Wood rot HELP

[EddieF17]

Hey guys fairly new to boating and from what it sounds like, I am in for an absolute trip. I inherited a 1995 rinker 280 fiesta Vee. I recently found a good amount of wold rot under the cabin floor and traced it back behind the steps.

Does anyone know how to proceed from here?

Has anyone removed a shower from the cabin Or does anyone know what’s behind the mid bilge area there?

Is that just a long sheet of plywood that separates the aft cabin from the actual cabin?

Thanks for all the help in advance!!!

 

[alldodge]

Have not removed a shower but have removed wood rot till there was no rot and rebuilt.

This looks pretty extensive, so unless you really love the boat you might want to think of options

With boats and rot, its always start ripping it out until you reach good wood

 

[Scott Danforth]

Remove rot untill it's gone. Sometimes that is a big project

 

[airshot]

Many restoring threads on here, you have a lot of reading to do !!! Chances are excellent that you will be stripping this down to a bare hull, removing entire deck and upper half of this vessel. You might want to consider starting on a boat that is better condition to start with. There is an old saying...." The most expensive boat you will ever own is the one that was free to start".... This could be your case..you might want to think on this a little more

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Like all the posts above. If you want to keep the boat and do the work yourself, read the numerous threads. If you do decide to rip into it, you’ll build it better than the oem built it. It’s a challenge, it’s expensive, but rewarding.

 

[Scott Danforth]

BTW, if it helps, even new yachts get rot. will be helping a buddy in the engine room of his 2016 52 foot Cruisers take care of rotting partitions

 

[tpenfield]

My condolences on the inheritance. . . .

As the others have stated you will have to chase the rot until you find no more. Perhaps the cabin structure rot is from a leaking head compartment, but you may find additional rot going aft.

You will be finding 'stringers' (structural members that go back-to-front) and 'bulkheads' that go side-to-side.

The problem may be that the boat was designed to go together, but not come apart. Larger cabin style boats can be quite difficult to repair. There are a few threads in this restoration forum about fixing larger boats. Often the engines and fuel tank(s) have to come out in order to get at all of the structure that needs fixing.

The boat is probably not safe to use otherwise.

 

[EddieF17]

Thank you guys I really appreciate all the feedback and years worth of knowledge. I’ll have to really take my time and think of the goods and the bads of keeping it!

I’m gonna try and keep my head up here, I was really hoping to have her in the water next year but I don’t want to cause any harm to fellow boater,the water or any of the family.

 

[tpenfield]

As you investigate further, see if you can put together a sketch of the stringers and bulkheads, then you can draw a clearer picture of where the rot is and isn't.

 

[EddieF17]

Well I’m the spirit of keeping things never easy, I decided to do some cutting to try and see if it spread any further than the areas I knew about up until now. Removed the rest of the cabin floor to get rid of all of that rot 1st. Now I’ll have to re-enforce that when the time comes. I ended up cutting a section of the cabin in order to get to the rot behind the shower since it wasn’t cooperating! Luckily everything stopped there.

Now for the engine compartment…. Stringers are thanksfully dry and sturdy no rot to be had there

What I can only describe as a bilge cover? And please correct me if I am wrong. was completely rotted. I touched it and it fell apart. There are two sections of plywood that run behind the bilged fiberglass runway that seem to have some rot to them but I have no way extracting them so I think I may leave those like that for now. Any thoughts?

I did notice that in the bilge entrance to the right, there was what felt like a hole that went into the rotted wood behind the fiberglass/bilge wall and into the stringer? I’m thinking that’s not supposed to be this way?

The fiberglass floor at the beginning of the engine compartment and at the beginning of the cabin entrance seems to be built up (like a little mountain) it’s not level.

Is that normal?

Thanks for following the journey guys! Having a tough time letting this one go

 

[alldodge]

Looking more so like a full gut and rebuild. It will be a great boat when your done but that's going to be a heck of a lot of work

 

[EddieF17]

Looking more so like a full gut and rebuild. It will be a great boat when your done but that's going to be a heck of a lot of work

Are you thinking full gut and rebuild of the bilge area?

 

[alldodge]

Are you thinking full gut and rebuild of the bilge area?

Don't know how high it goes up, but looks to me like most all the deck and some stringers. Have to get all the black out because any left behind will slowly keep going. Have been found to use antifreeze on wood rot to stop it, but its still takes a chance

Everyone has a what I did story, but mine in short, started in the engine room and by the time I was done the gas tank, water tank, aft cabin and transom was being cut up

 

[EddieF17]

Don't know how high it goes up, but looks to me like most all the deck and some stringers. Have to get all the black out because any left behind will slowly keep going. Have been found to use antifreeze on wood rot to stop it, but its still takes a chance

Everyone has a what I did story, but mine in short, started in the engine room and by the time I was done the gas tank, water tank, aft cabin and transom was being cut up

Dang I am sure that caught you super off guard! Just like all of this did.

I apologize as I am still very new to boating, are the stringers the two tall long pieces the motors are resting on? I drilled a couple holes high and low and they Came back dry along with the transom(which I believe is the back part wood where the outdrives bolt to)

And by deck are do you mean where the seats are bolted to? That area seems to be covered in all fiberglass

 

[EddieF17]

I should also add the black tint is very dry engine oil and probably mold as well but I have found a lot of oil down there

 

[alldodge]

Dang I am sure that caught you super off guard! Just like all of this did.

I apologize as I am still very new to boating, are the stringers the two tall long pieces the motors are resting on? I drilled a couple holes high and low and they Came back dry along with the transom(which I believe is the back part wood where the outdrives bolt to)

And by deck are do you mean where the seats are bolted to? That area seems to be covered in all fiberglass

Again I'm not there actually seeing. If things are good and solid then there should be no issues with the area

Yes on both for stringers and deck
Stringers run fore and aft, the deck is what you walk on

In this pic, I can see de lamination, and would think water has gotten behind it

 

[EddieF17]

Alldodge thank you for being patient and explaining things to me! I appreciate it. I will then cut this fiberglass sand it and then install new plywood and seal it with fiberglass.

When you did your boat, did you upgrade any of the material or just use regular plywood?

 

[alldodge]

Regular exterior grade plywood, no need for marine grade
There will be a lot of polyester resin needed and fiber glass cloth.

Suggest investing in a good full face mask, head socks, and full Tyvek suits with show covers, disposable gloves. I got a large box of them, so each time I completed grinding for the day I would throw away the suit and gloves.

 

[tpenfield]

@EddieF17 . . . keep in mind that the top of the stringers (engine bay or otherwise) will be relatively dry. The bottom portion of them, closest to the hull, is what matters.

You can test with a $40 moisture meter and a couple of test holes in the glassing of the stringers. Patch the holes as needed.

 

[EddieF17]

Regular exterior grade plywood, no need for marine grade
There will be a lot of polyester resin needed and fiber glass cloth.

Suggest investing in a good full face mask, head socks, and full Tyvek suits with show covers, disposable gloves. I got a large box of them, so each time I completed grinding for the day I would throw away the suit and gloves.

Yea, I think I learned my lesson today, I am pretty itchy but at least I wore a face mask and safety glasses! This has been quite a learning experience!

Once I have the funds I will go out and buy the materials needed!