Dreaded Dry-Rot

[mystro]

Unfortunately, my vintage 1972 Seaswirl/OMC Stringer is making an occasional screeching sound that seems to emanate from the from pulleys rubbing against the front motor mount..is the motor is flexing? One of the short bolts holding the motor mount plate in almost pulled out by hand so now I'm suspecting more dry-rot damage but how could water get that high to soak around those bolts and get the stringers wet..I'm a fairly new owner of this boat so I have no history except I do know the foam below the front seat floor was soaked..it drained water for a month, is it possible this boat sank at one point although it did originate from a very wet area (Eugene,Ore) ...as you can imagine I'm hoping it was just accumulation from rain.

Anyway, I guess I'll need to pull all the bolts and exam the holes carefully. If I find dryrot:

Will I need to find pure dry wood in-order to use an epoxy and has anyone seen an online example of fixing this type of problem by chance?

What epoxy products should I look for.

 

[mystro]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

I found several sources online, looks like the woodenboat guys have several epoxy variations.

 

[sdunt]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

I do know the foam below the front seat floor was soaked..it drained water for a month

Will I need to find pure dry wood in-order to use an epoxy and has anyone seen an online example of fixing this type of problem by chance?

What epoxy products should I look for.

Welcome to the forum.. Wet foam = rotten wood, probably stringers, floor and transom. We hate 'closed cell' foam in boat. Just a sponge in there waiting for the water to arrive.

'poxy is not really necessary, but if you have the $$$ go for it.. Polyester - fiberglass resin held it together this long, it will do the same if you rebuild it properly.

Online examples of fixing those type of problems, maybe not the same exact boat, are all over this forum and on www.shareaproject.com. My blog of my rebuild is in my signature.

here's my usual reading and links list:

Runabout Renovation: How to Find and Fix Up an Old Fiberglass Speedboat by Jim Anderson
http://www.amazon.com/Runabout-Reno...0255336?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176991542&sr=8-1

The Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual by Allan H. Viatses
http://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Bo...0255336?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176991609&sr=1-2

Fiberglass Repair and Construction Handbook Author: Jack Wiley
http://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Re...9355330?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180026258&sr=1-1

Boat Repair and Restoration Articles @ West System
http://www.westsystem.com/ewmag/proj_repair.html

3M Marine Maintenance guide
http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?ffffff5myruf_3GfT3Gff2jHoRbFFFFd-

West Systems User manual
http://www.westsystem.com/frames/tier1/usingepoxy.htm

"The Epoxy Book" Systems 3 Epoxy
http://www.mertons.com/Epoxy/documents/epoxy_book.pdf .


http://www.uscomposites.com/polyesters.html

http://stores.ebay.com/Tordoff-Supply

Estimating Materials:
http://www.fgci.com/howto/ht006estimating.html

Catalyst Chart
http://www.fgci.com/howto/ht005catalyst_chart.html

Fiberglass Learning center (includes link to West System Manual)
http://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/learning_center.asp

You can 'blog' your project for FREE at www.shareaproject.com and its also a great way to store pictures to link with forum posts.

my 'project' Tiny Tannic http://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,148,00.html

 

[mystro]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

I guess Seaswirl used the closed-cell foam for sound quieting..not sure. The floor seems dry and I couldn't find soft spots but I'll get a better picture when I remove the old vinyl. I'm almost sure I've got motor mount stringer issues though so your extensive links will keep me busy for some time..this I appreciate mucho since I know how much time can be spent researching. ..pulling the mount bolts will tell me alot about this project.

 

[dcwcce]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

Motor Mount Dry Rot - moved to an active thread since it was unanswered

Originally Posted by imported_Robj If your stringers are rotted, then the motor mounts would also be rotten, which makes the boat unsafe.Rob.

What is the risk of running an I/O with rot under the motor mounts ?

Just liquidated a 1998 Wellcraft Excel 175SX rather than investing 2 Grand in a repair of the floor, stringers, and motor mounts -Do not have the time, talent or location to do the work myself.

Still rationalizing my decision

 

[dcwcce]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

Motor Mount Dry Rot - moved to an active thread since it was unanswered



What is the risk of running an I/O with rot under the motor mounts ?

Just liquidated a 1998 Wellcraft Excel 175SX rather than investing 2 Grand in a repair of the floor, stringers, and motor mounts -Do not have the time, talent or location to do the work myself.

Still rationalizing my decision

Asked TWICE no response ??????

 

[Solittle]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

No response probably because the post is confusing.

 

[dcwcce]

Saftey Risk Dry - Rot Front Motor Mount

Saftey Risk Dry - Rot Front Motor Mount

No response probably because the post is confusing.

What is the safety risk of running an I/E wuth dry rot in motor mounts ?

 

[sdunt]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

When I 1st saw your question, I guess I took the attitude of "I do not know your particular setup". There are no pictures provided to help me gauge the situation. We are not professionals here, we share our personal experiences and some basic knowledge and allow people to draw their own conclusions..

 

[Robj]

Re: Dreaded Dry-Rot

Possible risk of running a boat with rotten mounts and stringers = sinking. The mounts hold the engine in place, you do not want it jumping up and down due to weak/rotten mounts. If it does, if you hit a big wave or wake it can cause the engine to crush the weak mounts and hit the bottom of the hull. This is probably the extreme, but nevertheless it is unsafe. Get it fixed and do it right.

Have a great day,

Rob.