Don't know where to start. So many problems with 95 Crownline

[CrazyFinn]

Dave,

Just found this thread (now that it's been moved to the restoration forum). The other guys are giving you good advice - read through some of the many other rebuilding/restoration projects that others are working on. What you have there is a typical glass boat with rotten/rotting/waterlogged wood. To do it properly, the wood (all of it) needs to be replaced, and then glassed in. If it's wet, it needs to go. It's far more than just a support for the floor. I'm in the middle of a restoration project myself - and although I don't mind hard work, I certainly don't want to do the same work twice, on the same boat, because I didn't do it right the first time.

Listen to these guys - they will not steer you wrong, and if you do it properly, your boat will be better than it was when it was new.

 

[Woodonglass]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but...The pics of your stringers and your proposed restoration are Totally not even close to acceptable standards in order to leave you with a safe and viable boat. If you continue down this path, you'll be putting yourself and any/all passengers at risk. Your boat needs a total restoration of its structure. If you are incapable or unwilling to do this the correct way, I'd highly recommend Not doing it at all!!!!:facepalm:

 

[littleguydave]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but...The pics of your stringers and your proposed restoration are Totally not even close to acceptable standards in order to leave you with a safe and viable boat. If you continue down this path, you'll be putting yourself and any/all passengers at risk. Your boat needs a total restoration of its structure. If you are incapable or unwilling to do this the correct way, I'd highly recommend Not doing it at all!!!!:facepalm:

Well it is too late now. I guess it was safer completely rotten

 

[littleguydave]

Dave,

Just found this thread (now that it's been moved to the restoration forum). The other guys are giving you good advice - read through some of the many other rebuilding/restoration projects that others are working on. What you have there is a typical glass boat with rotten/rotting/waterlogged wood. To do it properly, the wood (all of it) needs to be replaced, and then glassed in. If it's wet, it needs to go. It's far more than just a support for the floor. I'm in the middle of a restoration project myself - and although I don't mind hard work, I certainly don't want to do the same work twice, on the same boat, because I didn't do it right the first time.

Listen to these guys - they will not steer you wrong, and if you do it properly, your boat will be better than it was when it was new.

I have no idea what I am doing. Here is what I am doing now.
Replacing the wood that was soft. The wood was squishy.
So I am putting new wood in place of where there is no wood. My cuts are way off, so I am using shims to connect the floor to the wood. That is what my epoxy is for. The epoxy will bond the wood pieces together that are loose.
Then I will do the bondo from the fiberglass bottom to the total height of the wood. The mixture with the cloth mesh.
I will put down strong plywood and drill a hole in every section for foam. Then I pack every cavity with density #4 foam. Waterproof the top, apply a glue and then outdoor carpet

So I am having the foam do some of the supporting where the wood meets. I am basically using the wood as a mold to create fiberglass beams.

Basically I want to resin the **** out of the boat. I have a fan on it all day and it averages 65 degrees here. I am trying my best but it sounds like I am going to kill people on the lake

 

[Woodonglass]

You should read and study the thousands of restorations on this forum. You make light of a very serious problem. You stated that You don't know what your'e doing and then make flippant remarks to members who have knowledge and experience trying to help you. Resin won't stick to wet or previously wet wood that is rotting. You DON'T use metal angle brackets in boat restoration. White Wood 2x4 Lumber is NOT a good choice for repairing stringers. The Stringers ARE the backbone of the boats hull. With out them to keep the hull from flexing a large wave or wake could do severe damage to the hull. Telling you that your methods are OK is a total disservice to Past, Present and future members who come here seeking good sound advice. I for one cannot and will not condone it!


I'm OUT!!!

 

[Rick Stephens]

Dave,

Problem I see right off is that you cannot get resin and glass to stick to paint and gelcoat, let alone wet wood. I don't know what the black stuff is painted over the bottom half of your wood, but it is also potentially big trouble.

The hard part of a boat restoration is cleaning and grinding off the paint, gelcoat and rotten wood. The rest is just a lot of layers of glass and resin laid in the make up the structure. Foam is not structure, it is floatation. You want to get Woodonglass to offer ideas on the correct materials. Bondo resin and glass clothe from the hardware store is probably half the strength you need at twice the cost. From what I can see, you need a couple gallons anyway. Might as well get the right stuff and the correct cloth type for the job.

