Should I open the floor?

[pat72]

Hi guys,
I bought this boat (my first) a few month ago and noticed that the floor has a few cracks (see 2 red arrows). They are very narrow (see penny next to each) but I have no doubt that rain water sipped inside the hull during those heavy South Florida downpours. The boat was on it's trailer under a mango tree when I purchased it and was probably sitting there for a few years since it's has a 08 tag on it (also as you can see the floor is stained by the mango leaves that accumulated over the years). Even though the boat was pitched properly on it's trailer do you think that I still should cut open the floor to take a look underneath?
Also, the pic showing the level points out that from the center crack the floor stettled a little on both side of the crack. I am not very experienced at doing fiberglass work so if you think I should go ahead and open the floor, how should I proceed? One big opening or a few small ones a different locations?
Thanks a lot
Pat.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Welcome to iBoats!
First What Make and Year is the Boat? Second How much effort do you want to put in to restoring the boat? Third, there is a 99.9% chance that the stringers below the DECK/SOLE (Boats don't have floors) are water logged and rotting.and need to be replace. AND there is also a BIG chance that the TRANSOM will also need replacing. This takes a LOT of time, effort and approximately 1 - 2K in cash. Unless you REALLY want to take the time, effort and cash you might want to look for another boat.
More pictures of the entire boat and desciption of the overall condition of the boat would also help in the decision.

I'm just sayin...

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Ouch!!! Not exactly what I wanted to hear... I had junked the old Johnson that came with it and just finished installing the T&T and 96 Suzuki I just bought. Did all new wiring and installed the gages today. To answer your question about the boat, I have no idea what it is but the title shows THUNDERB under vessel Manufacturer. Built in 1961.
I had to drill 4 holes in the transom to install the tilt plate and it felt solid so I'm hoping that it is not in bad shape. As far as below the deck, I guess I'll take a look. How do you think I should cut it? One big hole?
Thanks
Man...I just hope that it's not as bad as you think it is...

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Ok, here's what I would suggest. The boat has stringers running from bow to stern. Typically one down the center and two down the sides maybe a foot in from the sides. I would drill a 1/2 inch hole in the deck where I thought I would be in between the center and side stringer and then set my jig saw at a 45 degree angle and cut a 10" hole in the deck. Doing it this way will let you use the cut out piece as a plug if you find the stingers are good. once you have the hole cut out you will need to drill into the stringers and see what kind of shavings you get. Light tan and dry GOOD Dark Brown and WET BAD. If you can get to the bottom of the transom on the inside do the same thing with the drill. Just don't drill all the way thru the transom. Use a 3/8 inch drill bit. Hopefully this all makes sense.

I'm just sayin...

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Makes perfect sense! Thanks a lot Woodonglass.
Should make a few 10" holes so I can access different sections of the stringers or can I assume that if the shavings are clean, let's say 3 feet from the transom, the rest of the stringer all the way to the bow is fine?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Should I open the floor?

I would say that if they're good at the back they're good to go. I might make two holes one on each side of the middle stringer so I could check both of the side stringers.


I'm just sayin...

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Ok, I'll try that tomorrow morning. If the stringers are dark/wet should I just throw a rope over my garage opener and end it or would I be able to fix it by following your or someone else guidance. The hull looks pretty good from the outside and I would really hate to give up on it unless the cost of fixing it is excessive.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Should I open the floor?

It is do-able BUT... Labor Intensive. Cost.... If you are frugal your costs should be around $1,000 at the most. Time 100 hrs. You WILL have all the help you need here on the forum. IT WILL be a learning experience. You will have a boat that will be better than Factory and will last longer than YOU, when you are finished. Let's hope for the best!

I'm just sayin...

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

I couldn't wait until tomorrow and went ahead! here is a picture. I cut between one foot from the side and the center....and cut right in the middle of a stringer. Good thing I did it with my circular saw with the blade set just past the thickeness of the the deck. I don't see any wood! It looks like the stringers are made of fiberglass! I drilled a small hole through it and felt hollow inside so no wood! What do you think? Home free?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Should I open the floor?

