1969 Silverline Deville Repair

[garretj]

Hi all-

So hopefully this is the first post of many in this thread, I hope I can accomplish what I am setting out to do. Earlier this summer I bought a 16ft '69 Silverline Deville off the side of the road for $500. It has an 90hp '83 Merc tower of power on it, which has some troubles that I had questions about in a post on this summer as well. I am a first time boat owner, and by looking at the exterior I thought the boat was in very good shape. I used it all summer long for fishing and leisure, and besides the motor everything was fairly good. The carpet job the PO did was terrible, and the seats were pretty loose and somewhat flimsy, but that didn't bother me too much. I figured I would rip out the seats and the carpet and just redo them. Of course, when I was able to just pull the seats up from the floor (screws and all) I new then the floor was not in good shape. Without thinking too much ahead, I started ripping most everything out. Now I am down to the stringers and boy are they rotten. I am at the point of no return now, so I think I will be trying to repair the floor myself (with help from my dad who is much better at these sort of things but doesn't have a ton of experience with boats/fiberglass). I am trying to keep this as inexpensive as possible, but if I do have to put considerable money into it I want to do it right so I can get out of it what I put in (even if it is just years of enjoyment).

I was just planning on replacing the stringers, however I know everyone here will say my transom is bad too. I am not up for taking the bumpers and cap off I don't think, so is there a way to access the transom by not doing that (cutting splash well maybe)? Also, in terms of the glass and resin I'll be needing (and any other supplies), where is the best place to buy these materials?

I know I likely have a long journey ahead of me, being my first time and all, and I'll admit I have tried to scheme up every way possible to not have to get too involved with this, but I've ran out of ideas (sistering rotten stringers with trex decking was probably the worst one?) Anyway, any suggestion/answers/words of encouragement are what I am looking for. Tomorrow I'll send pictures of what the floor looks like now.

Thanks.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

:welcome: to the drydock!

but if I do have to put considerable money into it I want to do it right so I can get out of it what I put in (even if it is just years of enjoyment)

Come on stick to your words, what's the point of doing the stringers and floor just to leave a rotten transom? LOL just ribbin ya but ya know I'm right.

Honestly decapping that boat shouldn't be that hard. Worst part most likely will be finding help to lift the cap and some place to store it.

 

[garretj]

Thanks for the encouragement. Neither the help nor storage is really an issue, I have just heard that some projects get completed without removing the cap, and it just seemed like an added step that could hopefully be avoided. But again I am new to all of this so if it's something standard that everyone thinks I should do then I will likely do it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Welcome to iBoats! Sorry but... pretty sure you're gunna have to either pop the cap or cut the splashwell and do the transom too!!! Boats of this vintage and condition usually need to have a total restore. I'm sure once you do the proper investigation you'll discover this to be the case. Depending on where you're located will determine the best place to purchase your materials. There are not that many Resin distributors sooo let us know where you are and we'll get you hooked up with the closest one. Typically you can assume your costs will be in the $1.5 to $2K range to do a total restoration. Maybe a bit less since it appears your seats are in decent condition. If your motor is in good running condition and the trailer is OK too then you might get by for around $1,000 bucks or less. Keep posting pics and questions and we'll help you all we can.

These two links should help get you started...

Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms

 

[garretj]

Thank you very much for all of that info. I'm on the west side of Michigan (Kalamazoo)..Again I'll be working on the demo of the rest of the boat tomorrow so I will send pictures of what I am seeing.

 

[garretj]

Became super busy through the winter and didn't get a chance to work on the boat at all. Two weeks ago I began work again. Trying to rush things and keep it cheap make for somewhat shotty work, but I'm not heavily invested in the boat and want to keep it that way for now. I spent a total of $250 on materials. including composite for the stringers (trex), adhesive for the stringers, plywood for the deck, and carpet/glue. I cut stringers and have those setting in adhesive now with the plywood decking and a bunch of weight on it to allow it to set up as best as possible. I also adhered and screwed in four 'cross members' accross the stringers, for both added support and something to screw the deck into. I will be screwing in the two sheets of plywood for the deck this weekend, and hopefully gluing the carpet. I have a couple of questions for both of these tasks: 1) In the pictures I have outlined in red where the new deck will sit. Where the plywood does not sit flush against the 'lip' of fiberglass, is there some kind of filler I can use to make sure I have a level surface to adhere the carpet too all the way accross? I'll update with pictures of the cut out deck placed on the stringers so you can get a better idea of what I am talking about. 2) When I go to carpet the deck, I would like to carpet all the way up the sides and front underneath the dash. The cuts will get a little complex, so I am wondering if anyone has some tips on doing this most efficiently. Thanks for any help, I know I skated the hard work by doing it this way, but I'm just hoping to have a boat I can cruise around in for a few summers anyway.