1974 Grady White Restoration

[Derekxj]

Knowledge is courage in the boat resto game. Keep reading in the forum and watching other folks tear their boats apart and put them back together... after a while you won't be able to stand it any longer and you'll tear into yours whether it needs it or not.

exactly what im trying to make happen!!! She certainly needs it. the deck is so rotted in one part im pretty sure the only thing stopping me from going through it is the
plastic blue crap on the top that the previous owner put on.

 

[Woodonglass]

Uhmmm, If the Deck is as bad as you say, and the transom, from the pics you posted, looks to be in bad shape as well, when you say you plan on using the boat for a while, that has me a bit concerned. Why??? Well a boat generally rots from the bottom up. If the deck has spots that are so bad you can almost fall through then the Stringers and bulkheads are more than likely rotten as well. They ARE the skeleton and Structural BACKBONE of your boat. If they have been compromised (And I highly suspect that they have) then your boat more than likely is NOT SAFE to operate!!!! All the work your doing right now to "Spiff her UP" might be for naught, since you may need to tear her all down and you'll be getting her all nasty again. My best advice to you would be to do some intensive exploratory investigation below deck and on the transom to try and ascertain the condition of the structural integrity of these components before you venture out onto deep water with the boat. SAFETY FIRST!!!

 

[Derekxj]

Uhmmm, If the Deck is as bad as you say, and the transom, from the pics you posted, looks to be in bad shape as well, when you say you plan on using the boat for a while, that has me a bit concerned. Why??? Well a boat generally rots from the bottom up. If the deck has spots that are so bad you can almost fall through then the Stringers and bulkheads are more than likely rotten as well. They ARE the skeleton and Structural BACKBONE of your boat. If they have been compromised (And I highly suspect that they have) then your boat more than likely is NOT SAFE to operate!!!! All the work your doing right now to "Spiff her UP" might be for naught, since you may need to tear her all down and you'll be getting her all nasty again. My best advice to you would be to do some intensive exploratory investigation below deck and on the transom to try and ascertain the condition of the structural integrity of these components before you venture out onto deep water with the boat. SAFETY FIRST!!!

I only plan to use it for a little while as in possibly before the winter to try and enjoy it a little before I tear it down as of now, the boat is kept outside....as thats the only place I have to keep In and wanted to take care of this stuff first as its the easy stuff, compared to everything else. Mostly wiring. Im being sure to use all properly gauged tinned wire and properly built harness with nice waterproof plug and play connectors so that all of this Wil very easily be removed, and then uninstalled. In my current position in life if the engine and electronics ( easy stuff) are no good, then I may not be keeping the boat. If I can get all of that mint, then i can most likely squeeze out the coin for fiberglass and all of that stuff for the rebuild. At this point, im waiting for potential garage space to do the rebuild in over the winter. I appreciate your experience and knowledge and Wil definitely consider your words wisely!!! One question though. How can you tell that the transom looks to be in such poor shape? Theres no cracking at all from stress visible through the gelcoat at all. Just curious. Thanks again for what your saying. I just figured.....it floats, and drives. Whynot do a little fishing. How should I go about Investigating below deck?

 

[jigngrub]

Going back and looking through your pics on p.1 it's not hard to tell your transom is a bloody rotter, and the rot won't be just confined to the transom either. there's a lot of black on the inside of your transom under the splashwell and that's never a good sign. That gnarly mess on the outside isn't good either. It wouldn't be surprising if your transom is mostly mulch... expect it to be bad. The main support you're getting for your motor isn't coming from the transom, it coming from the splashwell structure which is just designed to be part of the support.

With that new motor and the added weight and power, it could be the straw that breaks the camels back.

The bad thing about transoms when they fail is that they don't give any warning and it happens in the blink of an eye, then it's "Oh s**t I hope we can make it back to the dock before we sink"... and most transom failure stories we hear about on the forum are just that "We barely made it back to the dock".

Here's some examples:





You should drill your transom on the inside around the area where the motor bolts up and check the shavings that come off the drill bit. Light colored and dry is good wood, dark and moist/damp/wet is rot.