 

[Vintage Rider]

Dave, it is not too late now. You can stop where you are and take the time to read some restoration threads here. You can easily learn (like we all did) so you will know what you are doing. What you are attempting to do is DANGEROUS! Dangerous to yourself ,dangerous to any passangers who happens be with you when it self-destructs and especially dangerous to the poor sucker who buys your boat (if it lasts the two years) thinking he's buying something that's safe. IT WON'T BE! Go back and re-read what others have posted in your thread, people who DO know what they're doing! By ignoring all this good advice you are willfully going to put people's lives at risk simply because you don't want to take the time or spend the money to do it right. It is your boat, you can do whatever you want with it but are you willing to bury a love one (or be buried yourself) just because you didn't want to take the time to do it right?

 

[achris]

Don't cut the wood short and add 'shims'... No strength in that, regardless of how much exopy you lather it in... Cut the wood long, then trim to get it EXACT....

 

[littleguydave]

Ok I can remove all flooring this weekend. Will the fiberglass bottom be enough to support my weight without breaking? I won't have anything to stand on except an empty hull

 

[CrazyFinn]

Ok I can remove all flooring this weekend. Will the fiberglass bottom be enough to support my weight without breaking? I won't have anything to stand on except an empty hull

Yes - it should be, as long as the boat is supported properly from below. If you're concerned, block in some extra lumber below the boat to support it where it is (almost like temporary bunks) to make sure the boat shape doesn't shift. And take LOTS of careful measurements before you cut.

 

[BevoHoward]

Please do as others have suggested and read some of the other threads. I too had delusions of riding around in my new to me boat, with the music playing and the wind blowing on a warm summer afternoon. It didn't take long to realize that was a pipe dream with an older boat.

All boats that are 15 or 20 years old or older are in need of complete stringer and deck replacement. And most likely the transom. Maybe not all of them but I would not buy another without expecting it.

So what was I to do? I gave it some serious thought and decided I was willing to put the time and money into it. I knew this was not something that would happen over the weekend. It would take time but it would be worth it. I'll have a boat that I plan to keep. That is better than a new one, for half the money.

I don't have to ask the members here what to do. I already know. I've done my homework. I've taken hundreds of pictures and measurements. Now it's just grind, grind and more grinding.

Browse this thread. You'll learn why stringers shouldn't make contact with the hull but embedded in PB (peanut butter)

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...and-hull-repair/649568-86-sea-ray-restoration



"I guess it was safer completely rotten"

You just thought it was ok because you couldn't see it. Your boat should look like the picture RickStephens posted before you start building her back up. That's what I've learned and I'm going with it.---Good Luck !

 

[kcon]

Before I started my current restoration project (http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...316790-1980-s-hydro-glass-restoration-project) which is my first, I did aprox. 3 months of research between google, forums, and especially youtube (props to Boatworks Today and FriscoBoater on youtube), however what I really didn't realize going into this, and I'm sure the same goes for just about anybody else who's taken on these projects, is how much more time, effort, and money it would take to even scratch the surface on the restoration.

Fortunately I'm willing to sacrifice all three. You mentioned a few posts back about a $900 budget, I hope you didn't mean $900 for the entire boat "restoration", because by the looks of it that's gonna be improbable, if not near impossible. I'm a few grand in so far and I've only got a bare hull to show for it...Christ I just spent $150 on two 10' x 1" pieces of wood for the stringers...

Check out the videos here (Boatworks Today), great instructions, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0kDqq-pSzdqFUk3oTaHBuA

Also, use marine grade plywood for almost everything!

 

[littleguydave]

Yes - it should be, as long as the boat is supported properly from below. If you're concerned, block in some extra lumber below the boat to support it where it is (almost like temporary bunks) to make sure the boat shape doesn't shift. And take LOTS of careful measurements before you cut.

Right now the boat is on the boat trailer. There are no other supports. There is a bucket under the engine to stop the trailer from tilting back but as for contact under the hull, just the two running boards at the bottom of the trailer

 

[littleguydave]

Please do as others have suggested and read some of the other threads. I too had delusions of riding around in my new to me boat, with the music playing and the wind blowing on a warm summer afternoon. It didn't take long to realize that was a pipe dream with an older boat.

All boats that are 15 or 20 years old or older are in need of complete stringer and deck replacement. And most likely the transom. Maybe not all of them but I would not buy another without expecting it.

