Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

boatbardus

Cadet
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
6
Howdy,

I have lurked here for a long time! Thank you to the many builders, threads, and commenters that have helped me learn so much thus far! My boat has had so many quirks, tho, that it is time for its' own thread.

I have a 1972 Tornado, a Sidewinder clone (I think).

3L93N13Hf5Ic5N35Fdd24a0c99959ab391eef.jpg


HISTORY

When I went to go buy it, the seats were crappy, but the floor seemed rock solid- no flex in it. I jumped up and down on the transom- no flex. PO put some muffs on the 115 Evinrude, a hose, and fired it up. Sounded great! What a deal! So I hitched it up, and drove it home.

I heard sloshing the whole way back....crud. So I jacked it up, and let a bunch of water (from a mysterious source) drain out the back. But hey, ignorance is bliss, right? So I took it out on the lake, and watched the transom flex and crack.... crud.

SOOOO, I decided to replace it. I didn't know anything about fiberglass, so Nidabond (same as Seacast) sounded pretty good. I read the directions, cut off the top of the transom, drilled out the mulch inside, and taped over the holes. Note all of the cracks on the inside of the transom skin. I taped over them using the recommended HVAC tape, and began to pour! Note the cracks...

100_0495_zpsdfa1311b.jpg

I poured it to the brim, and sat back to let it harden. Then the Nibabond 'soup' level began to drain....crud. I scrambled all around, finding that some of my tape had broken loose. I tried hard to fix it, stuffing rags, dirt, sand, gloves, etc into the tape split to slow it. Eventually, the Nibabond began to harden and stopped draining. I redrilled the holes, and remounted the motor.

Well, I got tired of the constantly wet carpet, and tore it up- to find that some previous owner had installed a WHOLE ADDITIONAL FLOOR over where the original should be....crud. Well, hey, I guess I can say that I was hanging out on the second story of my boat!.... (here it is after ive been cutting)

securedownload_zps5277a228.jpg

I cut the small amount of tabbing along the edges, and pulled up the second floor- to find that there were a couple of nail holes in the floor, creating a tarp/trampoline of fiberglass for a deck...crud.


photo3_zpsce5f3d68.jpg


AND that is where I am at. Aside from the strange fact that there is not any bow support accross the front, aside from this one 1x4...

(see below)

I need to figure out where to go from here. I know that the floor needs to come out. I reckon that I should pull the motor off. I'm just waiting for my local Harbor Freight to get some shop cranes back in stock.

How do y'all advise is the easiest way to pull the floor out?

Btw, I figured out where a lot of my Nidabond went!
(see below)
 

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boatbardus

Cadet
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
6
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

Hm... I cant seem to seem most of my pics that I tried linking to Photobucket. Can anybody else see them?
 

ahmincha

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 21, 2012
Messages
1,512
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

I can not see them only the first one
 

boatbardus

Cadet
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
6
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

Thanks! I think that I figured it out. Here are some additional pics that I couldn't fit into the first post.


Strange bow support.
securedownload2_zps95817689.jpg

Nida bond!
photo1_zps422e5109.jpg


Here is the boat right now. Ugly as sin.
photo2_zpsd25cea7d.jpg
 

boatbardus

Cadet
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
6
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

I've done some basic measurements, and read several threads (most involving Oops- does he win as the guy with the most posts ever?). How much additional fiberglass should I buy than I reckon that I need?
 

73Chrysler105

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
407
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

I've done some basic measurements, and read several threads (most involving Oops- does he win as the guy with the most posts ever?). How much additional fiberglass should I buy than I reckon that I need?
buy 10-15% more than you think you need or if you really want to be prepared by 25-35% more resin and 1708 and mat than you think you will need.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
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May 19, 2001
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26,046
Last edited:

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
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Messages
26,046
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

When you completely remove the decking........ look at the drain holes to the bilge area. The holes on mine were NOT at the low point and allowed water to set below the deck. After modifying them before I re-decked it.....I can guaranty mine will drain now.
 

boatbardus

Cadet
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
6
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

I am waiting for the shop crane/cherry picker that I ordered to get here. I can't take the motor off otherwise- it's on a jack plate.

You mentioned drain holes to he bilge.. You mean from underneath the deck? The only hole in my bilge is the one thru the transom. Are there usually holes from under the deck in sidewinders?

Pardon my ignorance, but what would be the benefit of that? Why bother allowing water under the deck like that?
 

Woodonglass

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Dec 29, 2009
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Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
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Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

Yes water can and will get under the decking. The drain holes that were leading to the tiny bilge area were located 1" above the bottom of the hull and allowed water to be trapped under the deck. I added in two new ones as marked.

DSC00952.JPG
 

boatbardus

Cadet
Joined
Mar 29, 2013
Messages
6
Re: Sidewinder (really wanted to avoid a) Rebuild

Bob, thanks for the illustration! Pictures are certainly worth a thousand words.

Wood, thanks for the info. It's funny- i've read through several of your threads over the last year. This is kinda like meeting a celebrity!

As far as the cherry picker goes, I picked it up for $140. A gantry crane would have worked as well, but I wanted a cherry picker, so a cherry picker I got. Lol.

A small amount of progress today. I tossed a new trailer jack on the front (MUCH better than the old thru bolt manual style one that was there before), and lifted the motor. Trying to fabricate a lifting ring took a few trips to Lowes.

6EB29587-93AF-4F0F-AB2F-CBE363065624_zpsvwgjwrnt.jpg



I spent most of the day messing with the shop crane from HF that the thru holes didn't match, but I got it going. I attached the crane, lifted, and took out the thru transom bolts from the jack plate. Now I am confused as to how to disconnect the motor. It is a 1973 115hp Evinrude.

While I do not know how to disconnect the following, I can at least identify the steering cable, the wires to the engine and those to the inoperable tilt system.

C922CE94-B5A7-4FA4-B089-A0D86A79169C_zpswwygm3s2.jpg


I also seem to have two taut cables running here. I'm not even sure where they are coming from. Somehow the PO rigged this tub up with a gas pedal- is that what these are for?

DEC91E12-3D6B-47E5-B888-2C9EDCED65B7_zpsyr73oi3l.jpg



Here are some more wires running in. Not sure how to disconnect- well, disconnect in a way that I would be able to reconnect.

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I would really like to pull this motor away from the boat so that I have some room to work. I never got to finish the transom cap after I poured in the new transom. I know that the pics aren't great, but can y'all see enough to give me some instruction? This is my first boat project beyond a tin john boat (Still love my little 16' Lonestar. Rivetted metal, leaks like no tomorrow, but it got me on the water!).

I thank y'all in advance!
 
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