1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

[vcaptain]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Make sure you take plenty of measurements of the top cap and the hull. You must ensure that the hull does not flex during your rebuild. If it does the top cap will not be able to be refitted onto the hull. Very Critical step in the restore!

YES! Drop that cap back on and support your hull. I'd also suggest you brace the cap with some 2x4's running underneath, put the load on the 2x4's not the cap. From my experience ratchet straps are hard to release slowly. I pulled my cap the same way, but when it came to lower it back it wasn't easy. When I lift it again, I'll use the ratchet straps, but then come in with some 2x4's under it rigged to a pulley system so I can lower with control when it comes time to put it back on.

This site has more information than you will ever need, and tons of people willing to offer their time to help you do it right. Good luck! I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

 

[Seasonally.boating.jon]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I didn't know that bright blue would actually look good, but it does. I like how it matches the mercury. I agree with you about the yellow and I would keep the black pin stripe as well. It's a long ways from now to really EVEN think about paint but its cool to dream about it in the mean time.
Simple tip from me: Take many pictures of the old stringers and measure the placements of the stringers and stuff. I took pictures of the old back bones WITH the scale on them. 4 months from now you'll forget what it had in it or atleast I would. Wish you luck DHag.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Simple tip from me: Take many pictures of the old stringers and measure the placements of the stringers and stuff. I took pictures of the old back bones WITH the scale on them. 4 months from now you'll forget what it had in it or atleast I would.

My next post was gonna say that my next step is to measure and measure and measure, then store the layout in a scale drawing, with photos, on my computer, for future reference.

But you beat me to it.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I would rather fix up an old boat than a car.

My other project, picture taken a long while back:



1988 Formula

• 406 small-block, 420 HP, 530 ft-lb.
• Just finished a complete rebuild and lowering of the suspension, and exhaust upgrade.
• Full strip-down and paint job is slated for this spring.

Oh... the important numbers:

• ET 12.6 @ 112 mph
• Top speed 186 mph
• 31 mpg @ 55 mph.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Final pics of how I'm suspending the cap.

4 - 15,000-lb rated ratchet straps connected to the cleats. These are the large yellow straps hooking over the trusses. The cleats are screwed into the fiberglass gunwales with heavy 1/4" screws.

2 - 1500-lb rated ratchet straps wrapped under the cap like a sling. These are the small black/yellow straps that pass under the cap. They are taking up about 1/4 of the weight, taking strain off of the cleats.

Holding by the cleats actually does not seem to flex or bend the cap in any way. When I lifted it off the hull, I stopped lifting just 6 inches up, then inspected it to see that no damage was being done. The outer perimeter of the cap exactly lined up with the outer perimeter of the hull, so this will be a good guide on reassembly. That's my theory, at least. Lots of measuring, too, to be sure it will all fit upon assembly.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Flotation Foam

When I took it apart, I was surprised at how little flotation foam was in this boat. And instead of being injected, it's actually just long strips of foam sort of "taped" in place with fiberglass strips, up under the gunwales.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Here is what I was talking about when I mentioned the floor of the cap being PB'ed to the deck. Whoever did this wasn't even neat about it. Excess stuff pressed out when the two pieces were pressed together. This is the view from the stern end of the deck.



There was no way I could get the cap off without cutting out the floor. Man, that ticks me off!

More evidence of a patched-together crap repair job. What's with these tabs? Like they would help hold the cap to the hull!

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

For lack of any better guide, I scraped off the deck and hull to expose the line of PB connecting deck to hull. I chose to cut along the deck-side edge of this PB seam. Where I could I used a circular saw set to a depth matching the thickness of the deck. Where I was unsure or space was tight, I used a sawzall with a short, stiff "demolition" blade. I could control that blade real well, to keep from going too deep.

The PB is the light brown strip running left to right in this picture. Deck below it. Hull above it.



Here's what I found under the deck. All the dark brown material is rotted plywood, the remains of the deck. The stringers are all thoroughly rotted, and the fiberglass wrapping on them pretty much detached everywhere.

There were also large spaces in the foam where it had simply deteriorated away to nothing. Everywhere else, I could easily press my finger into the foam. And when I pulled my finger out, it was thoroughly wet from water soaked into the foam. There isn't a single bit of foam in the hull that isn't water-logged.



Before I go any further, I'll measure every piece of wood, and the spacing and junctions between them, and get this accurately drawn out to scale so I can reproduce it accurately with new wood.

The boat weights 1050 pounds. The motor 375 pounds. That figures out to a bare minimum of 24 cubic feet of foam needed for flotation. I'll calculate the volume under the deck, then figure out where else I can get foam in, to well exceed that 24 cubic feet. The more the better.

 

[Seasonally.boating.jon]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Sweet ride DHag! Thats comeing from a Ford man. I build Toyota frames by the way.

I made an A-frame and used the hand rails to raise the lid and it was just fine. (No cracking sounds) I set my lid on the trailer for the mean time.

Looks like you have one heck of a birds nest going on with all of those wires.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Flotation Foam

When I took it apart, I was surprised at how little flotation foam was in this boat. And instead of being injected, it's actually just long strips of foam sort of "taped" in place with fiberglass strips, up under the gunwales.

View attachment 131135 View attachment 131136

That's actually more for noise reduction than flotation, it helps reduce vibration noise at the cap/hull joint...it does add to flotation as well but it is like that for a reason

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I have completed the first stage of measurements for the stringers. As a result, I have made this drawing that will make it possible to rebuild them with new lumber. Next measurements will be the widths, which will give me shapes and tell me what size lumber to buy.

 

[jjacobs007]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Thats going to be a sweet champion boat, please don't use the blue carpet again.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

Thats going to be a sweet champion boat, please don't use the blue carpet again.

