, but on most, it's supposed to have a drain hole at the back for the bilge. Didn't you say it had a drain hole BELOW decks on the transom? Yep, supposed to work it's way back there.

Unless there's some thru hull fittings on the outside of the hole, that connect somewhere below deck to a hose....
.

You likely need to remove the foam under the bow, based on the amount of water & general funky-ness below decks. Based on your initial core sample of the transom, it also needs to come out. You'll likely never be able to full dry the wet foam, and if you do, it's still lost buoyancy since the cells have ruptured (how else would they hold water).

Those 2 ^^^^ make it all the more likely that the cap needs to be removed.

Gotta go, early am

Nice work on the exploratory demo & pix?

Thanks for all your help JB. Next we are going to do some more demo and see what more we can learn about the construction of the boat and what will need to be done to replace the stringers. What do you think about that Seacast liquid transom?

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Does removal of this trim fitting open up the top of the transom? In other words, could Seacast be poured (after removal of rotten transom) in from this location after removing the screws and the metal piece?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Post a link here to your SeaCast questions thread & a link to this thread there....

Yes that trim cap is over the transom, but you'll still have to cut the fiberglass back to open the cavity to pour SeaCast into it. Be careful & save the removed piece, you can patch it back on......

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

My Seacast thread. http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/opinions-seacast-622518.html

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

For the next phase of this project, I plan to do all the floor, foam and stringer demo. I am going to leave the transom alone to post pics and get advice on that before I mess with it, when that time comes. The part I am unsure of now is how to deal with the existing stringers. I would like to use them as templates for the new ones, but fear they are too rotten to be removed in tact. If I cut them out, I feel like it is gonna be tough to replicate them and be on the same plane for the new deck. Any advice on that? Detailed measurements before demo?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Mark the sides of the hull now so you'll know where the existing deck height is. You can then use a string level to obtain the stringer heights at the various locations. Cut them taller than needed and install them. Once installed you can establish their height and snap string lines and then cut.

I would suggest you PM a mod and Have them combine your multiple threads into one. I would make it Much easier for the members to follow your project.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Mark the sides of the hull now so you'll know where the existing deck height is. You can then use a string level to obtain the stringer heights at the various locations. Cut them taller than needed and install them. Once installed you can establish their height and snap string lines and then cut.

I would suggest you PM a mod and Have them combine your multiple threads into one. I would make it Much easier for the members to follow your project.

Sorry about the multiple threads. I made the Seacast thread because I didn't think alot of people were paying attention to my project thread and wanted some general opinions, not specific to my project. Still learning proper forum ettiquette. On the stringer installation, would you say to cut them 1 inch taller than needed, then lay them in a bed of PB. After that do the PB fillets and start glassing. Final step would be trim or am I doing that at some point in between? Also, is the glass supposed to cover the top of the stringer or terminate on the horizontal edge at the top?