Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

[zarillus]

O god here we go....I was prepping my old boat trailer for paint when i heard a sloshing sound in the boat.I thought what the hell is that!! sounds like a milkjug half empty and i was shaking it.Well.... i have to investigate right? I did notice a small crack in the floor so i drilled a 1 inch hole in the floor and put my finger down the hole...Holy crap water!!!!!!!!!!! Awwwww Sh%!. I just got this 1967 Larson 166.The floor was totally solid so i thought great deal.Well next i took the circular saw with about 1/4 inch depth and cut a square section.

The entire middle section was filled with water not a little but a lot.I proceeded to wet vac 30 gallons of water out of the main beam!!I went to look at it this morning and there is another 1/4 gallon or so that looked into the center.Where this came from i don't know.




After looking at the outside of the hull i noticed a nice shaved off about a 1/2 inch of the keel in a section of about 6 inches in length, which was all the way down to the glass.I want to get this fixed first.Repair advice?? It looked the the keel roller beat the hell out of it over the years.I'm pretty sure that was where my leak was.


I have included pics for you guys to look at. Does anyone know anything about larson hulls.Size beams,stringers, foam which there was none.

Do i cut everything out and replace stringers and floor?

 

[zarillus]

More PICS

More PICS

More PICS

 

[chicknwing]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Well, It looks like to me that you have a bunch of rotten wood under there. Have you poked at the stringers with a screwdriver or something hard? If so, do they appear to be rotten? The water that has come back is most likely from water logged foam. I would get all that foam out and examine the condition of the stringers, before I made any major decision to replace the stringers. Post your findings back here.

TC

 

[Mark42]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

That is an odd looking setup. Its unusual to find a layer of glass mat under the floor. What is it covering? It also looks really dry, like there is no resin in it. Then the ply was layed over the mat. I wonder if this is the original design or if someone else did this as a fix.

Pull up some of that mat and lets have a look at what it is covering. Maybe foam.

 

[zarillus]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

I tapped on the sides of the stringers and they were solid with no movement and also used a flat head screwdriver to check for rot and I didn't find any rot on the stringers.Just the plywood on the lower half of the deck especially near bilge area.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Well.... you have a project boat on your hands. The deck is rotted and let the surgery begin.

First I would devote time to reading the restoration threads to obtain some sound ideas.

Is the boat in good enough shape for this re-build? That would be an evalustion question I would be asking.

 

[zarillus]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

The boat is definetly in shape for a re-build.The gelcoat on the outside of the hull as not even a single stress crack,spider, or bubble in it.


Mark42,i thought that was interesting also seeing the mat after i ripped up the plywood.I thought it would rest on the stringers themselves.Maybe that's why the stringers are good because the mat and plywood absorbed the water.

Anybody familiar with Larson hulls of this era 1967 V

Thanks in Advance

 

[chicknwing]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

First I would devote time to reading the restoration threads to obtain some sound ideas.

Very sound advice. I completely refit my Glastron with the information I found in this forum. Read and read again. You will find that the process is straight forward and so long as you take your time and "do it right" you can repair your boat and make it stronger then when it was new.


TC

 

[92excel]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

I tapped on the sides of the stringers and they were solid with no movement and also used a flat head screwdriver to check for rot and I didn't find any rot on the stringers.Just the plywood on the lower half of the deck especially near bilge area.

Just tapping on the stingers isnt really enough. you have to drill through the glass and see what the core of the stringer is like.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Just tapping on the stingers isnt really enough. you have to drill through the glass and see what the core of the stringer is like.

Yep agreed there 92excel, you need to take a core sample , down towards the bottom of the stringer, bet there wet and if so then there going to rot, also if the deck has started it also a good bet that the transom has , take a core sample in the four corners of the transom , ands see what the wood look like on the drill !!

She will be a great rebuild !! and if the outer hull is that good your better off !! Ok cant wait to see more !! John

 

[Artpop]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Hey, I noticed you posted some info on another thread that I would say belongs here. This should be your resto thread. You will get more love if you post here.

You wrote: "Okay after more demo i can see that the stringer's are hollow.There is a drain pipe coming out of the two main stringers on the starboard and port sides near the stern. It also has a plug in the bilge area seperate from main bilge plug to drain water. ha didn't even know that was there."

That is good news. Did you core sample the transom? Also, it looks like you have some framing under the sole that will likely need redoing. If you have bulkheads under there, maybe the new water came from clogged limber holes, not foam.

Keep the pix coming.

 

[zarillus]

Re: Let the fun BEGIN Tear out of deck

Re: Let the fun BEGIN Tear out of deck

Well guys all the fun is going to start this weekend with the boat.Need to go pick up some supplies to cut the rest of the deck out.My little circular saw needs more power as it will not hardly cut through the wet glass.It's a little 18 volt.

As for picking up tools... Die grinder/sorta like a roto zip??? and grinder? You think i can take the rest of the floor up with these tools

I read the other threads and most guys are using the same tools,i'm just looking for something to go through the floor like butter.Diamond blade?Masonary blade?cut-off wheel.So many choices? Die grinder to get near the bow?

 

[92excel]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

are the tools i used to get the floor up.
-the respirator is important to keep the fiberglass dust out of your lungs. i suggest you used it even during demo. and gloves and goggles of course
-sawsall for my above deck boxes and seats
-Circular saw with an old blade.. fiberglass will eat it up. set to floor depth
-pry bar for stubborn places
-7 inch grinder to grind out the edges where the circular saw could not reach
- 4 inch grinder for minor cutting and grinding..

 

[zarillus]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

92Excel-- Here we GO Steelers...Here we go.. Aww man love em 6 rings brother can't top that.

Thanks for the pics this will help out tremendously!!

Any special blades in any of the saws?

 

[zarillus]

Re: Transom repair idea

Re: Transom repair idea

Okay her is my transom repair idea without moving the cap what do you guys think?I have attached a pic to look at.

 

[92excel]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Nice.. another steelers fan.. where you from?

nope no special blades.. just wood blades.
went through a few in the sawsall so get a pack.

 

[zarillus]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Well i lived in Penn Hills and moved to Orlando about 3 years ago.I sure miss Iron City Beer and Primanti brothers!!!I got satelite to watch all the games.

On another note i'm having trouble cutting out the floor near the bow area and near the bilge because the splashwell is in the way.Has anyone ever used a rotozip or similiar to cut in these areas?

 

[ebear]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

rotozip bits are good for light duty cutting, you may be able to cut it but go very slow and hold tight to stop chatter. In most cases you would cut as close as possable with a sawsall then grind the rest.

 

[zarillus]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Anyone familiar with replacing transom without removing the cap on a 1967 Larson all-american 166.Ideas ?

 

[Mark42]

Re: Where do i start,what did i get myself into!!

Anyone familiar with replacing transom without removing the cap on a 1967 Larson all-american 166.Ideas ?

Some people have cut the cap about a foot back from the transom. Not a bad idea if you want to paint it do some gel coating afterwords to hide the patch for the cut.

Could give you better/more ideas if you post a few pics of the transom area. Show view from inside, from rear, and from side. I can't get a good feel for the design from the pics already posted.

Thanks,
Mark.