Can i join?

[ozenine]

Ok guys, I think I am finally ready to join the tin club. Well, I am not trying to join starcraft club becuase i did not buy a Starcrft (even though i really wanted to). But I think I ended up with not bad deal - I got Grumman 184 - 18 ft, open bow, similar to Stacaft SS. It came with live well, galvanized trailer. It also included motor but I do not cont it becuase it is in parts.... it is 115 hp 1989 yamaha with broken connection rod (that is what the PO told me). I paid 1500 for the whole thing. the boat wastaken care of and PO had it for 4 years. When I got home and did a complete inspection I noticed botom part and it really concerned me. As you can see on the pictures at the end of the bow the aluminum is bent inside symetrically on both sides. It was repaired and the PO said (I called him after) that it was repaired by the marina and he got t like that. he also said taht it does not leak a drop and he reinforced it from inside as well.
So I need your guys opinion on this thing as weather it is a concern and if it is repairable.
I have a ton of questions and will get more pictures after.
Thanks again to everybody here for the help!

 

[fshngho]

Re: Can i join?

Ozen, All I can say is if a shop did that kind of work it will soon be out of business. Take a serious hard look at the inside and outside of that patch work. It looks like its, shall we say, rough. The rest of the boat looks great and congrats on the purchase. It would have been nice to see that damage before you bought, maybe could have lowered the price a bit. Keep us informed and send pics. Dale

 

[ozenine]

Re: Can i join?

Well, I was really exited about this boat and the rest looks really good, I saw the patching but in person it looks a bit better then on the pictures, so we grabbed it. When we got home and exitement was not as strong I started paniking .
I had another good look today in the morning and it does not look that bad. I think i know the reason for this king of stuff - rollers on the trailer. The bent in the aluminum is exactly in the line of rollers, so my guess will be that it is hitting first roller with the same spot all the time and it just presses the aluminum sheet in.

I am not saying it is good, I will definatelly take the livewell and gas tank out and make a proper inspection of the inside. I am concerned about cracks in the metal and rivets. Anything else I shoukld be looking for?

As you can see the rest of the boat is in decent shape, floor was changed last year, transom is solid, seats ok, trailer is ok.

 

[fshngho]

Re: Can i join?

Hey, I'm not saying you got a bad deal my friend. Thats the nice thing about these aluminum boats, they can be fixed up/repaired without taking out a loan. The boat looks in great condition and I'm sure you and the family will enjoy it. Just take a good look at the keel, the pic makes it look like its got an open seam. I have a roller trailer too and I hate it. I'm going to switch to a bunk trailer. I could see divits in my hull where the boat rested. Enjoy and don't forget the pics, Dale

 

[ozenine]

Re: Can i join?

Hey Dale, Thanks for the kind words. At this point I have 2 concerns - one is the seam - i do not want them to be split, or metal around rivets broken, another is the sheet metal has to to solid without cracks. The fact that it is bent is not a biggie, I just do not want it to leak. Will get more pictures soon.

it is wierd taht rollers damage the hull that much, but I am thinking on how much work it is to switch to bunks. Can I just take the rollers out and use same brackets ot install bunks?

PS, it you are talking about bottom keel seam then it does not look to be split.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Can i join?

Hey OZ congrats on the new boat! Finally got yourself a new tin can to tinker with

Looks like she was used quite a bit(maybe as a landing craft at Normandy?)

Those grummans are well-built hulls so whatever caused that damage had to be more than just loading it roughly on the roller trailer.

If not I'm going to switch mine over to bunks too

Good luck with the rig...make sure that thing doesn't leak and you're well on your way.

 

[ozenine]

Re: Can i join?

Thanks Mike! I really need some positive opinion as I started paniking

It is very wierd that the damage is exactly same on both sides and it is not on the very bottom on the hull.

The PO was swearing it was not leaking a drop when he got it and it had this damage there already. He sprayed it inside with some black rubbery stuff (all the seams).
The big thing for me will be to look inside and inspect the hull inside for cracks. Then i will post pictures and will decide on how to proceed.

Thanks guys!

 

[fshngho]

Re: Can i join?

Ozen, it should be possible to switch your trailer to bunks. You may have to by/make brackets but I just don't see how it would be that hard if your boat fits between the fenders. I also agree that I do not see how just the rollers did that damage. More than likely he ran it into the trailer when the trailer wasn't in the water enough or rammed the fenders or something. Rollers move up & down and roll (golly I'm smart) so its hard to see an impact with them causing damage. But, what do I know, whats important now is making sure you and yours stay dry and safe cause its YOUR boat now Get to it my friend, and remember da pics Dale

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Can i join?

This is my trailer set up with bunks and keel rollers. My concern is that your trailer doesn't have "normal" crossmembers due to having been designed specifically to be a roller trailer. http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2352.jpg

 

[bananaboater]

Re: Can i join?

From that last pic of the keel/hull damage I would be sure the bilge pump works well before splashing it. I've suggested before that with external damage that apparent I would start by gutting the inside to see what's under the deck. Not impossible to fix but needs to be carefully assessed to decide how to proceed. The boat has very nice lines.

 

[ozenine]

Re: Can i join?

Thanks Guys. I really did not have enough time to do any work on the boat, because of the the weather here (snow) and work, hopefully next week is going to be better and will keep you guys updated. Thanks again!