Vacationer Boat Project / Water Damage could be bad

[bob z]

Alright, so I picked up a project boat to try to rebuild. It's a Vacationer from Stevenson, yes I understand it's not the most beloved boat out there, but it will fit my needs perfectly if I can get it safely floating...

The original owner/builder gave it to me with a note that there was some water damage, and it would be fairly obvious once I looked inside. Now I was in a hurry to get to work and it looked decent so I hooked up to the trailer and took off. One mile down the road the trailer blows a leaf spring. While deciding what to do we look inside the boat to see water. But it's dark and we weren't sure exactly how much was in there.

I opened it up today and found roughly 6 inches of standing water in the cabin. The outside parts have been glassed, but the inside has not been. I'm guessing the water has been in there for roughly 2 weeks. I pumped most of it out, which had to have been close to 20 gallons. It's still wet inside and I couldn't get about 1 inch of standing water in the corner, but will get it tomorrow morning (had boat and trailer towed to my office...)

So long story into a stupid question, is this worth trying to salvage? Any ideas what is going to be needed or should I dump it before I put money into fixing this trailer? I'll get some photos up tomorrow of the inside, but I was figuring I'd have to let it completely dry before I make a decision to find out how bad it really is. Any advice is greatly appreciated (but please leave the Vacationer comments aside, I've done my research and understand its flaws, I just want a simple boat for the mountain lakes in colorado)

Cheers.

Bob

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Vacationer Boat Project / Water Damage could be bad

Welcome to iboats.

A few more pictures would help.

A cheap wet/dry shop vac is a great tool around a boat and that always gets out those last drops of water.

Anything is worth it depending on your wallet. The cost factor is normally what scare people away first.

 

[bob z]

Re: Vacationer Boat Project / Water Damage could be bad

Well, the waters out, but the wood on the inside is soaking wet. I'll post some pictures in a few hours.

One person told me to use a propane heater, the 60K BTU type, and super heating the inside. Colorado is pretty dry, and I was thinking of just a fan. Will heating the wood super fast harm the wood?

I was also told to begin drilling 1in diameter holes to assist in the wood drying out faster.

Any recommendations? I do need it dry within a week or two before the next freeze comes in.

I don't mind putting the work into it, money is another issue and would like to stay minimal. Again, this is only staying on small colorado lakes.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

\

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: Vacationer Boat Project / Water Damage could be bad

DEF more pictures, on the drying part I don't think I have ever heard "super heating" and "wood" in the same sentence and not have it end in disaster

My roomie does water restorations, what you need is a dehumidifier and heat and airflow to dry. Problem is if its glassed on one side and not the other it may warp.

Def more pics and people will let you know how easy it would be to strip her down and rebuild. Check out my thread, it was not that hard.

 

[bob z]

Re: Vacationer Boat Project / Water Damage could be bad

Sorry for the low quality, but if it's dark, it's wet wood. The most logical answer was someone telling me to drill large diameter holes through out the hull (even through the fiberglass) to help it dry and let the moisture out, then patch it back up. Something about drilling holes in the hull makes me weary, but I ain't chicken...
After looking at the photos it's pretty hard to tell what you're looking at. I'll bring a camera to work tomorrow to try to get some better picks.

 

[bob z]

Re: Vacationer Boat Project / Water Damage could be bad

Here's the water that came out of it. The parking lot looked as if it had been raining all night.