Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

[notsunkyet]

OK first off let me say thank you so much for this site i have learned so much just from reading the plight of others!
having said that I now have issues of my own! We bought a 16 foot Carpi for cheap and i didn't want it due to the rot that I saw under the seat but the wife has spoken and now we have it!
i was looking deeper into the wood issues and they are never ending!!!! the more you dig the worse it goes!!!!
so here are a bunch of questions for all you who will answer!!!!
1) ROT lots of it! i began to tear her down today and the more i dug the more i find!! I'm down to the stringers in the rear and the only thing left is the fiberglass frame that was built around the original wood. so it cant go any DEEPER than there but everything has to come out and be redone! Can i use treated plywood for the stringers or is it one long piece of wood?
2) resins... Ive talked to 4 different boat repair places and the decision is 50/50 on epoxy vs resin ... even on here there is dissension so which is OK to use?
3) FREAKING FOAM! where does this stuff come from and why is it there? do i have to put some kind back in? All it is is a sponge!!!!! I saw how the factory did it and see why it failed I'm thinking if it has to get some I'm going to put in a French drain type thing to aid in getting out/ Any ideas?
4)Seat. the seats in it are like something from a Kmart Blue Light special after the light went out..... where can i get some that are more reasonable and better?
5)Transom... OK Ive read i think all the posts on here about Bayliner transoms and get most of it . I just didnt understand the 3 piece setup. do i have to replace all 3 pieces or just the center piece ? huh what gives.


OK sorry for the long post but I'm just excited to be working on her ..... so any help is always appreciated!!!!!
I will try to have pictures up soon of the tear down and subsequent rebuild as it gets there.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

Hello, and welcome to iboats. I have a 1988 bayliner cobra and I am now just starting to put her back together again. I will try to answer your questions the best I can.

1. I am using regular exterior grade plywood for my stringers. You can use treated ply if you want but it takes it forever to dry out. If it is not totally dry the new glass will not stick. My stringers are 15 feet long so I am just joining two 8 foot pieces together to get the length.

2.You are right about the Epoxy vs. Poly question, it is a 50/50 thing. I decided to go with Epoxy because it is a stronger and a little more forgiving with making mistakes. But poly resin is still plenty strong, that is what the boat is made out of now. Poly resin is also 1/2 the price of epoxy, So the choice is up to you.

3.Ah yes the wonderful foam. I will not be putting the foam back. It is there to keep the boat floating if it capsizes or fills with water. If I do put something back in for flotation foam I will use the pink or blue foam that you can buy at the hardware stores.

4.As far as the seats go, you can find seats at any marine stores and right here on iboats. I am building my own seats the way the factory did it.

5.I also have the 3 piece transom design. Bayliner calls it a step transom and I only replaced the middle section because there was no wood on the sides, just hull.

If you have not seen my thread yet take a look at it, maybe it will answer more questions you may have.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

Welcome to the foums!

88Bliner gave good advice. Regarding the epoxy vs poly, having worked with both, I suggest you save your money and use the polyester resins. Yes epoxy is stronger, but the polyester is more than strong enough. Besides, its what the hull was made from, and its holding up fine (rotten wood aside ).

I learned that the most important thing is to apply the resin properly to get a great bond. Just don't slap resin and cloth over dirt, water, or otherwise unclean surfaces. Read some posts and do it right. Lots of great stringer/deck/transom projects here that are loaded with photos and make for some fun reading.

Regarding the transom, if just the center section is rotted, replace it, but be sure you test the rest of the transom for rot too.

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

Thanks for all the replies!!!! im going with the mindset that the transom is history... if i grab ahold of the outboard and lift it i get a 1/4 to 1/2 deflection form center either way, so i figure if it aint rock solid its fubar. and if the foam is only there to keep her afloat and if it capsizes then well i dont have that much invested and ill just get the insurance money and live with it...... lol ..... I bought the boat because we figured it would be a great first starter boat and a good one to learn the do's and donts and upgrade later on or let the boys have i when the earn enough respect for it and the water to use it properly. by the way it ahs a Force 85 on the back...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

You bought a mid-80's Bayliner with wood rot and a Force? Congrats on buying the worst used boat ever! Ok, well it could be worse I suppose. It could have been an L-drive with angry racoons living in it

Anyway, a number of iboats members are currently turning lemons into lemonade and these old Bayliners are shining up nicely. They are sharp looking boats. Let's see some pics of this heap! Good luck with your project and you'll find a lot of support here.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

I thought my transom was shot on an "86 Capri. Turns out there were NO knees to the stringers, allowing the movement. Installed S/S gussets and problem was solved. Dig around to be sure it"s rotten before doing uneccessary damage.

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

oh yea they are history i drilled a hole in the knees and a screwdiver went though it right to the bottom of the hull.... YUGHHHHHHH more stress, but i think im gonna go for over kill on the repair.. since i have to make a transom anyway ill have extra material left over from the sandwich of 3/4 ply. im gonna use some of that to make new knees for it.... why use 1/2 when 1 1/2 will do!

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

Don't forget added weight and unpleasant handling. Overkill can be exactly that.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

Since the others have covered the rebuild parts.. I figure I would add in the unasked question..

i didn't want it due to the rot .. but the wife has spoken and now we have it

Who is doing the restore?

