1993 Chaparral Gemini 190: Chronicles of a New Boat Owner (Deck Rebuild) [SPLASHED June 2018]

[bpounds1991]

This is how much has been dripping out since I first posted about it earlier.

 

[Woodonglass]

That SUCKS about the fuel leak but Congrats on the Splash..You deserve one of these...

 

[bpounds1991]

LOL thanks WOG, I changed the pan to a bucket and when I went back out to look a couple hours ago the dripping had stopped. I know for a fact there was 25 gallons in that tank as of yesterday, so at this point we’re looking at about a half gallon that has drained. Still not sold that I won’t have to be removing part of the deck again...

 

[kcassells]

Ohh man sorry to hear about the fuel issue! Maybe trailer the boat around making the fuel slosh and see if anymore shows up.
Alternatively when the tanks gets emptied try an air test @ 2 lbs. That will definitively tell you good or bad news and hopefully only a gasket/hose connection.
Good Luck!

 

[bpounds1991]

It’s alright, spent this much already why not blow some more cash LOL. The dripping stopped last night but picked back up this morning, and I made a call to the restoration place that recapped the boat. They told me to check about 8 different things before bringing in (as an absolute last resort), and they would cut it out to install a new one. Cost would be 500$ plus the tank.

 

[oldrem]

Ouch that has to hurt. I feel for you.

 

[bpounds1991]

Dropped her off at the restoration place this afternoon. Spent 2 hours getting all the fuel out of it, and the owner said he'd have it done by the end of tomorrow hopefully.

 

[ACon977]

Sad to hear that you weren't able to figure it out, but glad that that guy feels confident enough to do it for ya! 500 and a boat that works is definitely worth it

 

[bpounds1991]

Thanks ACon977 , honestly my wife and I have spoken and the relief of knowing it's done with no issues is worth the cost over wondering every time we take it out we'll be a 26 gallon fuel bomb.

 

[ACon977]

100% agree with you. On mine Im spending a lot more time than I thought just staring at my stringers thinking of every way the engine could come detached and ruin the boat. Probably won't happen, but would be not worth the restore if it doesn't work at the end of the day.

 

[bpounds1991]

The most frustrating part is I probably could've removed the engine, redone the transom, and let them do the rest and saved myself a lot more time/money. The restoration place told me to remove a motor alone costs around 500$ (labor 100$/hour), and to redo the transom costs around 1,000$. Had I taken it to them after redoing those parts or even skipping doing the transom altogether I would still have probably broken even, after taking it back to them to recap and now do the gas tank. It is what it is though, I learned a ton along the way and wanted to tackle this on my own.

 

[ACon977]

Lol frustration is fun sometimes, I've had a few parts that I was just fed up and ready to throw in the towel. but by the next day the excitement was back and its fun to learn something thats so specific to boats. Plus now you know the boat, literally, inside and out.

I see what you're saying about money, but you cant buy experience!

 

[bpounds1991]

That's the only reason my wife doesn't want to murder me at the moment LOL, strictly experience and doing it myself.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

It’ll be interesting to see where it was leaking from.....

 

[tpenfield]

Now what if the tank has to be replaced . . . wouldn't that be more than $500 ???

 

[bpounds1991]

Baylinerchuck the owner called me back yesterday afternoon. They got the deck off completely around the tank in a nice square for me (at least I hope it didn't interfere with the seat bases) in a little under 2 hours. Due to the hoses being so close under the deck, he accidentally sliced the fill hose so he said he'd make a coupling and just fix it that way. As far as leaks go, no penetrations from screws on the top and no leaks around any of the gaskets so it has to be a cracked tank. He said they'd get it out Monday and order the replacement tank, which'll be around $225-$275. Total cost should be that plus 5-6 hours in labor. The tank was extremely snug in the compartment after we installed the rubber strips, although I was able to stomp a couple times in the corner and it wedged right in, but I'm thinking I just didn't allow enough room for expansion.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Baylinerchuck the owner called me back yesterday afternoon. They got the deck off completely around the tank in a nice square for me (at least I hope it didn't interfere with the seat bases) in a little under 2 hours. Due to the hoses being so close under the deck, he accidentally sliced the fill hose so he said he'd make a coupling and just fix it that way. As far as leaks go, no penetrations from screws on the top and no leaks around any of the gaskets so it has to be a cracked tank. He said they'd get it out Monday and order the replacement tank, which'll be around $225-$275. Total cost should be that plus 5-6 hours in labor. The tank was extremely snug in the compartment after we installed the rubber strips, although I was able to stomp a couple times in the corner and it wedged right in, but I'm thinking I just didn't allow enough room for expansion.

If it were me, I’d just have him replace the fill hose, too. A coupler is just one other thing that might fail or leak.

 

[bpounds1991]

Just got a call back, a very small hole in the back of the tank from a screw... costly mistake. He's looking into tanks now to replace and will call me back soon.

 

[tpenfield]

Just got a call back, a very small hole in the back of the tank from a screw... costly mistake. He's looking into tanks now to replace and will call me back soon.

Do you think the screw was there before the tank installation as part of your rebuild, or was it done after the tank installation when securing cabling/hoses, etc.

Hopefully the screw is now removed?

 

[bpounds1991]

The screws were used for the hinges on the back row seating above deck, just 4 of them over the tank but the clearance in that section was a lot less than I originally thought. Screws were removed yes lol along with the row seating for them to cut the deck out.