So what was I to do? I gave it some serious thought and decided I was willing to put the time and money into it. I knew this was not something that would happen over the weekend. It would take time but it would be worth it. I'll have a boat that I plan to keep. That is better than a new one, for half the money.

I don't have to ask the members here what to do. I already know. I've done my homework. I've taken hundreds of pictures and measurements. Now it's just grind, grind and more grinding.

Browse this thread. You'll learn why stringers shouldn't make contact with the hull but embedded in PB (peanut butter)

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...and-hull-repair/649568-86-sea-ray-restoration



"I guess it was safer completely rotten"

You just thought it was ok because you couldn't see it. Your boat should look like the picture RickStephens posted before you start building her back up. That's what I've learned and I'm going with it.---Good Luck !

Yea I've been looking online for almost a month but that was just for engine work. This restoration is new to me. I am horrible at building wood furniture so I am not confident at making precision cuts. I can't really take measurements because when I took the plywood floor off a lot of the stringers were soft as dirt. Basically mud. So I was going to design the floor to be a couple inches above the gas tank. Today when I get home I'll take pics and measurements and start ripping things out. I'll read your thread tonight. My budget is flexible and I want to have this boat up by April. I get all my fuel system parts in this week

 

[BevoHoward]

Just take your time. I did same as you and got my engine running good. That's when I discovered a soft engine mount and it went from there. The link I posted is forum member "Goldie" 1986 Sea Resto. Its' lengthy and has a lot of good information.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Yea I've been looking online for almost a month but that was just for engine work. This restoration is new to me. I am horrible at building wood furniture so I am not confident at making precision cuts. I can't really take measurements because when I took the plywood floor off a lot of the stringers were soft as dirt. Basically mud. So I was going to design the floor to be a couple inches above the gas tank. Today when I get home I'll take pics and measurements and start ripping things out. I'll read your thread tonight. My budget is flexible and I want to have this boat up by April. I get all my fuel system parts in this week

I think you're getting really good advice here. I especially would suggest you read one or two complete threads (Goldie's is good, so is Friscoboater's) so you have an idea of what you're getting into. This may be more of a project than you want to take on, or you may learn that it's not as bad as you think. Either way, it would be better to have an idea of that before you start investing time and money into the project.

Before you tear anymore stuff out, I would take as many measurements as possible. One of the reasons folks are suggesting that is because changing dimensions in the boat, like the height of the deck over the hull, can affect how the boat handles (e.g., changing the center of gravity and how weight is distributed over the hull). In some cases, you can get away with making those changes, but you need to check those changes out first with folks who know more about boats, because those changes may affect how the boat planes, corners, etc. In many cases, the engineers who designed the boat put things where they did for a good reason, and you don't want to inadvertently make a change that causes your boat to be unstable or such.

Mostly, though, good for you for slowing down and thinking about what it will take to make your boat safe. Many of us have been in your shoes, and it's disappointing to get a new boat only to find you have some work ahead of you. If you decide to pursue a restoration, there are lots of us willing to help.

 

[littleguydave]

Yea I am reading through all of the threads. This is overwhelming. I'd love to have help. I have no idea how to build the sub floor but I will do my best

 

[CrazyFinn]

Right now the boat is on the boat trailer. There are no other supports. There is a bucket under the engine to stop the trailer from tilting back but as for contact under the hull, just the two running boards at the bottom of the trailer

Make sure it is sitting properly on the existing bunks. Like I said earlier, you can slide in/block up some 2x4's or 2x6's for extra "bunks" between the trailer frame and the hull to give you more even support.

Don't take shortcuts. I'm on my first boat restoration project, but I've restored a number of other vehicles, renovation projects in houses (I had my own renovation business for a while) and it's always worth it to do it properly the first time around. When you are finished, you will have something you can be proud of, and more importantly something you can trust. And it will still cost you a LOT less than a new boat. Just take your time, and do it right.

 

[littleguydave]

I will. Some of you think I'm being bratty but I'm not. I really do appreciate the help a lot

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Excellent news Dave.....I was really thinking that this thread was really taking a turn for the worst. Seems like you're getting your head straight with what lies in front of you. I am in the midst of my second restoration and this one is much more involved than the first, but I am loving every minute of it. Maybe I'm sick in the head but this boat repair stuff I find to be really fun and worthwhile. I'll echo what everyone else said here.....there is plenty of advice from some very knowledgeable folks. We're here to help. Welcome aboard for the second time! :welcome: