AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

[deerslayer303]

Well as you may know I bought a 21' Grady White Walk Around for 800.00 bucks with a tandem axel Galvanized Continental Trailer (2005 model) for 800 bucks. Well I checked the boat over the best I knew how when I bought it, I knocked around on the transom and as many stringers and engine mounts as I could see, everything felt solid. Well today I was working on the engine and outdrive some more (mercruiser 470). Well while I was removing the heat exchanger for cleaning I had my foot pressed up against the inside of the transom and something didn't feel right, YEP you guessed it that transom is soft REAL soft on the inside, The inner layer of fiberglass is separated at the top so I could reach down in the middle and pull out POWDERED PLYWOOD. Man my hear sank to my feet. Because I was just about ready to go try it out at the lake, the darn engine is running like a sewing machine, the outdrive is in fantastic shape, minus the bellows (I Drive). So as it stands right now I have 1,553.00 bucks sewed up in this boat.
I called from what I hear the best boat hull repair shop in the Columbia SC area. He tells me that transoms start at around 1,000. So I am taking it over to him tomorrow to look at it.

Do I invest the money in this boat?? Or Cut my loses and part it out and search for something else?? I can't afford a new boat and I don't have that much in this one so far?? Let me hear it? What do guys think?
Man I'm bummed out.

 

[beerfilter]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Thats why I stick with aluminum .
Still a good trailer , engine , and , drive is worth at least what you already have in her , at least .

Assuming ( yes we know where that can lead ..) the stringers are fine , and the transom just needs redone , you are easily looking at $1k , maybe double that , for a good shop to fix her right . If the stringers are gone , you will have some soul searching to do . You will have to decide between 3 options :

1) scrap the hull and sell the mechanicals , you will break even , maybe make a couple of dollars .

2) pay a shop to repair her correctly , which will NOT be cheap , and , will probably not only exceed your budget , but also the actual value of the hull .

3) fix it yourself . You already found this forum , so you have a world of information at your disposal . You save on shop labor rates , pay a little more for materials , and still will spend more than the actual value of the hull , but you get the pride of knowing YOU fixed it right , and , come out much smarter on the other side .

Good luck .

 

[Mark42]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

If they fix it right, $1000 is a good price around here in NJ. I would expect a bit less in SC.

If you do it yourself, it will cost about $300 using polyester resin, and it will give you many years of safe boating.

 

[deerslayer303]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

I guess my problem of not wanting to do it my self is this boat is big, and it doesn't have just a top cap that I can remove to access the transom. So I'm gonna shy away from doing it myself.

 

[b.gagnon]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

The trailer alone is worth more than $800! What did you expect? At that price it probably sat at the bottom of the ocean for a year! It seems to be a good deal to me. A 21' Grady of just about any year is worth more than you are about to put into it. If you only have to put a transom in it @ $1000-1500 you will have a great boat in the end worth much more.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Well if it's enough to discourage you from doing it yourself, then you can bet that $1K starting price for a transom is just that...a bottomline, easily-done starting price. Weigh your out of pocket expenses and return for sale-able parts, then decide if you want to sink any more money in it.

 

[pduquette]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Do a couple of core samples on the stringers before the guy comes to give the estimate....you don't wanna be 1/2 way through the transom repair and have him say "By the way....." then have your price double . jst my .02 peter

 

[deerslayer303]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Well I got the estimate, he is talking 2,500 to do the transom, with me removing the engine and drive. He was very knowledgeable and gave me alot of advice, He showed me all around the workings of that hull, and yes you can take the top cap off of it. I will think it over on what I'm gonna do. I have just never messed with fiberglass so I'll have alot to learn.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Who needs em?
Ya got 3!!! lol..YOU DO!

 

[deerslayer303]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Who needs em?
Ya got 3!!! lol..YOU DO!

LOL yeah thats funny, I know its a dang addiction I tell you. I think I might build a cradle tomorrow and get separating a Grady. I'm not gonna pay this guy to do it. I'll just give it a wirl, maybe I'll learn on the grady then be pretty dog gone good when I get to the buehler LOL.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Better'n a wife... at least when you get sick of the boat you can leave it in the shop or garage, turn the lights off and it stays there...

 

[Truefire]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

Deerslayer with the help of the advice from the seasoned vets up here on this discussion board, and with the help of any mechanically inclined neighbors or friends that you should have nearby this is a job that you should be able to perform yourself.

Take pictures of the work and post them up here on the forum and ask lots of questions. Trust me you'll get lots of answers. There are a lot of educated persons in the arena of boat buildiing up here that should be able to coach you along the way should you need it.

Take care, Chris

 

[legoman67]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

no transom is too big, check out ours! We spent 600$ total so far on supplies, and its nearly done, plus we learned a LOT. yeah it was a PITA getting the old wood out, but just dedicate a weekend or 2 to it and it will get there. or do what we did with like 30 min- an hour every couple days for like a month...

 

[seaweb11]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

$800.00 for a boat, tandem trailer, motor and I assume seats with such a big transom you don't want to DIYS?

That would be ...................dinner for 6 right? Man I would be pissed too?


Sometimes a free boat can be to much, in this case I would suggest you sell the parts on Ebay and get a canoe.

 

[deerslayer303]

Re: AARRRRRGHHH, Boats Who Needs Em!! Need Advice!!

$800.00 for a boat, tandem trailer, motor and I assume seats with such a big transom you don't want to DIYS?

That would be ...................dinner for 6 right? Man I would be pissed too?


Sometimes a free boat can be to much, in this case I would suggest you sell the parts on Ebay and get a canoe.

Aren't you just a comedian seaweb! LOL,

OK so maybe I was a little excited to get it in the water.
Any way, The FUN begins , Motor is coming out here shortly,
Back to work for me, Thanks for all the encouragement guys. Pics will be up when I get another minute