Be sure you understand the effort involved in the project, and also be sure the boat runs. Without a powerplant, a rotten hull is worth more as a planter. I realize you were signed up for this project against better judgement, but make sure all parties concerned know the cost of a full-on restore, both in time and money. Many of us get into boating cheap only to realize the money we saved cost us more than the savings itself.

If you love that boat and want no other, awesome, you are ready for a killer project of blood, sweat, beers and (hopefully) triumph. Always good to see another bayliner owner join up!

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

no i realise what is in the repair process... all of the old rotten stuff is gone now (as of last nite) and im down to grinding (yea the itch) and buying mat and resin. (by the way where is a good place to but resin and mat cheap? llike 5 gallon resin and roll of mat)

 

[lowkee]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

no i realise what is in the repair process... all of the old rotten stuff is gone now (as of last nite) and im down to grinding (yea the itch) and buying mat and resin. (by the way where is a good place to but resin and mat cheap? llike 5 gallon resin and roll of mat)

I got my mat roll off ebay, as they often have some great bargains if you buy bulk.

For the resin, I (and many others here) use uscomposites.com

Super job getting the wood out so fast! The foam alone took me days and days.

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

by the way the Force starts right up! didnt do anything to it other than add fuel and after about 4 revolution fired right up!!1. im still gonna do the normal stuff impeller, plugs reclean the carbs etc... what is decarbonizing and how is it done?

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

thank lowkee! yea some carefull surgury with a sawsall and a long blade can do wonders....the long blade will follow the contours very well with out digging into the hull. as for the foan mine came right out but i think having 20 gallons of water soaked in it helped! lol it was a little stubborn but i got two of the front pieces out whole!!!!

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

ok guys sorry for not gettng back sooner!! but i now have everything out of the boat and stingers are back in and glassed over and im almost ready to start making the template for the floor.... im still itching and scratching like crazy but it is awesome to see progress!!!! Oh yea i had to break out my filter mask the other day.... DONT EVER THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITHOUT A MASK ON!!! man the dust is everywhere!!!!!!! Anyway im hoping to get the floors cut and resined this weekend and start the cabinet work there after. ok i need suggestions and ideas for more storage area and future use space (ie trolling motor batteries etc) also i want a live well... can i make one out of the underseat areas in the bow? does someone make a plastic insert i can use for that ara or what? and if i want seats that are on stands for fishing do i have to double up on the floor thinkness for stability or is 3/4 going to be enough?

 

[Mark42]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

...... ok i need suggestions and ideas for more storage area and future use space (ie trolling motor batteries etc) also i want a live well... can i make one out of the underseat areas in the bow? does someone make a plastic insert i can use for that ara or what? and if i want seats that are on stands for fishing do i have to double up on the floor thinkness for stability or is 3/4 going to be enough?

Using the under seat area in the bow as a live well will really make the boat list to one side. 20 gallons of water weighs about 160 lbs, and that is a lot of weight off center. If you put in two, one on each side, they will balance each other out.

5/8" ply for the deck is common. If pedestal seats are used, consider adding another layer of 5/8 or 1/2" on top in a 12x12" square for reinforcement. 3/4 ply will be over kill and add unnecessary weight.

There is lots of places to add storage if you don't mind leaving out the foam. My Capri had the chine areas boxed in and foamed, as well as the seat bases. But I chose to keep the foam.

How about some pics of your progress?

 

[sho3boater]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

How did you guys get the seat bases out? I would have done the floor too but I only did inside the ski locker, but my stringers were in good shape aside from one cracked due to impact. I sistered it and cleaned up the floor edge, epoxied all that stuff, and put a 3/8 panel over the whole thing. Or did you guys toss the factory seats? I made new bucks and they work ok.

Is a nice running boat, only complaint is the exhaust fumes at idle need to figure out a fix. Was going to plug that exhaust outlet and put a water gauge on it. (85hp force) Of course I'd need to take the leg apart to get at that outlet.

 

[robbankston]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

How about some pictures?!?!?!

 

[sho3boater]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

How about some pictures?!?!?!

Of mine? I took photos but would have to dig to find. I think they are still on another boating site but not sure I can post it here.

 

[notsunkyet]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

How did you guys get the seat bases out? I would have done the floor too but I only did inside the ski locker, but my stringers were in good shape aside from one cracked due to impact. I sistered it and cleaned up the floor edge, epoxied all that stuff, and put a 3/8 panel over the whole thing. Or did you guys toss the factory seats? I made new bucks and they work ok.

Is a nice running boat, only complaint is the exhaust fumes at idle need to figure out a fix. Was going to plug that exhaust outlet and put a water gauge on it. (85hp force) Of course I'd need to take the leg apart to get at that outlet.

well on my capri someone took the liberty to remove the stock seats and boxes out for me but it kinda irks me cuz im a big guy and although i have alot of extra flotational bouyancy... (read fat) i like the wider seat of the original bayliner... would love to find a good used set in TExas somewhere cheap.. and if anyone has the stock dimentions for the drivers and pass seat boxes could ya give them to me?

 

[78ImperialT]

Re: Need help!!! 86 Bayliner Capri

i have an 83 21' capri cuddy...would those boxes be the same?