Re: What am I about to get myself into?
Re: What am I about to get myself into?
The link that tashadaddy gave you will be of great help. It is very informative. Look at
http://www.shareaproject.com and search for boats. Lots of good info and photos there.
Since the boat will not be in the water for months at a time your choice of paint and prices has widened greatly. There were a few threads about paint and if you could find them or someone can point them out they will be great for research or you can start your own thread about it.
As far as I know most of the manufacturers do not use fiberglass between the upper deck and the hull. What you are seeing is probably some repairs. I would try to cut them from the outside with a hacksaw or a circular blade. You might have to replace the wood that hold the upper deck and the hull but that is not much. Make sure there are no cables there or anything else.
Maybe your boat is old enough that the foam was not mandatory back them. My Babcock was built in 1969 and did not have any foam but it did had the Coast Guard Plate. Of course, it could be that someone else already removed it, but I think it would be apparent to you that someone put their paws there first. Some use empty 2 litter soda bottles for floatation to try to not go back to foam. Even modern foam will suck water if the boat is not properly stored and given time to dry. Even with your best effort, I'm sure the foam will suck some water eventually. I never replaced the foam in my boats. It is mandatory for the manufacturers to install it but not for the individual as far as I know. I have told the new owners of the boats I sold that it did not have floatation. Most of them had no idea it was used in the boats…
I will try to find that link for the HIN. I thought I had it on my bookmarks but it is not there. I found this one
http://www.boathistoryreport.com/. It works but is not the one I remembered. It was posted here but the search did not find it for me. This will give you the information you already know. You can calculate the maximum hp you can use and the max amount of people you can have in the boat using the formulas in this page
http://www.boatsafe.com/kids/599kidsques.htm. If anyone has the formula to calculate the maximum weight with people and motor included it will be of help. I have no idea if there is an “official” place you can get that Coast Guard plate done and approve by the coast guard.
I don’t think you want the deck to have a water tight seal to the hull. The hull will eventually get water under there from a small crack and if there is nowhere for that water to go you will have guess what? Rot. Now, there are places where you want your epoxy or polyester resin to make a seal. Like sealing your deck by itself before installing it in the boat and the same goes for the stringers and transom. But you need holes that will allow the water that might get under the deck to flow to the bilge of the boat so you can let it out with the use of a bilge pump or the removal of the drain plug. As far as waves, last storm I got caught up in the lake put every second wave inside my trihull. I was taking the waves at 45 degree, but no help. If I did not had a bilge pump that would have been my last trip on that boat. It got scary anyways, make sure you have a bilge pump, better, 2 pumps. We can talk about that when you get to the point of planning for the wiring of the pump/s. Other than that, you WILL get water in your boat if you plan to take a dip in the lake. Especially if you are using the boat as a diving board, with y’all coming in and out of the boat all wet. You can also get some water when you are underway and are hitting the waves. Even the small ones can make enough mist to put a bit of water in. Which bring us to the next topic.
You can really use any carpet you like. The problem will come from mold and other smelly things that will get in a regular home carpet. If you are a sucker for carpet, like I am, you can go the outdoor patio carpet route. That carpet will stay cleaner and will be easier to maintain. However, not using a carpet at all is the best option as far as keeping humidity out of your boat and making it easier to clean. The only thing you have to be careful is to make sure the paint or material you will apply to your deck will be one that is non-slippery. Some will use paint that is made just for that, some just add sand to the paint. There are other compounds that are rubberized, other are like the compound you apply to the bed of a pickup truck. Some will just add some removable tiles. There are a lot of options in there. Just ask and I will let the expert talk. I did the outside patio carpet and I am happy with it.
As far as your trailer, you are probably aware we have a trailer forum. A lot of help and ideas there.
That is all I have. Hopefully I shared some light more that make it all cloudy!
