tmongiello
Cadet
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Messages
- 7
Hi all! Joined this forum a few weeks ago when I purchased my first boat: a 1994 Aquatron 180sx bowrider. 3.0L Mercruiser that is running strong. I got lucky and purchased the boat and trailer for $3000 after the owner recently serviced the engine and painted the upper hull. Previous owner is an automobile mechanic and did all the service himself. After seeing his cars, I was convinced that he took VERY good care of the mechanics of this boat. Only thing not working was the trim/tilt gauge (which he said works only intermittently). I asked 2 different boat repair facilities about replacing it. Both said "forget it, too expensive, just learn where the tilt is by sound". Umm, ok. LOL.
Boat is great! Runs perfectly and is easy to drive, only things "wrong" with it are cosmetic interior that I'd like to tackle myself over the winter. Looking for some advice and maybe pictures of what I might expect when I start:
1. Soft spots on floor between the driver/passenger seats around the "ski locker" floor compartment. Looking in the compartment, all I see left and right are fiberglass as well as the aft side toward the engine compartment. The side toward the bow is open and clearly goes under the floor under of the bow and I see some pressure treated wood there for support. Those look solid and I can feel no rot or softness. The decking around it is very flaky and obviously rotted but the floor isn't really soft. A 250lb man can stand on it and it barely buckles but I can see looking left and right in that floor compartment at the decking that the decking is rotted. I'd like to take up the entire floor from the "dashboard" back to the engine compartment, redo it with solid wood and gelcoat it and NOT replace the carpet. I'd rather have it water tight and create drains to the bilge that I can control. Something that can easily be washed/rinsed out when it gets dirty.
2. Trim on the dashboard is vinyl about 2" wide with some stitching and seemingly a wood backing. Backing seems rotted and falling off dashboard.
Does anyone have any pictured of what my boat MIGHT look like with the floor removed? I am certain that the 15-20 gallon gas tank is in the middle of the boat, under the deck between the floor compartment and the engine compartment/bilge area. What I am not sure of is are the stringers made of fiberglass and molded as part of the hull or are there wood stringers supporting the deck. Like I said above, looking in the floor compartment, all I can see for sides are fiberglass, no wood.
I will attach pictures of the areas in question as soon as I can, but was hoping someone might have an idea and picture samples of what I might see once I get the carpet, and deck/floor removed.
Thanks for looking and any/all help and advice!
Tony
Boat is great! Runs perfectly and is easy to drive, only things "wrong" with it are cosmetic interior that I'd like to tackle myself over the winter. Looking for some advice and maybe pictures of what I might expect when I start:
1. Soft spots on floor between the driver/passenger seats around the "ski locker" floor compartment. Looking in the compartment, all I see left and right are fiberglass as well as the aft side toward the engine compartment. The side toward the bow is open and clearly goes under the floor under of the bow and I see some pressure treated wood there for support. Those look solid and I can feel no rot or softness. The decking around it is very flaky and obviously rotted but the floor isn't really soft. A 250lb man can stand on it and it barely buckles but I can see looking left and right in that floor compartment at the decking that the decking is rotted. I'd like to take up the entire floor from the "dashboard" back to the engine compartment, redo it with solid wood and gelcoat it and NOT replace the carpet. I'd rather have it water tight and create drains to the bilge that I can control. Something that can easily be washed/rinsed out when it gets dirty.
2. Trim on the dashboard is vinyl about 2" wide with some stitching and seemingly a wood backing. Backing seems rotted and falling off dashboard.
Does anyone have any pictured of what my boat MIGHT look like with the floor removed? I am certain that the 15-20 gallon gas tank is in the middle of the boat, under the deck between the floor compartment and the engine compartment/bilge area. What I am not sure of is are the stringers made of fiberglass and molded as part of the hull or are there wood stringers supporting the deck. Like I said above, looking in the floor compartment, all I can see for sides are fiberglass, no wood.
I will attach pictures of the areas in question as soon as I can, but was hoping someone might have an idea and picture samples of what I might see once I get the carpet, and deck/floor removed.
Thanks for looking and any/all help and advice!
Tony
