Really Down in the Dumps now...

[Jedo_03]

I joined the forum in February re my disappointments with a Volero Dart my daughter had bought from a cheating thief:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/repairing-volaro-dart-590964.html
and decided to go ahead and replace the rotted transom and the dicey deck...
But I'm really Down in the Dumps after what I discovered today:
You will NOT believe this...
On removing the Ally and Rubber bumper strips that run along both sides of the boat - I saw a "cut line" running from bow to stern on both sides...
The upper part of the Volero has been cut and removed...
But wait for it...
And then replaced by simply placing the upper part back over the lower part like a lid on a jampot...
No fibre glass - nothing...
Only things holding the upper and lower parts of the boat together were the 20ml screws used to fix the bumper strip on.
Screwed through the two overlapping edges of the upper and lower parts...
How's THAT for selling some poor sucker a bum steer...
And not even any waterproofing seal of any kind...
Just the whole top part of the boat slid over the bottom part - like a jampot lid...
That is SO hard to believe... That someone would actually on-sell something like that...

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

edit

 

[Bondo]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

I joined the forum in February re my disappointments with a Volero Dart my daughter had bought from a cheating thief:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/repairing-volaro-dart-590964.html
and decided to go ahead and replace the rotted transom and the dicey deck...
But I'm really Down in the Dumps after what I discovered today:
You will NOT believe this...
On removing the Ally and Rubber bumper strips that run along both sides of the boat - I saw a "cut line" running from bow to stern on both sides...
The upper part of the Volero has been cut and removed...
But wait for it...
And then replaced by simply placing the upper part back over the lower part like a lid on a jampot...
No fibre glass - nothing...
Only things holding the upper and lower parts of the boat together were the 20ml screws used to fix the bumper strip on.
Screwed through the two overlapping edges of the upper and lower parts...
How's THAT for selling some poor sucker a bum steer...
And not even any waterproofing seal of any kind...
Just the whole top part of the boat slid over the bottom part - like a jampot lid...
That is SO hard to believe... That someone would actually on-sell something like that...

Ayuh,... That's exactly how 99% of the hulls out there are put together,....

From the Factory....

Only on the higher end hulls are the sections glassed or glued... 'n then it ain't all that common...

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

If it were glassed together it would be a bear to remove!

 

[gm280]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

That IS the most usual way boats are assembled. You should be extremely glad it is that way because it allows you access to repair internal problem that much easier. So cheer up, it wasn't done to be a scam but the usual assembly practice method... Just hink how much easier it is to replace old rotted interior wood problems and how much harder it would be to try that without seperating the two hull pieces... Have a great day now...

 

[Jedo_03]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

[Puzzled Expression on Face]
Ok - Now I'm confused... But I respect your replies because you men know boats - and I don't...
Maybe more comments from more members will help to reassure this 'Doubting Thomas'..??
My 'logic' tells me that a fibre glass boat "ought" to be a single shell with the super-structure firmly bonded to the hull...
So I didn't expect to find the two halves of the Volero 'jutted' together and fixed with the same screws holding the bumper in position...
What if (God Forbid...) the boat collided...? The top has the potential to sheer-off..??
And we ought to be 'water-proof' - right..? See those bow-waves curving up the side of the hull..?
The 'mouth' of the jutted-join on the Volero points downwards... any bow-wash would go straight up into the gap of the join...
There is no water-proofing seal of any kind in the join...
The join itself isn't even 'firm'...
True - True... Having a 'removable' superstructure is a bonus for internal repairs...
To my 'un-trained' eyes, I wouldn't have said that this cut-and-fit was out of the Factory... just a plain cut, a bit jagged and uneven... And I would have thought that the 'Factory' would have 'finished' the cut edges - AND water-sealed the gap...
I think that the 'cut' was made by some 'back-yard' Mr Fixit who lost his enthusiasm, and then just bunged the two halfs back together with no regard of the potential perils, should they separate..!!
To be honest... I REALLY don't think it's either SAFE or LEGAL to skipper a boat that has it's top and bottom held together by the same few screws as hold the bumper bar to the side of the boat...
I'm thinking along the lines of leaving the top and bottom overlapped and screwed - as is - and then fibre-glassing over the join on the outside... 2 layers of 600CSM - 1st layer 2inches wide, 2nd layer 4 inches... Bodge over that, sand smooth, gelcoat, paint..
I would welcome further advice and reassurance please

 