You may be lucky and be good for the rest of the year on your transom, or it may fail the next time you're out... you never know when the dice are going to come up "snake eyes".

 

[Woodonglass]

Experience is a great teacher. Boats of this vintage with Bad decks and markings on the transom such as yours from the motor mounts and other telltale signs from other discolorations from the outside and inside are telltale signs that are usually indicators that the transom will have issues. Drilling core samples will be the "For sure way to KNOW what's going on in the core. If it were me I wouldn't spend a MINUTE working on SPIFFING her up until I KNEW the condition of her BONES and IF I was going to commit to Bringing her back to life. I just don't see the Point!!!:crazy:

 

[Derekxj]

Duly noted gents. I guess I better just plan on calling this season a wash then. This brings me to two big concerns I keep coming back to. A. Do I need to take the top half....cabin and all off this thing??? Its bound to weigh a metric ton. B. Where do I make cuts to access the inside of the transom?????? C. If I cut the entire deck out ( up to the drop for the cabin, where the heck am I going to walk/ sit / stand in this thing? D. When I cut the floor out and possibly transom......wont the entire hull flex on me? Its on a trailer and Has to stay there for mobility. E. The deck currently has two small hatches. Can I remove them to inspect conditions under the floor? Do I just drill a small hole thru the side of a stringer? F. May as well start acquiring some materials week by week and store away to make the financial Bashing a bit less harsh before rebuild. Any tips on what I could start buying that ill definitally need?

 

[Raddoxx]

Check out this video on FriscoJarretts boat restoration on Youtube! Good luck with the restore!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kopF4muvF0c&index=1&list=PL02C318B574CD948D

 

[Derekxj]

Thanks Raddoxx i've watched his videos and while it gives me a good understanding, the transom in his case is not supporting a very heavy outboard and its a newer boat. i feel like while the principals may be the same, i feel like tearing down a boat thats 40 years old will be a horse of a different color.

 

[jigngrub]

Duly noted gents. I guess I better just plan on calling this season a wash then. This brings me to two big concerns I keep coming back to. A. Do I need to take the top half....cabin and all off this thing??? Its bound to weigh a metric ton. B. Where do I make cuts to access the inside of the transom?????? C. If I cut the entire deck out ( up to the drop for the cabin, where the heck am I going to walk/ sit / stand in this thing? D. When I cut the floor out and possibly transom......wont the entire hull flex on me? Its on a trailer and Has to stay there for mobility. E. The deck currently has two small hatches. Can I remove them to inspect conditions under the floor? Do I just drill a small hole thru the side of a stringer? F. May as well start acquiring some materials week by week and store away to make the financial Bashing a bit less harsh before rebuild. Any tips on what I could start buying that ill definitally need?

Your questions will be best answered by researching and reading in the forum, looking at other people projects and seeing how they do them. When you see how it's done it becomes a lot clearer than having someone explain it to you verbally... but I'll try to explain and then give you the links to some threads you should look at.

A. No you don't need to remove the whole cap,

B.Cutting the transom and splashwell out will be your best bet... and this is where looking at other people threads will help. You get to see where and how they cut and everything will start making more sense.

C. You'll be able to walk inside the boat on the hull.

D. You don't have to cut and gut everything all at one time, but most people do. You'll redo the transom first and this will add back a lot of strength. Then the stringers, and then the deck on top of that.
You can leave your boat on the trailer and you'll need to add extra support to the hull by bracing it up underneath the boat on the outside with some lumber... again, you'll see how this is done when you look at the other restorations.

E. Look and sample inside under the hull anywhere you can, you won't have to look far to find the rot in that boat. I suggest cutting your decking out 2 or 3' in front of your transom and removing the decking back to the transom, this should tell you everything you need to know about the condition of your boat and will more than likely be the most rotten spot on your boat.

Here's a good thread to start with, it has all of the chatter cut out of it and just deals with the facts:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...nature-deck-and-stringer-restoration?t=510077
You can see how Frisco doesn't remove the cap and just cuts away the parts of the boat he needs to get the work in.

