1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

[ezmobee]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

That came out really really nice. Great work! The only nitpick I can see (and I only nitpick really nice builds) is the visible raggity edge on the front and rear of your carpet. I'd think about adding some small aluminum angle where it means the glass in those spots. It would really dress it up and keep it from fraying. Good luck with your splash.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

That came out really really nice. Great work! The only nitpick I can see (and I only nitpick really nice builds) is the visible raggity edge on the front and rear of your carpet. I'd think about adding some small aluminum angle where it means the glass in those spots. It would really dress it up and keep it from fraying. Good luck with your splash.

I need to go back and trim those spots. I think that will help a lot. The lesson I learned from the carpet is that it is not a good idea to install it at 1am after working on the boat for 16 hours straight! I laid the main floor carpet crooked and there is a tiny spot along the back edge that has no carpet at all. Couldn't see it until it was too late. Being tired and the shadows didn't help.

The boat runs well and floats but there are still some small things left.
Redo the plumbing for the bait tank. (requires pulling the gas tank back out)
Trim, fuel, and tach gauges are not working.
Install flex trim around the consoles and in the compartments.
Install the LEDs around the perimeter of the boat under the rub rail.
Redo the bilge pump and switch.
Finish some other small electrical projects such as adding 12 volt power sockets for charging cellphones.
Finish installing and hiding the wires for the lights on the boat trailer.
Install the hinges on the remaining compartments.
Install the rear pedestal seat bracket.

 

[glnbnz]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

That is some sweet action you have there.

I see you have a list of things to do...writing it down I have found is very important because if you are like me you will lay awake nights thinking and trying to keep all of those things straight in your head :facepalm:

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

I took the boat out again last weekend and spent the night on the lake. I knocked a few items off my to do list before getting out and have to add at least one more. I redid the bilge pump and automatic float switch, which as a good thing as the two bolts for the motor that are below the water line had a steady trickle of water. The automatic bilge worked great and kicked on every 30 minutes or so to pump the water out.

Still to do
Trim, fuel, and tach gauges are not working.
Install flex trim around the compartments.
Install the LEDs around the perimeter of the boat under the rub rail.
Finish some other small electrical projects such as adding 12 volt power sockets for charging cellphones.
Finish installing and hiding the wires for the lights on the boat trailer.
Install the hinges on the remaining compartments.
Install the rear pedestal seat bracket.
Remove, calk, and reinstall motor mount bolts.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Most of my to-do list is still there with several of the items half way done. I did manage to get the motor bolts sealed. I have the LEDs around the outside of the boat installed and they were working properly until I made the permanent connections in the boat. Then only the green LEDs would work right. So I have a lot of troubleshooting to do to figure out what happened. I took the boat out last night. The combination of the green glow around the boat and the lights flashing to the music inside was surreal. The green lights outside instantly attracted all sorts of minnows to the boat. This will have some added benefits for night fishing. Here are some pictures and a video.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

 

[Stanley.Wilson]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

I just read your post from start to finish. This was really informative since I have the same hull with my dyna trak. Me and my son will be starting to fully rebuild it soon as a father and son project. Just a few questions here though. Did you have to put your carpet on before or after you put the top and bottom back together? I was thinking I would have to install carpet before I put the cap back on. Why did you use plywood for the stringers? I know I will rerplace ours even if just for good measures but i was thinking along the lines of 1x4's or 1x6's. Is there a reason why I should use the ply wood? Who can I order the replacment foam from? And I know we're a long way from completion being that we haven't even started but where did you get the rope lights long enough to go all the way around your outside rub rail and how did you attach them where they would stay on in the water? They look like they are hid really well in the day light also. I am new to this forum and I have been reading alot. You post was pretty much step by step and I will be using it alot with my build. I sure appreciate you updateing as much as you did. You have a great looking boat.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Welcome to the board. I'm honored my thread got your first post. Thanks for the compliments. This forum is the right place to come for boat rebuild information. Most of the things I did with my boat I learned how to do in other threads here.

There is a user by the name OOPS that has a ton of information. If you want a very long and detailed boat rebuild check out his thread at http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=234392.

Plywood was used for the stringers because it is stronger than a 1 by. Plus my stringers were about 12 inches high in the middle of the boat and close to 14 feet long.

The fiberglass, resin, and foam all came from US Composites. http://www.uscomposites.com/ They were the cheapest by far and had everything I needed. Their shipping isn't cheap, so make sure you order extra when you place your order. Their resin is great to work with. I ran out at the end and had to use whatever Lowes carries. It dries way too fast and is too thick.

The last thing I put in my boat was the carpet. I did this because I didn't want any fiberglass dust in the carpet. That would not be pleasant to lay on.

