First big job 72 MFG

[OHfishing]

I bought this boat 5 years ago, when I bought it I installed new carpet, while installing it I found a soft spot in the floor which I ignored. I got a new outboard and was out the other day in the rain fishing, the floor was soaked and I opened up the outboard and the floor split. Seems a stringer broke. So I took her home and removed the seats / carpet. I found I have my first stringer replacement job. I removed all the floor and foam, the foam was also holding water. I had a total of 7 garbage cans full of wet wood & foam. I removed the stringers (there was nothing left of them) and Im ready to do this job.

 

[Indymike]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Nice looking boat.<br /><br />Welcome to the club.

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

I have to admit Im not to confident about the glassing that must be done

 

[SiggiJo]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Nice job on removing the floor. You have done most the the hard work already! Do a search on this site and you will find abundance of info how to reconstruct the stringers and floor.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Recomended tool's Chalk line & Tape measure and a good eyeball. Not to much is going to be needed........

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Im preparing to purchase the wood for the stringers and bulkheads. I hope I dont mess up the cuts

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Thanks for the encouraging posts guys , I must admit when I was standing over a rotten wet pile of wood that was my floor I was discouraged. Now after I cleaned up the mess and got all the damaged wood & foam out out I am feeling better about the task ahead

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

if you are worrying about wrong cuts. go to an appliance store and get some refrig boxes. cut them up and use to make a template to cut the wood. cardboard is a lot cheaper than wood.

 

[SiggiJo]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Cardboard templates are a good idea. I used them myself when I was doing some structural floor work on my boat. You will also have to decide on if you are going to re-foam. People have very different ideas on that subject - again, do a search and you will find a lot of good info on this site. <br />My own view is that all foam will get wet eventually (even the closed cell one) I don´t have foam in my boat, but beefed up the bilge pump capacity considerably and taking all other possible safety mesures in case of worst scenario.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

it will be worth, all the work. there is no greater pleasure than, just sitting at the dock, in a classic with the engine idleing like a well oiled machine, while the guys with those big monthly payments, sit and grind the starters trying to get theirs started. take you time and do it right. while you are this far check the transom, as it looks like your worst damage is in the stern.. use a rubber mallot, and tap all over the transom in a pattern. you will be able to tell from the sound where there is a difference.

 

[SiggiJo]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

What tashasdayy said - was going to remind you to check the transom - if the stringers failed when you opened her up, you may have some transom movement and that´s bad news. You will also find a bunch of info on rewiring on this site - sometimes it´s cleaner and esasier to rewire from scratch rather than fix up old wiring...

 

[Mark42]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Great looking classic! Is it a MFG Caprice? You did a fantastic job on cleaning up the rotten stringer mess. <br /><br />Regarding the transom, one sure way to see the condition of the transom is to take a 1/4 drill bit, put tape on it at 1". Then drill holes from the inside and inspect the wood that comes out. If all is well, just fill in the holes with some epoxy.<br /><br />MFG's didn't come with that bow rail as OEM, it was probably a dealer add on. Nice upgrade.<br /><br />Good luck with the stringers, like other members said, you came to the right place for how-to advice.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

You'll enjoy the rebuilding part much more than the tear-down part. Good luck....

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

It's a 1972 mfg sprint , close to the caprice but a little different. I found the old catalog ad and caprice / sprint share a page

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

sorry double post

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

The transom was inspected by a professional when 2 outboards were installed, a 75 merc and an evinrude 9.9 kicker. He said the transom is as solid as a stone wall. I am happy with the construction of the boat, but disappointed in the stringer rot. I guess thats the previous owners fault and not MFG. But I did find something disturbing, at the back of the boat in the "bilge" well, there were 3 drain holes, all 3 of them were plugged with a small nipple like black plug, completly blocking the drain holes so the water had nowhere to escape, while removing the stringer system I got to the well and began to tear it down. I saw the plugs and thought ????? WHAT THE???? A friend says possibly they were inserted wjile the foam was being squirted in, and someone forgot to remove them. Anyway I find it strange that the holes that are for draining water are plugged. I now often wonder if thats the reason I have this job today. The boat is a 72, Im a 73 myself.

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Today I took some more baby steps. I grinded away all of the stuff that will get in my way when im sanding. I removed all the old mat that was protruding from the floor where the old stringers were seated.(Just a good clean up) I started at the bow and worked my way back removing alot of garbage. Then I rinsed out all the dust with the hose and cleaned the hull. Now (i think) Im ready to build the bulkheads and stringers and prepare to sand & glass (or try to) I had no old stringers to work with as far as temlates go they were to far rotted. So Im kinda on my own and will have to get the cuts right and work with them. The cardboard template idea is something to think about.....since I have ni idea what Im doing yet I will take baby steps...and I think my next step is getting the wood cut & fit?

 

[SiggiJo]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Well - this is the fun bit with old boats - you never know what your´re gonna find. Just pitty the guys who have to buy new boats - no surprises!<br /><br />Unless you want to do some layout changes, just follow the original pattern - but with a clean template like this, it´s always tempting to experiment. Where are your fuel tanks and battery(ies) located now? What kind of seating do you have? I had to do the floor in my boat and install new back-to-back seats, and I discovered I had just enough space for a couple of Tempo fuel tanks and batteries under the seats. All battery cables and fuel hoses are under the floor so it ended up being a real neat installation and with the weight of the fuel and batteries very close to the boat´s center of gravity. <br /><br />I installed fuel quantity transmitters in the tanks, a remote controlled solenoid selector switch and dual gauges in the dashboard. Proper battery selector switch for the two batteries, and although my boat is smaller than yours, I have enough redundancy to give me some peace of mind when I´m out there. Don´t mean to complicate the issue, it´s just that you are in the enviable position to have a clean sheet of boat to work with... Let your imagination roll.<br /><br />As far as the glassing work, again - do a search on this site and you will find the info for materials and methods needed.<br />Good luck.

 

[OHfishing]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Sir my 2 batteries are under the transom out of sight and by gas tanks are under the seats. Pretty much I am just looking to build it the same way it was built. One thing I plan to do is mount my bilge pumps in a more efficent location, something I couldnt do before

 

[Realgun]

Re: First big job 72 MFG

Take a string and tape it to one side at the same height as the floor bottow was. Then tape it the the other side. Take a tape measure and every 6 inces measure from string to floor to get a good estimate of the height of the stringer in that area. Hope this helps.