Here's a bigger boat, and even though it isn't on a trailer the outside support on the bottom of the hull is basically the same as what you'll want to do to the parts of your boat that aren't supported by the trailer. This guy also cuts his boat up pretty good so you can see how the cutting and putting back together goes:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...l-repair/595281-finnish-fishing-boat-overhaul

Here's another good one, this old fart and his son are making some good progress on this boat when they aren't goofing off in one of their other boats:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...0-1981-bayliner-victoria-2750-restore-or-bust

There are lots more threads to look at too, and just because they may not be the same exact type of boat as yours doesn't mean you can't learn something from watching what other folks are doing to their boat that's different from yours.

Reading studying the forum before you start your project will help you know what to do before you have to do it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Admittedly the construction of a Grady White, a particularly your boat, makes it a bit more challenging than some of the basic "Pop the Top" and rip everything out restorations we see. I know you think your boat is a big boat but in reality it is not. It will be a challenge to get access to the transom. The great thing about Fiberglass that anything you cut, can be easily restored and made to look new again. This WILL be a major undertaking with a LOT of Man Hours and several thousand dollars out of pocket. However if you decide to restore her, she'll be Better than New and will last for 40+ years with proper care and maintenance and be extremely seaworthy. And, There's the PRIDE FACTOR to consider!!!

 

[Derekxj]

Your questions will be best answered by researching and reading in the forum, looking at other people projects and seeing how they do them. When you see how it's done it becomes a lot clearer than having someone explain it to you verbally... but I'll try to explain and then give you the links to some threads you should look at.

A. No you don't need to remove the whole cap,

B.Cutting the transom and splashwell out will be your best bet... and this is where looking at other people threads will help. You get to see where and how they cut and everything will start making more sense.

C. You'll be able to walk inside the boat on the hull.

D. You don't have to cut and gut everything all at one time, but most people do. You'll redo the transom first and this will add back a lot of strength. Then the stringers, and then the deck on top of that.
You can leave your boat on the trailer and you'll need to add extra support to the hull by bracing it up underneath the boat on the outside with some lumber... again, you'll see how this is done when you look at the other restorations.

E. Look and sample inside under the hull anywhere you can, you won't have to look far to find the rot in that boat. I suggest cutting your decking out 2 or 3' in front of your transom and removing the decking back to the transom, this should tell you everything you need to know about the condition of your boat and will more than likely be the most rotten spot on your boat.

Here's a good thread to start with, it has all of the chatter cut out of it and just deals with the facts:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...nature-deck-and-stringer-restoration?t=510077
You can see how Frisco doesn't remove the cap and just cuts away the parts of the boat he needs to get the work in.

Here's a bigger boat, and even though it isn't on a trailer the outside support on the bottom of the hull is basically the same as what you'll want to do to the parts of your boat that aren't supported by the trailer. This guy also cuts his boat up pretty good so you can see how the cutting and putting back together goes:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...l-repair/595281-finnish-fishing-boat-overhaul

Here's another good one, this old fart and his son are making some good progress on this boat when they aren't goofing off in one of their other boats:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...0-1981-bayliner-victoria-2750-restore-or-bust

There are lots more threads to look at too, and just because they may not be the same exact type of boat as yours doesn't mean you can't learn something from watching what other folks are doing to their boat that's different from yours.

Reading studying the forum before you start your project will help you know what to do before you have to do it.

Cant thank you enough for all of this info, links to good info, etc.
So it sounds like i should REALLY get a better trailer under my boat first. Mine is almost shot. Roller arms dont pivot side to side, its just a bad situation and not supporting the boat to my liking. So even just taking the floor and stringers out the whole boat will need to be braced from underneath and all around..........interesting.

Would i then, be very ill advised to transport the boat or move it midst rebuild process? or after the demolition has begun?

 

[Woodonglass]

You Won't be able to rebuild the boat on that "Roller Trailer" without some extensive modifications. You'll need to build some wooden Padded "Bunks" to support the hull during the rebuild. There's some pic examples on other threads here on the forum if you search. I'll try and dig em up too. Since you prolly won't be decapitating the boat you'r hull flex will be minimized but the rollers can/will deform the hull once the stringers/foam have been removed if you don't have proper support. It might be advisable to just build a cradle and move the boat to it for the rebuild. that what a lot of the guys do.