[Bondo]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

[Puzzled Expression on Face]
Ok - Now I'm confused... But I respect your replies because you men know boats - and I don't...
Maybe more comments from more members will help to reassure this 'Doubting Thomas'..??
My 'logic' tells me that a fibre glass boat "ought" to be a single shell with the super-structure firmly bonded to the hull...
So I didn't expect to find the two halves of the Volero 'jutted' together and fixed with the same screws holding the bumper in position...
What if (God Forbid...) the boat collided...? The top has the potential to sheer-off..??
And we ought to be 'water-proof' - right..? See those bow-waves curving up the side of the hull..?
The 'mouth' of the jutted-join on the Volero points downwards... any bow-wash would go straight up into the gap of the join...
There is no water-proofing seal of any kind in the join...
The join itself isn't even 'firm'...
True - True... Having a 'removable' superstructure is a bonus for internal repairs...
To my 'un-trained' eyes, I wouldn't have said that this cut-and-fit was out of the Factory... just a plain cut, a bit jagged and uneven... And I would have thought that the 'Factory' would have 'finished' the cut edges - AND water-sealed the gap...
I think that the 'cut' was made by some 'back-yard' Mr Fixit who lost his enthusiasm, and then just bunged the two halfs back together with no regard of the potential perils, should they separate..!!
To be honest... I REALLY don't think it's either SAFE or LEGAL to skipper a boat that has it's top and bottom held together by the same few screws as hold the bumper bar to the side of the boat...
I'm thinking along the lines of leaving the top and bottom overlapped and screwed - as is - and then fibre-glassing over the join on the outside... 2 layers of 600CSM - 1st layer 2inches wide, 2nd layer 4 inches... Bodge over that, sand smooth, gelcoat, paint..
I would welcome further advice and reassurance please

Ayuh,.... Airplanes are held together with tiny rivets....

Think all ya want, that's How boats are built....

 

[gm280]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

As the owner of the boat, you can do whatever you wish. However, the boat wasn't made as a one piece boat. The main reason why is because think about how a one piece boat would come out of the mold...It wouldn't...it really couldn't ever be removed! There is no way a boat can be made in one total piece. So they made two sections so they could slip out of their respective molds and be trimmed up and assembled usually along the boat's rub rail using either screws or rivets exactly like you discovered. It isn't some secret scheme or evil cheap way to do things. It is actually the way to do the assembly and allow future separation for repairs should the need be. If you do your repairs and plan on gluing the two sections together and even glass over the separation joins, I hope you don't ever have any future problems with rotted stringers or anything else underneath the upper hull. Otherwise you WILL have to literally cut the two halves apart. There would be no other way to separate them otherwise. You could reassembly the two halves using rivets in the rub rail area and cover over them with the rub rail insert like so many boats are done. Problem solved...correctly too!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

Well Doubting Thomas, if you'll read and look at the pictures of other fiberglass boat restorations in this forum you will see many a cap "popped" where they take the top cap off the boat to get to the insides. Look around, it'll open your eyes.

Had you been doing your homework and studying the other restorations on this forum you wouldn't have been at all surprised or disappointed at what you found out about the cap.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

thats exactly how every one of my boats is held together.

thats exactly how every chris-craft is made.

the hull and cap made separately, then they come together, and a tube of sealant and screws used to hold them together.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

As the owner of the boat, you can do whatever you wish. However, the boat wasn't made as a one piece boat. The main reason why is because think about how a one piece boat would come out of the mold...It wouldn't...it really couldn't ever be removed! There is no way a boat can be made in one total piece. So they made two sections so they could slip out of their respective molds and be trimmed up and assembled usually along the boat's rub rail using either screws or rivets exactly like you discovered. It isn't some secret scheme or evil cheap way to do things. It is actually the way to do the assembly and allow future separation for repairs should the need be.

Actually .. its not because you could not get a one piece boat out of a "mold" .. its because you could never lam a part in an 'enclosed' mold . Think multipart mold ..

Jedo .. its not a problem if your hull/deck flange is just screwed together. Without the Caulking is probably not Factory. The crappy cuts as you describe them kinda mean nothing as its covered up by the rub-rail.

"A few screws" as you describe is probably more like 50 screws on a 15 footer. If you are that concerned about 'shear' then you could probably Through bolt a few here and there where you can reach the inside.

If you are really really worried .. then you can glass tab the inside hull/deck joint in spots that you can reach.

All in all I think you should focus more on the repairs/rebuild than you should be with the deck fitting.

Im sure a lot of members would consider your situation a Blessing. Few have had the luxury of just pulling 50 screws and removing their cap to do a stringer/deck/trans job. .. normally it would take some effort just to get where your at.

Pic a thread for your restore and we can help you do it Right.

YD.

 

[Jedo_03]

Re: Really Down in the Dumps now...

You live and Learn...
There you go...
Thank you, Gentlemen for your further inputs...
I have now learned that Two Halves do indeed make a Whole...
Before "discovering" the above, I did cut out the top of the stern cap to enable easier access to the transom.
At the forward edge of the rear cap is a solid bar running abeam - a strengthener/stiffener.
This is still in place.
To maintain the integrity of the hull "shape" whilst removing and replacing the transom, I will leave the upper cap in place, and the strengthener/stiffener.
I will be removing and replacing the soft floor eventually.
I will post pics.
Thanks again