I think my outdrive blew..

[Bondo]

What exactly is involved in this? Remove lower unit, pull the engine, and unbolt the coupler?

Ayuh,..... The Lower Unit, is the lower section of the Outdrive, or Sterndrive, or Drive,....

Please learn the lingo, so We can better communicate,...

Ya pull the drive, pull the motor, then flywheel cover, then the coupler is accessible,...

I'm guessin' ya got the triangular coupler, rather than the crank shaft mounted coupler in yer link,...

 

[BMK10]

Haha fair enough, it's a work in progress!
But okay, i'll keep ya posted.
Thanks a lot.

 

[harleyman1975]

Rotted stringers would put the engine out of alignment and thus take out the coupler.

 

[BMK10]

Well I drilled into the stringers and they don't seem rotted but I could be wrong.
I know I'm a little obsessed but heres another video, it's easier than explaining. You can see where the fiber glass is split and where the lower section is shaking back and forth. Just doesn't seem right to me but let me know what you guys think...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zratGS61Ww&feature=youtu.be

 

[Grub54891]

Oh my, Yeah them stringers are toast. sorry.....

 

[BMK10]

I had a feeling :grumpy: that's awful news... How expensive is it to replace stringers? I assume its a PITA because the entire floor needs to be ripped up?

 

[BMK10]

Judging by the lack of responses I'd say its a pain lol. I did a little research and it seems to be a hassle. Guess I'll sit on it and debate about what I should do. Any recommendations? Would it be worth replacing or would I be better off parting the boat out and junking it?

 

[Grub54891]

Well, is it worth fixing? That is up to you. I'm restoring an 85 bowrider now, spending more than it will ever be worth, but I like the boat. If you want to save it, you will get tons of good advice from these forums to guide you through the process.

 

[nola mike]

Show us a pic of what you got when you drilled into the stringers

 

[tpenfield]

Just catching up on this thread . . .

I take it the outdrive is fine, the coupler is shot and the cause of the mechanical issue, but now we are onto the stringers, which probably was the cause of the coupler failing.

Seeing the engine move like that in the video was a bit scary.

Bmk10 you'll have to decide if restoring the boat's structure is worth it to you, or if you just want to part out the boat. If you fix the coupler, you will have a decent engine(I assume) and a decent outdrive.

The engine could sell quickly in the Spring, when everyone who didn't winterize properly is looking for a new engine/block. The outdrive could sell at any point. . . . you might get $2-3K total for the engine and outdrive.

Not sure how much you have $$$$ into the boat. Figure that a stringer/bulkhead/transom repair may cost $2-3K in materials and supplies. There are lots of folks here on iBoats to guide you, probably one of the best sites on the Internet in that regard. :thumb:

So, if you want to keep the boat, you will probably have to put about $3K into it, if you don't want to keep the boat, you might get $3-4K out of it by selling the engine/outdrive as described, along with a few other marketable items.

Your choice.

 

[BMK10]

Show us a pic of what you got when you drilled into the stringers

I take back what I said earlier about the stringers not being rotted. Grabbed a bigger bit and drilled a little deeper. Doesn't look too hot

 

[BMK10]

...

 

[BMK10]

Just catching up on this thread . . .

I take it the outdrive is fine, the coupler is shot and the cause of the mechanical issue, but now we are onto the stringers, which probably was the cause of the coupler failing.

Seeing the engine move like that in the video was a bit scary.

Bmk10 you'll have to decide if restoring the boat's structure is worth it to you, or if you just want to part out the boat. If you fix the coupler, you will have a decent engine(I assume) and a decent outdrive.

The engine could sell quickly in the Spring, when everyone who didn't winterize properly is looking for a new engine/block. The outdrive could sell at any point. . . . you might get $2-3K total for the engine and outdrive.

Not sure how much you have $$$$ into the boat. Figure that a stringer/bulkhead/transom repair may cost $2-3K in materials and supplies. There are lots of folks here on iBoats to guide you, probably one of the best sites on the Internet in that regard. :thumb:

So, if you want to keep the boat, you will probably have to put about $3K into it, if you don't want to keep the boat, you might get $3-4K out of it by selling the engine/outdrive as described, along with a few other marketable items.

Your choice.

Yea I'm sort of torn on what to do. Parting it out and saving some cash for a new boat next summer does sound a little better. However I'm also wondering if it's possible to just pull the engine and remove the rear seats/ carpet and just change out the stringers? The floor is solid in the boat minus a small portion of the back corner by the battery. I'm not too familiar with the structure of these boats so this might be a dumb question but could I cut the section of rotted stringer out (by the engine mounts) and just replace with new wood and then fiberglass? I'm assuming that would be like putting a band-aid on the wound? Also if the stringers are rotted is it certain that the transom/bulkhead will need to be replaced as well, or can I get away with just replacing the stringers? Because it seems like some fiberglass resin/tape, a few pieces of lumber and a 4x8 sheet of plywood wouldn't cost that much... or am I being to optimistic? :lol:

 

[Maclin]

Right now your brain is in a very optimistic self-protection mode, also called CIJ Syndrome, (Can't I Just). Short to Medium answer to most of those questions is: More than likely not and be any kind of safe for family

 

[tpenfield]

Usually the moisture and rot goes a lot further than the initial indications. So, the prospects for an easier fix are dim.

 

[BMK10]

Right now your brain is in a very optimistic self-protection mode, also called CIJ Syndrome, (Can't I Just). Short to Medium answer to most of those questions is: More than likely not and be any kind of safe for family

Hahaha I must have a severe case of it then... But yea now that you mentioned the whole safety thing I'd rather not cob job this, having the boat sink on me with some friends would be a rough day.

 

[BMK10]

Usually the moisture and rot goes a lot further than the initial indications. So, the prospects for an easier fix are dim.

Yea I think I already knew the answer to my question.
I never answered you before, I don't have that much money invested into the boat anyways. I only paid $1400 for it. Probably was close to $2k after a fuel pump and a couple other little things. I got 2 great seasons out of it so even if I parted it out and got some of my cash back I guess it wasn't a complete loss.

On a side note, say I do decide to repair it are there any write ups on this forum about how to do stringers and what not? I've tried googling but I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by all the various boats and styles.

 

[nola mike]

Go to the restoration forums here, more info than you'll know what to do with. I got lucky with "just" a rotted floor, and it was a huge effort to replace. Stringers take a good bit more work, and then there's your transom...Unless you're in love with the boat for some particular reason, you're much better off moving on.