As for the rubrail and lights, that setup was planned from the start. I made the decision to replace my rubrail, it was an old aluminum one with a rubber insert, with a new solid vinyl with flexible insert. Pretty much any rub rail you get will be made by TACO. http://tacomarine.com/cat--Rub-Rail--rubrail.html

I went with the V11-3447. As you can see in the picture below the bottom side of the rub rail is flat and almost an inch across. That's why the lights seem hidden. They are glued to the bottom side of the rub rail right next to the boat. I used an Outdoor Adhesive. I'm not sure how well it works yet. It did hold the lights on going 70mph down the interstate and through waves but it is too soon to tell how durable it is.

The lights are just LED strip lights. They come in a 5 meter, which is about 16 foot role. I have a 90 degree bend which required a splice and then had to splie 6 feet from another roll to get the lights to go all the way down one side. The splices are giving me fits right now. They aren't working right and I may have to pull the lights off and start over. They are controlled by a music control which runs into an amplifier to provide enough power to run all the lights. The prices are dropping fast and the items are becoming more available.

This is the type of LED strip light that you want. http://www.amazon.com/300LEDs-multi-color-Waterproof-Flexible-Controller/dp/B0050X1NUS/ref=pd_cp_e_0 You need to make sure the specs are 5050 SMD, 300 LEDs total, which is 60 per meter, waterproof which is also denoted at IP-65, IP-66, IP-67, IP-68. IP-65 is good enough for the rub rail, IP-68 can be submerged something like 5 meters. Half the listings are for 150 LEDs instead of 300, meaning you only get half the brightness. You have to read the specs very carefully.

This is the music controller that I have http://www.amazon.com/Remote-Contro...3571&sr=8-2&keywords=rgb+led+music+controller

I think I answered all the questions you listed. If not just ask.

 

[Stanley.Wilson]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Ok now I understand the use of the plywood for the stringers. Think I would have been shocked when I got the deck up. Thank you for all the info. Now how much foam should I order. My boat is 18 feet, I think yours was too. I went to the site you sent me to and it said 2 pound was for below the deck. It says using the 2 pound it covers 8 cubic feet. I think 1 should be enough but I may be wrong.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

I used the 2 pound foam. From looking at the site I must have ordered the 80 pound kit. the base came in a 5 gallon bucket. When I pulled up the floor I took approximate stringer height and distance measurements. That was enough to get a general calculation of the area.

My boat is 19 1/2 feet long. The stingers run just over 14 feet long. The middle stringers were around 12 inches tall and at least a food away from the next stringer. That right that gives you 1x1x14 or 14 cubic feet just for one gap. The other side is the same size so that is 28 cubic feet. The other stringers are much shorter and the hull steps up a lot, so I just did a square calculation based on the height of the taller stringer and cut the number in half to get it close.

I installed my foam a little different than most people. The biggest problem is a wooden floor is that it can rot. Drilling a dozen holes in the floor to pour in foam would create a dozen potential openings for water to get in and rot the floor. So I poured the foam first, cut it to shape, and put a solid floor in with no holes...other than the screws that hold the seats in place.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Hello swire,

All of your hard work has paid off in one sweet lookin ride...Congratulations, man, you done good...Love the LED's

All the Best and Happy Boating!

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Ran the boat for 5 days straight July 4th through the weekend. Sunday morning after going back and getting all my catfish jugs the main motor would not start. Turned over strong, sounded good, and gas could be smelled. Ended up using the trolling motor to get me back to the dock. I've run through all the diagnostics and everything is pointing to a bad stator. I have a new one ordered and hopefully that will fix the problem.

I have a VSR on the boat to charge my house battery while running. The VRS was acting up days before I got stranded and something fried my fish finder. If I had to guess the stator was going bad and the additional electrical load I put on it was just too much. If that is the case I'm not sure if that means I will be burning them out constantly.

Still have a to do list of little items but over all everything is working well.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Got the boat motor running. It was a bad stator. It fires up the instant you start to move the key. Last week it was taking a long time to start and then stay running, so apparently those are signs of a stator going bad.

Now the big question is, did the stator just wear out on its own or did all my electronics and VSR overload it and cause it to fail? If anyone has some insight please chime in. The stator is only rated for 16 amps. I really do not want to end up stranded out on the lake again.

 

[KennyH47]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

I enjoyed reading your rebuild thread, I recently purchased a project Cheetah 166, I will reference this thread many times before I get done with mine. Thanks.