Uh-oh! Now I have to do a poll on carpet color. Somebody else said they like it.

Sorry. I have to keep the blue. All that carpet is only two seasons old, and I only need to replace the piece on the lower deck. Gotta watch the budget.

Besides, my wife likes the blue, and we have a democratic system in the household. My wife has one vote. I'm head of the household, so I have two votes. Then she has veto power.

"The weaker sex is really the stronger sex, because of the weakness the stronger sex has for the weaker sex."

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

As I'm thinking about measurements, I'm also thinking about foam and flotation. Here's an interesting FAQ entry I found from a company called AeroMarine Products:

Q. How do I know how much foam I need to float my boat?

A. Great question! Get your calculator ready, you will need it. A cubic foot of polyurethane will float about 60 pounds of "dead weight". The wood parts of your boat will probably float, so you don't need flotation foam to offset that weight. The fiberglass parts of your boat will barely sink, so you really don't need much foam to offset the fiberglass- maybe one cubic foot of foam per two hundred pounds (or more) of fiberglass hull. The metal parts of your boat are what you really need to account for. A small (4-6hp) outboard may weigh 45-55 pounds. A 50hp outboard will weigh about 200 pounds.

So a 16 foot fiberglass skiff with a 50 horse outboard will need about six cubic feet of urethane foam to keep it afloat.

So I pulled out my calculator. According to the 1979 Champion Super-V info right here on iBoats.com, this boat weighs 1050 pounds dry and empty, which includes wood, fiberglass, instruments, steering mechanism, etc.

So figuring the fiberglass heavy at 1000 pounds (minus wood, plus instruments, steering, etc.), from the info above that's 1 cubic foot per 200 pounds:

1000 lbs / 200 lbs per cubic foot = 5 cubic feet to float the boat.

The Mercury V-1500 outboard weighs 375 pounds, according to my official Mercury shop manual:

375 lbs / 60 lbs per cubic foot = 6.25 cubic feet to float the motor.

Three batteries @ 50 pounds each; Trolling motor @ 35 pounds; Sundry gear. Round that up to 200 pounds:

200 lbs / 60 lbs per cubic foot = 3.3 cubic feet to float other stuff.

That totals to about 14-1/2 cubic feet of pour-in foam needed for flotation. Less if I use a lighter-density foam like styrofoam block or pool noodles in the non-structural areas. But I won't use less.

I'm not figuring in weight of passengers because Nobody gets in my boat without wearing PFD's!

One thing I noticed when I got the cap up was an almost total lack of flotation foam in the stern. Maybe 2 cubic feet was stuck up in the corners on either side of the transom. No wonder it sank tail down!

So as I reassemble, I will consider first to put at least 7 cubic feet of foam in the stern to support the motor. I'm going to redesign the back well area anyway, to make it much easier to get to wiring and controls. Then I'll balance another 8 cubic feet or more throughout the rest of the hull and cap (including the structural pour-in under the deck).

It won't sink again!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

You might want to check the link in my signature for some helpful recommendations on how to fabricate your Deck, stringers and transom. Your doing a good job on the demo.

www.uscomposites.com is a great resource for your fiberglass supplies.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I think the blue looks good with the yellow!

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

You might want to check the link in my signature for some helpful recommendations on how to fabricate your Deck, stringers and transom.

Good info. I had no idea about spacing between the hull and stringers. I would have just glued them directly to the hull!

I've been pondering a question about stringers, and it looks like you might be one to ask--

KDAT lumber ("Kiln-Dried After Treatment" pressure-treated lumber) will not rot, especially if painted with an oil-base paint. My pole-barn style garage is built on 10 posts of the stuff, set directly in the ground (on concrete bases, of course). Nothing between them and the moist dirt. Those posts will be solid and strong long after I'm gone from this world.

I was wondering if there was any reason one could not use KDAT lumber for the stringers, and NOT enclose them in fiberglass? Just set them in place as your illustration describes-- spaced off of the hull and PB'ed in place.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

it might not rot, but water would still "leech" through them and eventually waterlog your foam again, also the fiberglass tabbing to the hull is what gives your stringers their strength, the glue alone will not do it....basically the core material is nothing more than a form to hold the fiberglass

 

[Seasonally.boating.jon]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

I 2nd what JDA said. From what I've read, the wood is not meant for structural support.
2 votes BLUE with the nice, new, unfaded JD yellow.

 

[DHag]

Re: 1979 Champion Bass Boat - Tear Down and Restoration -- with PICS

it might not rot, but water would still "leech" through them and eventually waterlog your foam again, also the fiberglass tabbing to the hull is what gives your stringers their strength, the glue alone will not do it....basically the core material is nothing more than a form to hold the fiberglass

I 2nd what JDA said. From what I've read, the wood is not meant for structural support.
2 votes BLUE with the nice, new, unfaded JD yellow.

I've been confused about stringers. I thought it was the wood itself that was the strength. Now I read these two posts. So I went searching.

I found a video on YouTube from MAS Epoxies, where they show how to lay out and install stringers in a fiberglass boat, starting with a bare hull. The stringers they use are made of 2-lb polyurethane foam. I looked up the manufacturer of these preformed stringers, and they're just foam covered with fiberglass. The difference between them and wood is that they are wider at the base than at the top. So I looked up and found several outfits that make these foam/glass stringers, and they are all wider at the base than at the top.

Then I found some more posts here on iBoats about foam stringers on various sized fiberglass boats.

So it looks like I could use polyurethane foam for the stringers, wider at the base than at the top. Save a bunch of weight and be just as strong as wood (since the real support for hull and deck is in the glass around the core, not the core itself).

Comments?