Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

[1NewBoatGuy]

So I recently bought a 1985 Bayliner Capri, this is my first boat. Not being aware of what I needed to look for I for some reason went against my gut feeling and trusted the seller of the boat. The boat had been stored outside and was full of leaves. He said it is pretty solid and that it only needed new floor boards and ran fine the year before. He started the motor and everything sounded right to me. I did see an aluminum plate over the transom and assumed the dirty work had already been done and that it was there for precaution. After all if i repaired a transom I would also be pretty cautious and would want to add additional support.
Well I tore out the the floor and started in at replacing the floor. After tearing out the floor I could see the fiberglass separating from the stringers. I decided not to be concerned with this and just put new boards in and sealed up the floor. After closer inspection and cleaning up the boat I found the supports for the transom were cracked away from the back of the boat. Hence the reason the motor flexing the transom so much when going down the road. DAMN...:mad-new: :facepalm:

I watched countless youtube videos and read many threads on transom repair. My conclusion is, once I start if I don't get it right, it is a total loss. As it is I may be able to get my money back from a Craiglist sale.

So the question lies here. Is it worth the time and money to make the repairs to this old boat, or should I hit craigs list with my new found knowledge and look for a more worthy project?

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

You know its really hard to say, you will never ever recoup your money from doing a full transom stringer and floor job on an old fiberglass boat. At least if you plan to do the work properly. It is alot of time effort and money. You need to plan for at least $2k to $3k in cost to do it right.

There are pros and cons to each.

Pros

You can turn the boat into anything you want it to be.
You will know that with proper care you will have a boat to last generations.
You will know the inside and outside of your boat better than 99% of boaters out there
You will know beyond a reasonable doubt that the boat will be safe and reliable.

Cons.

Its Alot of time and labor, minimum 6 months of grinding itching sweating cursing and bleeding.
Is alot of money minimum $2k to get it solid $3k to add some goodies and the sky is the limit from there.
The bayliner capri is not that desireable of a hull and handles like a pig, and isn't known for resale value even if you do make it immaculate you still won't get nearly what you have in it.

Alot of it depends on the motor that you have. If you have a Mercury, Or Johnny Rude you may consider it. If your Capri has the old Chrysler I would scrap it and be done with the project. Parts are getting harder to find and are expensive though we do have several people on the forum who are chrysler motor fans, I am personally am not one of them for parts availbility and cost purposses

 

[1NewBoatGuy]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

Thanks for the input. It has a Force 85hp outboard. Not really a huge selling point either, but it does run pretty well now that I finally got it tuned up right. Parts are actually pretty easy to come across as far as commonly replaced part.
I really have the same opinion as you expressed. This boat is gonna do it for this summer then hit the sales to a new owner come next spring. I think it will be fine as a fishing boat as I had it on the water a few times already. Definitely not a boat to tow a skier though, plenty of power, but not enough structural strength.

Thanks for your reply...

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

The boat will have plenty of structural strength with a new transom and floor, and there is absolutely positively no way in this world I would run it if the motor is flexing going down the road. Torque is torgue wether you are pulling a skier or not. That Chrysler weighs at minimum 350 lbs. You absolutely positively can not run that boat safely. It is a ticking time bomb, and selling it to a buyer without full disclosure will probably end you up in court.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

I strongly suggest you read all of this thread before you put your boat on the water...
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/transom-repair-605034.html

 

[1NewBoatGuy]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

I strongly suggest you read all of this thread before you put your boat on the water...
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/transom-repair-605034.html

Definitely worth the read,
Wow definitely a mind changer....
How ever I don't think I am ready to give up on this thing yet. I feel as if I would sell it I may be putting someone else in the same position I am in right now. And considering my eagerness to do things only because they are not easy, I think a repair job is in order.

Tomorrow I will post some pics so hopefully I can get some direction as to what I am up against. I may just part it out. I can probably recoup most of my money from the trailer and motor sale. As you can tell, I take a while to make a clear decision when it comes to cutting my losses....

