1992 Astro 17FSX resto...deck/stringers/interior

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Well I took the boat out for one last ride with no floor in it today.

I just wanted to see if there was any water coming in and that the motor was OK.

When I test drove it it had a deck on it so I could not see if any water was leaking in, and it was rainy so we did not run it out too much.

Man the little thing runs like a top. 47mph(on my gps) with me and a buddy in it(that is 441 total pounds of human) and a full tank of gas.

Now it is time to put it back in the garage for tear down!

Let's see how long it takes and if I can get it back on the water this summer.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Not too much to comment on, I ripped up the rest of the patchwork flooring to find more junk and lots of wet foam. I think the boat is going to lose 200 pounds from the water logged wood and foam.

I pulled off the rub rail tonight,(about 130 screws) and it looks like there are just about 50 more screws to take out and that is all that.

Planning on building my engine stand and taking off the outboard this weekend if the wife allows.

Quick question the rub rail is a bit haggard..should I just junk it? I assume there are pretty standard sizes and easily replaced?

 

[Greg Mrozinski]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

****,

Rub rails can be very expensive to buy new. Looks like you have an aluminum one with a vinyl insert. I recommend saving the aluminum pieces, cleaning and polishing them up and reuse them. Then buy new insert material. They will look very good when finished and save you a ton of money.

 

[produceguy]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

You might want to drill into the transom and check for rot. If the stringers are bad and the foam is soaked, I'D almost bet the transom is shot.

you have an i/o motor....(inboard/outoboard) that means the transom is 2 ins thick.........take a drill bit......and place tape around the shaft of the bit at 1 3/4 inches from the tip.
this will give you a depth gauge (crude...but it works....just dont drill up to the tape.....rot will be all thru the wood if its there at all....so dont worry about the last 1/4 inch of wood next to the hull skin)

from the inside of the transom......drill holes up to your tape.....drill one near your garboard drain....and below any place where there is screw in the transom. that means toe hooks.,....speedo.....any place someone has drilled onto the transom....take a core sample from under that spot..
any hole that you drill....fill and seal with 3m 5200.

now....lets take a look at the wood shavings that come off your drill bit.......are they wet?....did the drill bit just go thru the layer of fiberglass (on the inside of the hull) and then punch thru thin air to the hull? look for coloring of the wood as well as wet. if its rot....it must come out.

This is a qout from oops, don't know why it didn,t show it.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

I have photo's of an Astro like yours if you need to know what the stringers are suppose to look like. There was certainly some patchwork under your deck.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...deck/stringers/interior

The rub rail was all vinyl, no aluminum.

Boat has a merc 115 outboard.

I have not been brave enough to drill into the transom yet but I will check the transom more thoroughly when I pop the top off of it.

I drilled the stringers about 4 inches in front of the transom and they are all dry wood and sawdust.

I cannot see completely until the cap is off, but it looks as if the foam is contained in compartments that run about a foot from each side of the boat along the stringers(or what used to be the stringers) back to a support that runs across the width of the boat(like a sideways stringer..is there a term for this?) that holds up the livewell and gas tank.

This just may have saved the transom, but we will see once I get the cap off.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

I have photo's of an Astro like yours if you need to know what the stringers are suppose to look like. There was certainly some patchwork under your deck.

Please send them I will PM you my email address.

p.s. Thanks to all for the comments and suggestions so far. I would not have undertook this project if I had not seen how helpfull people here are.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Well not much progress. Got my engine stand built and ordered the lifting ring which should be here tomorrow so I will be pulling the motor this weekend.

Now I have to try to fine out where in the heck the cap is secure to the hull up front everything else seems like it is going to come off pretty easily, but up near the front deck/seats it is still solid.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Well not much progress. Got my engine stand built and ordered the lifting ring which should be here tomorrow so I will be pulling the motor this weekend.

Now I have to try to fine out where in the heck the cap is secure to the hull up front everything else seems like it is going to come off pretty easily, but up near the front deck/seats it is still solid.

Look inside the front storage compartments...it will be glassed to the deck there and will have to be cut loose. Also will be glassed along the front of each console (both sides). It will be glassed to the deck also in the back (inside the bilge area behind the center live well.) There will be screws in the caps flange where it meets the deck also and mostly like sealed there. Look it over really well you'll find all the attachment points, most will be under carpet, but I assume you've removed all the carpet by now.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Look inside the front storage compartments...it will be glassed to the deck there and will have to be cut loose. Also will be glassed along the front of each console (both sides). It will be glassed to the deck also in the back (inside the bilge area behind the center live well.) There will be screws in the caps flange where it meets the deck also and mostly like sealed there. Look it over really well you'll find all the attachment points, most will be under carpet, but I assume you've removed all the carpet by now.

Thanks,

I figured in the storage up front is what is left. Those compartments are the only place in the boat that has good carpet left. Go figure.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Thanks,

I figured in the storage up front is what is left. Those compartments are the only place in the boat that has good carpet left. Go figure.

Yep....but all carpet needs to come out, sorry.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

hahah Yeah, it was all going to come out anyway, but I fund it funny.

 

[Greg Mrozinski]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

****,

Post an up-close pic of the rub rail and we can better advise. Probably still available stuff.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Well not too much to report.
Built the motor stand.
Got the motor off on Saturday
Cut pretty much everything I can find and it is still not coming off, will try to post pictures ASAP.

Question about cradling the hull when the cap is off.

I read a thread where someone could not get the cap back on after they glassed in new stringers and bulkheads. Is this typical to see that much flex and movement when the cap is off? Should support the hull more than it is sitting on the trailer?

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Yep you need to support it, to maintain shape. When the deck and stringers are removed the bare hull gets real flimsy.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Yep you need to support it, to maintain shape. When the deck and stringers are removed the bare hull gets real flimsy.

Ok then next step frame it up a bit

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Ok then next step frame it up a bit

Heres a picture of the latest one I made for an Astro...

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Heres a picture of the latest one I made for an Astro...

Looks good, curious though, with the cap off how did you know it has the right shape?

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

It looses shape when the deck and stringers come out. I remove the cap ( nothing else) flip it over and make the cradle, flip it back over into the cradle and go to work. Doesn't hurt to add a few 2 x's for support across the top edge before it's flipped over.

Now as soon as the cap off take a few measurements too and write them down for future reference. Put some tape in a few places across from each other ( port to starboard ) and measure there ( tape is so you know exactly where to check next time). Hope all of that is clear.

 

[DemoDick]

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Re: 1992 Astro 17FSX resto...Complete Newbie here.

Look inside the front storage compartments...it will be glassed to the deck there and will have to be cut loose. Also will be glassed along the front of each console (both sides). It will be glassed to the deck also in the back (inside the bilge area behind the center live well.) There will be screws in the caps flange where it meets the deck also and mostly like sealed there. Look it over really well you'll find all the attachment points, most will be under carpet, but I assume you've removed all the carpet by now.

I know boring posts. I will try to get some pics up soon.

I have not had much time to work on the boat lately, working the real job too much.

I did spend some time today and got the front half of the cap all cut clear of the hull. Thanks Cadwelder for the tips. It is seperated all the way back to the livewell but is now just stuck by the splashwell, so I have to do some prying

Anyone see anything wrong with leaving the cap suspended in the air from the cleats while I re do the hull? My garage ceiling is very high so I rigged up some 4x4s across the joists in the attic to spread the load out more and was going to use 2 comealongs to lift the cap, thinking I may just leave it suspended up there.

I used this system to pull the motor no sweat.