OH WOW, You are HOME FREE!!!

ONE, Your Deck Is Solid FiberGlass. You can glass it back in with NO PROBlems.

Two. Your stringers are Pre fab Glass stringers so you are 100% good to go.

All you need to do now is check the Transom for rot. I'm not sure, but I do NOT think it is fiberglass. They are usually a wood core encased in fiberglasss.

I'm just sayin...

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

YES!! YEEEESSSSSS!
That is some good news!! I'll try a small hole by the transom but I remember seeing light wood shavings when I drilled the four 1/2" holes to install the tilt plate. Oh man, I'll sleep good tonight! ...now if only my trailer wasn't falling apart!! No big deal with that though, in the worse case scenario I'll get a used one which shouldn't cost me thousands.
Thanks a lot Woodonglass for the help. Very much appreciated.

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

One last question. How would you deal with the deck craking and settling on each side of the middle stringer. I would like to cover the whole thing maybe with marine plywood. What do you think? Any better options out there? Would you glue the plank on the old deck surface?

 

[jonesg]

Re: Should I open the floor?

If the wood chips came out dry and light vs black mush when you drilled for the outboard, just go boating. THeres no mistaking rot, its like comparing wood chips to potting soil.

I'd rather fix 10 trailers than one hull.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Should I open the floor?

One last question. How would you deal with the deck craking and settling on each side of the middle stringer. I would like to cover the whole thing maybe with marine plywood. What do you think? Any better options out there? Would you glue the plank on the old deck surface?

I would add a couple layers of fiberglass to your already fiberglass floor. Why add wood to your nice non-wood boat!

Congrats on the bullet dodging. That's some rare construction for sure.

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

I was thinking of adding something on top of the deck to give it a clean look without spending too much. I have a 4x5' area that's uneven because of the settling of the deck surface as I mentionned before and also an old patch that was done before I purchased the boat (see brown rectangle on first pic of this thread). I also have to patch the 2 holes I did to check the stringers integrity. I have done small fiberglass fixes in the past but nothing like a 4x5' area. I don't know if I'll end up making it look worse than it is now...not to mention the cost of the material to make this an even surface. However, I agree with ezmobee. Why add wood when I was so glad not to see any inside the hull?? Maybe I should fix the cracks, not so much the uneveness of the deck and cover the whole thing with some soft exterior grade flooring material. I don't know, maybe carpet or else? The only thing is I want something that won't stain and can be cleaned quickly with the hose since I'm planing to use this boat mostly to go fishing. Anything that will end up smelling like rotten fish is a no no. I keep the boat in my garage so I'd like to keep it as clean as possible after each fishing trip. Any advice on what I could use that's cost efficient, doesn't stain much and easy to clean?

 

[jonesg]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Glass it with polyester and glass mat then deck paint it, use deck paint for non slip surface or it will like an ice rink. No rugs.!
Read some of the ongoing and finished projects for ideas and directions.

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Thanks, I'll try that. First I have to find a thread touching on that type of repair cause I don't know how to do this / what to buy and will definitly need directions.
iboats.com si such an invaluable tool for people like me who need all the help we can get. So thanks again to the experienced boaters out there who take the time to share their knowledge with the rest of us.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Should I open the floor?

I use cheap 4 inch paint brush to apply resin quickly, .
get a couple gals of resin, US composites will tell you how much glass you need , give them the size of the deck.
Get a gal of acetone from home depot but don't buy resin there, its waxed and you don't weant that.

Read the sticky file, lots of info.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=286013

Plenty of videos on youtube to watch too.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Should I open the floor?

Almost bought a ThunderBird boat once. They are very well made boats. Great that the stringers and deck are fiberglass. Don't forget to check the transom, it is probably wood. Especially check where the bilge drain plug is at the bottom of the transom. Water often corrodes the brass sleeve or brass plate letting water into the plywood. If its bad, its is an easy fix.

Nice find!

 

[pat72]

Re: Should I open the floor?

WOW! the sticky file is good! I didn't expect that much info.
I'll also check youtube.
Thanks again