 

[matt167]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

The mid 80's Bayliner Capri's are a pretty cool boat. They still look pretty modern even tho they are now 25+ years old. With the 85hp, I'm going to guess 1500 (15') model which IIRC was rated to 90hp.. In general it's a boat worth in mint cond probably somewhat just north of $2k on a good day, and the boat will likely cost $2k to repair, so you could do it for what it's worth. I hope you did not pay more than $500 for it as that is all it is worth. At that price, the hull was free, and you paid a fair market value for the Force and trailer combined. Neither are worth very much but they are worth something.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

Will Craigslist really refund your money ???

You will put a fair amount of money and effort into the boat, but it will be better than new when you are done. It will probably last 20-25 years, so you could use it for 10 years and still sell it as a good solid boat.

We do like pictures, so looking forward to seeing them.

 

[1NewBoatGuy]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

Anyone ever use CPES for there repairs?

Wood preservation, rot repair, and restoration using epoxy resin on boats, homes and log homes.

 

[mxcobra]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

Anyone ever use CPES for there repairs?

Wood preservation, rot repair, and restoration using epoxy resin on boats, homes and log homes.

you may be looking for an easy way out. their is none! a full restore is in your future done right, you will have the best boat on the lake for many years. in my opinion a correctly fully restored 2,000$ Bayliner will be a better boat then any used rig under 10,000, that being said that's kinda of a small boat with a week motor. buying any pre 2000 boat in a low income price range will be a crap shoot......

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

USING CPES to fix a Rotten Transom is like putting a bandaid on a Chainsaw wound!

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

you are the only one who can decide if this resto is worth your time and money. weight your pros and cons and if you decide to do it, do it right and be done with it. the product you mentioned is not the right fix for a transom, the wood needs to come out and get replaced. you might find your stringers also are shot. if this is the boat you want and you are happy with it. Go ahead and rebuild it right. if you decide it is not worth your time, efforts and $$ don't take short cuts for the next owner to deal with, just part it or sell it as is.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

USING CPES to fix a Rotten Transom is like putting a bandaid on a Chainsaw wound!

Excellent graphic :thumb:

 

[1NewBoatGuy]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

OK, my decision is final. This boat just is not worth the time. After weighing some options, this boat needs too much love than I have to give it right now and with the wife expecting, I can't look forward to having a whole lot of extra time this winter. So I am cutting my loss and posting it up for sale. Sucks, I really dont like giving up on something but with an expected $2000 of further investment and at least 1 year of work (I'm slow, learning and limited on time) I can't see putting in so much with out getting a reasonable return. I love boating and love working on stuff that let's me waste the little bit of money I have. But for a first timer, this project needs more experience, time and space than I can supply. My garage is not nearly big enough to get this done, and doing this work outside is a definite no go.
So anyway,
Thanks for the help, I can't believe all the responses I get on this forum. You guys truly are class acts and I am happy to have found such a great community of people. Only if the real world was this helpful... Only if...

 

[21 celebrity]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

I am face with the same question. I have a 21 ft 1987 Celebrity ss The boat has a 454 that I have just had the short block redone ie punched out 30 over crank turned and polished. I also bought larger oval port heads. Ive owned the boat for 8 years and it had a soft spot behind the captains chair forever. Since i took the engine out to rebuild it I decided to do the floor and now that will include the stringers and transom as they are gone as well. I really do love the boat and the way its equipt. When on the water it's a strong running boat. Just looking for input on if it's worth it. It does have ship to shore power and on board battery charger. I love the 110 outlets in the cuddy so i can plug in a fan when I sleep on it. Thanks in advance for any input!!

 

[mxcobra]

Re: Transom and Stringer Repairs - Worth it or not?

You need to start your own thread the ? here has already been answered!!!!

I am face with the same question. I have a 21 ft 1987 Celebrity ss The boat has a 454 that I have just had the short block redone ie punched out 30 over crank turned and polished. I also bought larger oval port heads. Ive owned the boat for 8 years and it had a soft spot behind the captains chair forever. Since i took the engine out to rebuild it I decided to do the floor and now that will include the stringers and transom as they are gone as well. I really do love the boat and the way its equipt. When on the water it's a strong running boat. Just looking for input on if it's worth it. It does have ship to shore power and on board battery charger. I love the 110 outlets in the cuddy so i can plug in a fan when I sleep on it. Thanks in advance for any input!!View attachment 198900