1974 Grady White Restoration

[GuyD]

Derek nice boat. You probably won't believe me when i say this past weekend i have been gutting my 76 Grady Whitere Nassua. If you contact grady white ask them for your stringer layout. They didn't have mine but told me that the Chesapeake i think 72 or 74 was the same. Now with my style boat only came with 3 types of I/O's. my transom is 2 full inches but man i tell you this. the sole, and transom were bad. Like real bad. i gutted it out and will pull the i/o very soon. Im not restoring it to factory, im rebuilding it for my fishing. I believe id rather sink 10k in a boat and make it to me and my needs then buy a 10k boat and still add to it. Different strokes for different folks. I will post the diagram for my layout and a pic of mine for you to look at. Good Luck!!

 

[GuyD]

Here is the layout on mine. again mine is a '76 same design on the stringers and haul. I would be shocked if yours isnt close to it but smaller scale. Mines a 21'2 as as diagram. here is a few pics of mine as well.

 

[GuyD]

Here is the layout on mine. again mine is a '76 same design on the stringers and haul. I would be shocked if yours isnt close to it but smaller scale. Mines a 21'2 as as diagram. here is a few pics of mine as well.

 

[GuyD]

No Title

sorry for the multiple posts. my laptop froze and it took off lol.
here is mine.

 

[Derekxj]

Derek nice boat. You probably won't believe me when i say this past weekend i have been gutting my 76 Grady Whitere Nassua. If you contact grady white ask them for your stringer layout. They didn't have mine but told me that the Chesapeake i think 72 or 74 was the same. Now with my style boat only came with 3 types of I/O's. my transom is 2 full inches but man i tell you this. the sole, and transom were bad. Like real bad. i gutted it out and will pull the i/o very soon. Im not restoring it to factory, im rebuilding it for my fishing. I believe id rather sink 10k in a boat and make it to me and my needs then buy a 10k boat and still add to it. Different strokes for different folks. I will post the diagram for my layout and a pic of mine for you to look at. Good Luck!!

Hey thanks man!!! I feel like i came across your post somewhere. Really awesome boat and thanks for posting the photo's!!!! I as well am a fisherman any chance i can be one. Ideally, id be restoring a 32' Downeaster but im not fortunate enough at this point in life to have anywhere near that sort of money right now!
Im really jealous you've got a 21. The one thing that keeps making me reconsider my project is the fact that................the boat simply doesnt have much fishing room. the splashwell is ginormous. the cabin is half the boat and its only a 19'. I really dont want to convert it to a center console or anything like that, I just want to fix it to the point that its safe and fish it. What kind of changes will you be making to yours to make it more fishable? the I/O while i hate them, is nicer because you get more room in the back. Do you have a thread started???? Definitely post the link!

 

[Derekxj]

So, Last night i attempted to pop out the locker hatch in the floor so that i can see UNDER the deck. Didnt work. Im not sure but it looks like these went in BEFORE the flooring? I was able to get the trim piece up but then the lower part thats under the floor, the front and the back extend under the deck about 12 inches each way, so i wasnt sure how to get them out. When i pulled the trim piece off i was able to see the side of the cut part of the deck. I was able to press my finger into it............

Anyway........I got balsy and ripped up a piece of the garbage plastic flooring junk in the worst soft spot on the deck. what i found........was a bit alarming. It was the consistancy of wet balsa wood. Ugh! What the heck am i getting myself into?????? Quick picture and a video showing exactly how soft it is......

 

[jigngrub]

So, Last night i attempted to pop out the locker hatch in the floor so that i can see UNDER the deck. Didnt work. Im not sure but it looks like these went in BEFORE the flooring? I was able to get the trim piece up but then the lower part thats under the floor, the front and the back extend under the deck about 12 inches each way, so i wasnt sure how to get them out. When i pulled the trim piece off i was able to see the side of the cut part of the deck. I was able to press my finger into it............

Anyway........I got balsy and ripped up a piece of the garbage plastic flooring junk in the worst soft spot on the deck. what i found........was a bit alarming. It was the consistancy of wet balsa wood. Ugh! What the heck am i getting myself into?????? Quick picture and a video showing exactly how soft it is......

All of that is typical.

The decking in the pic isn't original, that's some CDX crap someone put down.

As we've been trying to tell you, your boat is nasty and rotted. This will make the demolition easier than if it was just partially rotten.

Wear a dust mask or respirator when removing that rotten stuff from your boat, there's all kinds of mold and mildew spores in there that will cause respiratory problems similar to a cold or the flu. Gloves won't hurt either.

 

[Derekxj]

All of that is typical.

The decking in the pic isn't original, that's some CDX crap someone put down.

As we've been trying to tell you, your boat is nasty and rotted. This will make the demolition easier than if it was just partially rotten.

Wear a dust mask or respirator when removing that rotten stuff from your boat, there's all kinds of mold and mildew spores in there that will cause respiratory problems similar to a cold or the flu. Gloves won't hurt either.

I knew you guy's were right. Heck.......Ive seen your threads and the skill all of you had. There was no question about it! I just was a little afraid to actually go and see it for myself! Is it okay to remove the deck and foam ( and ONLY the deck and foam.......leaving the transom and stringers intact BEFORE bracing the whole boat? Obviously the water logged sponges under my deck is providing zero structural integrity and im sure the deck which is sopping wet is also providing no integrity. Can the boat actually twist if i only remove the deck? I'd like to START the demo, but wont be moving the boat to where im going to be rebuilding it for maybe a few months. What is CDX?