 

[Greg Mrozinski]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Swire,

I just caught up on your work. The boat looks really sharp. It turned out great. I am glad to hear you are enjoying it. The lights are sick. Very cool. Enjoy it. You deserve it.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

I haven't been out since July 4th weekend. I was planning on going out this weekend but the weather doesn't look like it will cooperate and then as I was running a check on the boat systems I found out the remote for the lights no longer works. That's the second remote that has gone bad. I ordered another one with Saturday delivery from Amazon.com. So hopefully I get that first thing in the morning and the weather clears by the afternoon so I can enjoy the evening and next day on the lake. The lake will be busy with a poker run. I might not have a go-fast boat but I will be one of the few boats with color changing LEDs all the way around.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Update from the weekend. I learned that my floation foam works well. Will update more later and include pictures.

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

I mentioned I learned my floation foam works well. Here is an example of it working.

My date and I were sleeping on the back deck of the boat when this was happening. The cause, the new Johnson Pump bilge pump, model 2140, that I had put in this spring had failed. I know it worked the first 3 days I had the boat out this year. Then at some point the impeller fell off the shaft. WTF!!!! After I recovered my boat I removed the gas tank to get to the pump. As I took the pump off the bottom mounting bracket I saw the impellor just laying there. I am not happy at all about this. It is a design flaw in my opinion, there is nothing in the design to keep the impellor in place on this pump. Even the water pump for my small aquarium has a plastic bracket in the base of the pump to hold the impellor and shaft in place. I pressed the impellor back on the pump and it worked just fine. The Rule pumps that I bought to replace it have the impellor enclosed and there is no way for it to fall off.

From what I can tell the boat had gained water during normal day operations. Then that night I beached the boat on a fairly steep bank which put all the water in the back of the boat. That combined with two of us sleeping back there must have been enough to lower the transom enough that water could start trickling in the boat. A few hours later we woke up with the lake in the boat!

The kicker is insurance probably won't cover the $1,800 recovery and tow bill because they consider a non-working bilge pump a "maintence issue". I've learned that most boat insurance policies are written like this. Thankfull I did my boat rebuild properly and my floatation foam worked as designed. My situation could have been much worse. As for actual damage to the boat I got off pretty easy. The motor stayed above water, although the lower cylinder did get a little bit water in it. I had 2 speakers that were submerged. They still worked afterwards but sounded off. I'm not sure if they will dry out and be fine or if they will have to be replaced. Other than that any electrical connection that was on corroded. That is the extent of the damages.

I am redesigning the bilge system. Instead of a single pump I have bought two 500gph Rule pumps that will be connected to the automatic float switch. I also plan on wiring an LED light to the helm that is activated when the automatic float switch triggers. That will give me a visual indicator that the bilge pump is running. If I would have had this simple addition I would have noticed that my bilge pump was staying on all the time and could have caught the problem before the boat sank. I will also be adding a secondary bilge pump. This pump will be sitting about 4 inches above the bilge. It is a 2,000gph Rule pump. It will be connected to a seperate automatic float switch as well as wired with manual switch. On this float switch I will be wiring in an alarm buzzer that will activate any time the secondary float switch is activated. Worst case scenario this will wake me up from sleeping well before the boat goes below the surface.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

Thanks for sharing floatation's positive attributes, So Sorry that it had to happen...

Couple of questions, if you don't mind...

1- I understand the part about the bilge pump losing the impeller and not doing it's job, but what was the actual cause of the water coming in?

2- was the boat actually floating, while submerged, or was it resting on the bottom?

3- Why on Earth did it cost so much to recover, forgive my ignorance, but couldn't you have just tied a rope to it, bring it closer to shore, then bail it out and recover? What am I missing?? Were you so far away from the shore that this was not possible?

Thanks for sharing,
GT1M

 

[swire]

Re: 1987 Cheetah 196 Fish and Ski Rebuild Project and Pictures

I don't mind answer questions at all.

1. My theory is the combination of water building up inside the boat, beaching on a steep bank, and added weight of 2 people on the back deck lowered the stern enough that water came in through splashwell drain and leaked inside the boat.

2. The boat was floating exactly how you see it in the picture. The back end of the boat was in at least 10 feet of water.

3. Let me add some other pictures that may help explain the costs and how there was nothing else I could do.

Remember how I said I beached on a steep bank. I don't think people realize how steep I am talking about. The only boat you are going to pull on this bank is an inflatable raft. Plus a boat with that much water in it is not moving anywhere.

As to the cost, when there is limited supply of something you are at the mercy of the person. They launched two boats, had the specialized gear, 3 people total, and one was a "diver". All that specialized gear and people are not cheap. They are the only marine recovery service that has boats stations on the 65,000 acre lake. I was expecting a bill anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000.