1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

proshine43

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
161
Hello all. I just bought this 90 galaxy 19' open bow. once i got it home i realized the floor needs to be replaced. How do i support the boat so it keeps its shape when the floor is out? Also I need to replace the floor under the bow seats, how do i get the old floor out without seperating the cap? Once I get the old floor out I plan on sliding the new floor under the bow seats but I cant get that floor out from under the bow walkthrough. Thanks for all your help.
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

In my opinion.....the pain of popping the cap is worth it considering how much easier it makes the deck/stringer/transom job.
 

proshine43

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
161
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

If i have to go that route, how hard and whats involved in pulling off cap.
thanks for any help.
 

njrextreme

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
228
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

You would have to remove the rub rail and look if its screws, staples, or rivits holding the two together. Then either build a hoist or call 5 or six friends to help you lift it off.
 

proshine43

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
161
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

Sounds like im pulling off the cap then. If its riveted do i drill out the tivets? Also is there a sealant between the cap and hull and do ni need to support the hull? Sorry to be a bother, im new to boat restoration and want the satisfaction of doing it myself, plus the wife doesnt want me to spend to much more on this. Thanks again.
 

6meter

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 15, 2010
Messages
525
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

Drill the rivets. No sealant that I've seen. Boat should be in a cradle or on a trailer. Your wife is going to have a problem then. Most decks also need stringers, maybe transoms. DIYers get it done for around $1-$2k. And alot of time.
 

proshine43

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
161
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

It does have stringers, one of them is rotted about 2" down and 4" wide, just a small section. Can i cut out the rotted section and add a piece. The rest is solid. Also can i replace rivets with bolts and nuts. And when i put the cap and hull together i dont need any kind of sealant between the two. Thanks again, you've been a big help
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

Some manufactuers use sealant some don't. If you want, you can use 4200 to seal it back up. I would personally rivet it. Rivets do a great job at pulling things together and then you don't have to worry about it loosening. Quick too. Pop riveters are cheap.

As far as your stringer goes, the issue is that rot is like cancer. You want to get it all out of there.

I know you're probably bummed out but as you will quickly learn, if you do things properly, you can rebuild this boat FAR better than it was when it was new.
 

Kaplooi

Seaman
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
64
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

I rebuilt an '89 Galaxy 190BR last season and found that I didn't need to remove the cap to do the job. This was only because I found that the section of sole supporting the bow area was okay, so I just redid the entire cockpit as well as the center 2 stringers and transom. I did almost the entire job with a Fein Multimaster using the wood/metal cutting saw blade and I'd highly recommend you use the same or something similar. It was the only tool that I found allowed me to grind without burning the glass like a grider as well as allowing you to grind right up against another surface (i.e. grinding right up to the outer edges of the hull to separate the deck from the sides. The hull kept its shape perfectly fine on the trailer with the cap still on, though I did do one stringer at a time out of paranoia.

For removing the transom I found that given the way it was molded it wouldn't have helped any if the cap was off because it stopped short of the cap joint and there was no clearly defined cavity into which the transom 'slotted in'. In fact it's a pretty weak transom stock, and I'd recommend replacing it if you're committing to the work to do the deck and stringers. Mine was actually 3 separate pieces where only the center third was the proper thickness for the transom plate and the two sides were just 1/2" glassed in flush to the center, which sort of pissed me off when I discovered it. Basically that stock transom can't properly transfer the drive thrust into the stringers through the transom wood. I made sure my replacement was a single 1.5" thick piece (well, 2 3/4" pieces joined together) that firmly butted up to both my new stringers.

It's not hard work, but it's a LOT of work. I found material removal to be more tedious and time consuming than installing new material, generally speaking, but that's not to say that measuring, cutting and fitting the new stuff isn't tedious too. Hopefully you don't have to re-do every square inch of vinyl upholstery like I did. That's a separate project in itself :)
 

proshine43

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
161
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

ok so i am in the process of pulling the cap off, man theres alot of rivets to drill out. stood back and noticed a screw sticking out the bottom of the hull, sounds like an easy fix, epoxy and gelcote? Or should I get behind it and refiberglass it and gel coat? Also i want to build a ski locker in the middle of my floor, what should the deminsions be and what about supports? how do you support the hatch and the floor around the hatch? thanks again
 

oops!

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
12,932
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

screws sticking out the hull are not a good thing.

that means the foam is wet.

but you wont know till you get in there....btw....the foam will be dry on top but not on the bottom....

as far as the hole from the screw....once you have the deck off and the foam in the area out...glass it from the inside...then do a standard gellcoat repair.

as far as the ski locker....the dimensions are what ever you want. run gussets from the stringers to the edge of the open hole you can build a flange from underneath or find a used ski locker alum frame.

read the part in the link where i am building a ski locker
 

proshine43

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
161
Re: 1990 19' galaxy floor replacement

Thanks again for your help. That screw wasn't there before, I think when I was innside working on it I stepped on floor pushing screw through hull. I think some moron before I bought it tried repairing it. Which brings me to my next question, do I epoxy or screw the new floor to stringers? 8 know I'll epoxy deck to hull. Also stringers stop about 5 feet from bow, is that allright? They stop right at the gas tank. Thanks again everyone has been a great help
 
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