 

[jigngrub]

CDX is a low grade plywood sheathing that has large core voids and isn't suitable for boat work.

You should be ok to remove the deck and foam, just don't do any cutting on the stringers, transom, or the cap. Removing the wet deck and foam should lighten your boat considerably and put less stress on the hull where it sits on the trailer.

 

[Derekxj]

CDX is a low grade plywood sheathing that has large core voids and isn't suitable for boat work.

You should be ok to remove the deck and foam, just don't do any cutting on the stringers, transom, or the cap. Removing the wet deck and foam should lighten your boat considerably and put less stress on the hull where it sits on the trailer.

This would be awesome thanks alot. THIS could actually A. get me working. B. give me some motivation and C......i could finally find the ORIGINAL gas tank under there ( if its there ), and start looking for a replacement. fuel tank. Maybe once i do this i'll actually be able to tow that thing with my jeep. Holy crap did that truck feel that boat behind it. My info metal plate on the boat says its 1600 lbs dry. ( not sure if this includes the engine or not )......but compared to whatever it must be, 1600 lbs - 2000 lbs would be a joy to tow. Even winching it up the trailer at the ramp was a nightmare.

My next question. The drain plug in the back of the boat at the very bottom. It appears the PO ( as im aware ), aside from looking EXACTLY like Cousin Eddie from the vacation movies, was a complete moron. It seems as though he must have removed the original, and installed a new ( screw in ) bung piece for the drain and put it way way way too low. due to this the bottom screw seems to be between the gelcoat, and the fiberglass on the bottom of the hull. There's actually a gap down there that i can feel from the outside between the brass piece and my transom and even though I put some marine-tex in there.......still drips out from that spot even when the drain plug is in. How would i repair this? from the inside? from the outside?

 

[jigngrub]

You'll repair/replace the transom bilge drain when you re-do the transom. You'll probably end up glassing over the existing hole and install a new hole in the proper location and at the correct height.

 

[Derekxj]

Thank you. I guess that makes sense if i have to rebuild the transom anyhow. Now......My biggest concern about this boat.

What to do about the front cap and the obvious dock damage it encountered at the rub rail level?
As i said if i stand at the bow on my driveway, and push up UNDER the lip of the rub rail.......its almost as if the top side seperates from the lower portion of the hull right at this point. I can seperate it i would say, as much as about a 1/4 inch with little effort, as much as maybe an inch with alot of effort. see attached picture i drew arrows at the points where i can feel the top part seperate a little bit.

Eddie griswold also gooped up about an entire tube's worth of silicone under the rub rail in this spot.

 

[jigngrub]

We see a lot of Cousin Eddies work come through this forum and he's been named the "Typical Previous Owner".

The bow work will be mainly cosmetic and should be left until after the structural is done and you start making her pretty again after you give her some new "bones".
You'll probably end up separating the cap from the hull in that area and re-doing the crunched fiberglass... it'll be a piddly task compared to the transom, stringers, and decking.

 

[Derekxj]

We see a lot of Cousin Eddies work come through this forum and he's been named the "Typical Previous Owner".

The bow work will be mainly cosmetic and should be left until after the structural is done and you start making her pretty again after you give her some new "bones".
You'll probably end up separating the cap from the hull in that area and re-doing the crunched fiberglass... it'll be a piddly task compared to the transom, stringers, and decking.

Okay this is good to know. Im questioning the integrity of the topside gunnels of the cap and whether im going to have to wind up splitting this boat after-all. It's honestly the last thing I would ever want to have to do as it seems like a huge production. I did notice just by putting some fishing rods in the rod holders that are there...........that the top of the gunnels flex up and down when i put a little pressure on the rod front to back.......this only concerns me because im a nut and at some point.........this boat will be 15+ miles out in the ocean ( hopefully ), catching sharks and tuna on 50 and 80 wide Penn's. Those reels have some serious weight, and i need to be confident that i'll be able to fight a 200 lb fish from the gunnel.

 

[Woodonglass]

These Old Boats have a way of getting your Attention. Check Your PM!!!

 

[Derekxj]

These Old Boats have a way of getting your Attention. Check Your PM!!!

They sure do!! I just checked my PM's. Nothing. Did you send something?

 

[Woodonglass]

Check Now

 

[jigngrub]

Okay this is good to know. Im questioning the integrity of the topside gunnels of the cap and whether im going to have to wind up splitting this boat after-all. It's honestly the last thing I would ever want to have to do as it seems like a huge production. I did notice just by putting some fishing rods in the rod holders that are there...........that the top of the gunnels flex up and down when i put a little pressure on the rod front to back.......this only concerns me because im a nut and at some point.........this boat will be 15+ miles out in the ocean ( hopefully ), catching sharks and tuna on 50 and 80 wide Penn's. Those reels have some serious weight, and i need to be confident that i'll be able to fight a 200 lb fish from the gunnel.

It all looks and sounds very intimidating right now, but as you study the forum and start working on your boat, you will gain the confidence to do anything that needs to be done to that boat. We have folks from both sexes and all walks of life restoring boats on this forum and you shouldn't be any exception.

 

[Derekxj]

It all looks and sounds very intimidating right now, but as you study the forum and start working on your boat, you will gain the confidence to do anything that needs to be done to that boat. We have folks from both sexes and all walks of life restoring boats on this forum and you shouldn't be any exception.

Im trying! Might rip the blue decking covering off tonight and try and pop up a few pieces of the floor. Im itching to find that gas tank.

 

[Woodonglass]

Your tank should be centrally located, just in front of the bilge. Should be about 18-20" wide and 2-3' long.