 

[Derekxj]

You Won't be able to rebuild the boat on that "Roller Trailer" without some extensive modifications. You'll need to build some wooden Padded "Bunks" to support the hull during the rebuild. There's some pic examples on other threads here on the forum if you search. I'll try and dig em up too. Since you prolly won't be decapitating the boat you'r hull flex will be minimized but the rollers can/will deform the hull once the stringers/foam have been removed if you don't have proper support. It might be advisable to just build a cradle and move the boat to it for the rebuild. that what a lot of the guys do.

This stinks in a way......Unfortunately due to my current situation, and not owning my own house / property, the boat really needs to stay on the trailer. Heck, i don't even have a flat driveway! This is kind of concerning me to hear. It sounds like i'll need hundreds of dollars in wood to properly brace this thing. A cradle....ooof.

I wish i had a piece of land or yard to keep this thing on with a tent over it. unfortunately it will be in a driveway. with a tarp.

 

[Derekxj]

Admittedly the construction of a Grady White, a particularly your boat, makes it a bit more challenging than some of the basic "Pop the Top" and rip everything out restorations we see. I know you think your boat is a big boat but in reality it is not. It will be a challenge to get access to the transom. The great thing about Fiberglass that anything you cut, can be easily restored and made to look new again. This WILL be a major undertaking with a LOT of Man Hours and several thousand dollars out of pocket. However if you decide to restore her, she'll be Better than New and will last for 40+ years with proper care and maintenance and be extremely seaworthy. And, There's the PRIDE FACTOR to consider!!!

Thanks for all the pep talk! I could imagine, that if i cut the whole splashwell and that entire piece off, accessing the transom shouldnt be TOO bad. should it?

 

[Derekxj]

So ive been doing alot of reading, I found this photo by "89resorter " rebuilding his old ski boat............... Is this what i need to do to support everything before tearing her apart? if so, this wouldnt be the end of the world i could do something like this fairly easy, im just rather curious if he's actually got the boat sitting OFF of the rollers at all, or if their just high enough so that the boat is resting on them, but not jacking the boat.

 

[89 resorter]

Derekxj, the pic you show of the support structure under my boat was not quite completed at that point and I ended up also placing bunks along the trailer frame to provide a total of 4 bunks. You can see the beginning of the port side bunk at the far left of the picture. Basically, I got them as tight as I could by eye then used shims to tighten them up to the hull. It did not lift the hull from the rollers but it did provide for sufficient support. I recently got done grinding the entire inside of the hull and have not seen (or felt) any flexing so I am considering it a proven design.

Best of luck.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup, that's the idea. Build it so it's nice and tight against the hull, and then maybe drive some wedges under the feet for just a bit more added support!!!

 

[Derekxj]

Derekxj, the pic you show of the support structure under my boat was not quite completed at that point and I ended up also placing bunks along the trailer frame to provide a total of 4 bunks. You can see the beginning of the port side bunk at the far left of the picture. Basically, I got them as tight as I could by eye then used shims to tighten them up to the hull. It did not lift the hull from the rollers but it did provide for sufficient support. I recently got done grinding the entire inside of the hull and have not seen (or felt) any flexing so I am considering it a proven design.

Best of luck.

Thanks alot man. nice work!! Do you have any photo's that show the whole support setup ? This stinks in a way because it sounds like god forbid i need to move the boat to a different location prior to her being completely done.......deck stringers and transom........things are going to get FUBAR'D quite quickly.

 

[jigngrub]

Some people rent a spot at a storage site to work on their boats, people with smaller boats get an inside unit and the bigger boats just get an outside space.

 

[Derekxj]

Some people rent a spot at a storage site to work on their boats, people with smaller boats get an inside unit and the bigger boats just get an outside space.

Yeah i would love to do something like this. Most people that rent private garages here on the island dont want any work being done in their garages. Id imagine they wouldnt care for the eye burning stenches of chemicals and fiberglass emitting from their garage! Outdoor storage is tough here....most places want about 300+ a month and theres no guarantee that your allowed to work! This is a good idea either way. i'll have to keep my eyes and ears open for something maybe.