First Boat

[rlshepard]

Howdy folks! I recently purchased my first boat! it's a 78 Caddo bass boat, I think it's the Brave? Fiberglass trihull at 15 ft and has a ~63 inch beam. It seems like she is in great shape. She tops out somewhere around 30-35 with her 70HP Johnson...

I'm a little concerned once I put her in the water but it may nothing.

When I launch her she floats straight level, of course she tends to list to starboard when sitting still because of the fat guy behind the wheel... Or at least that is what I thought.... Now she doesn't seem list at speed or when weight is more evenly distributed.

But I after a few hours fishing I notice a small amount of water accumulating in the starboard aft corner (not in the bilge) and then ants from come from somewhere.... my first thought was uh oh.... :grumpy:

How bad do ya'll think it is?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: First Boat

A 70 hp should push her along a bit better than that. I'd say she might be water logged. Any soft spots in the floor?

 

[rlshepard]

Re: First Boat

A 70 hp should push her along a bit better than that. I'd say she might be water logged. Any soft spots in the floor?

Nope floor is solid all around.... That was my first thought look for a spongy rotting spot... Supposedly she had a new floor put in 3-4 years ago, looking at the raised deck in the bow it all looks like new treated wood.....

she hits at about 33mph (according to my iPhone ) at WOT which I didn't think was too bad, I think the carbs need to be clean cause some times I have to coax her to get to WOT.

I don't want her to be water logged. I'm kinda nervous to start cutting on the floor... How bad is it if I choose not to treat her? I mean I'm kinda thinking, quality of life vs longevity you know....

 

[chconger]

Re: First Boat

........and then ants from come from somewhere.... ?

Big black ants?

 

[rlshepard]

Re: First Boat

Big black ants?

Nope, they are the tiny black ants that love soda... and invade your kitchen if you spill kool aide on the counter....

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: First Boat

My 15ft'r has a 40 hp and hits 25 - 30 with me in her If she had a 70 I'd expect to get 40mph. A 3" inspection hole would not be that hared to repair.

 

[rlshepard]

Re: First Boat

My 15ft'r has a 40 hp and hits 25 - 30 with me in her If she had a 70 I'd expect to get 40mph. A 3" inspection hole would not be that hared to repair.

Fair enough.... lets say I pull a seat and cut a hole? I'm assuming that under the rear middle is the best place? I don't really know where to go from there? What am I looking at?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: First Boat

I'd try to cut an inspection hole as close as possible to where you suspect the ants are coming from...........

Pix are helpful too..........

 

[further]

Re: First Boat

Ants not a good sign. I'm in the process of demo now and found a colony living in my foam along with a lot of moisture and rotten wood.

 

[chconger]

Re: First Boat

Nope, they are the tiny black ants that love soda... and invade your kitchen if you spill kool aide on the counter....

OK, I guess that exhausts the totality of my myrmecology education: "big black ants are carpenter ants"

..looking at the raised deck in the bow it all looks like new treated wood..

"Treated" meaning; pressure treated?

 

[rlshepard]

Re: First Boat

"Treated" meaning; pressure treated?

Yup pressure treated... is that bad?

 

[chconger]

Re: First Boat

I think it is a strong indication that its been replaced once before.

With that, the poor performance, the leak, the ants...you may want to poke into it a bit further.

 

[chconger]

Re: First Boat

Back to the ants;

They need to eat. And unless somebody left their lunch under your deck, the only thing to eat in a fiberglass boat is the sugar in the wood found in stringers and transoms.

 

[chconger]

Re: First Boat

burp

 

[further]

Re: First Boat

^^^ +1. In my case they ate the foam and the bulkheads which weren't encased in fiberglass

Was always wondering where all the sawdust was comin from lol

 

[chconger]

Re: First Boat

Yea. Had the same thing. I think they nest in the foam and eat the stringers where the rot spores softened things up for them in advance.
Pretty easy life, all things considered.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: First Boat

Nope floor is solid all around.... That was my first thought look for a spongy rotting spot... Supposedly she had a new floor put in 3-4 years ago, looking at the raised deck in the bow it all looks like new treated wood.....

Don't be fooled with the solid feel of the deck, Previous Owners have a very bad habit of throwing new decking down over rotten stringers and saturated foam for a quick fix and sale... we've seen this dozens of times.

I'm guessing the bow deck made with treated wood isn't covered with fiberglass? This is another "quick fix", and a bad one that will let water get below deck.

Taking on water and ants being flushed up above deck means you have evil lurking below deck and/or in your transom and you need an exorcism (demo and restore).

Tri hulls aren't designed with bilge drains, they're designed with deck drains. This means the hull below the waterline has to be completely watertight with no hole or cracks to let water in... and the deck has to be completely watertight. The deck has to be completely glassed in and sealed with no penetrations or any penetrations well sealed. The 3 "V" shaped voids below your deck should be completely foam filled and nearly sterile with no way for anything to get in there.

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: First Boat

Good luck, Sounds scary so far.

LK

 

[electric603]

Re: First Boat

Don't be fooled with the solid feel of the deck, Previous Owners have a very bad habit of throwing new decking down over rotten stringers and saturated foam for a quick fix and sale... we've seen this dozens of times

My deck was nice and solid too. After finding a rotten transom I cut back some of the deck to check the stringers and they were completely saturated and rotten. The deck had been replaced over the bad stringers at some point.

 

[rlshepard]

Re: First Boat

I'm guessing the bow deck made with treated wood isn't covered with fiberglass? This is another "quick fix", and a bad one that will let water get below deck.

You are correct sir

The deck has to be completely glassed in and sealed with no penetrations or any penetrations well sealed. The 3 "V" shaped voids below your deck should be completely foam filled and nearly sterile with no way for anything to get in there.

I assume by glassed in you mean fiberglass? I have never worked with fiberglass before...

Good luck, Sounds scary so far.

LK

Down right horrifying! My wife says I need to sell it as is; but that's not my way, just can't do that to someone... I am somewhat intimidated by prospect of ripping up the deck though.

I'm thinking that the way to come at this is to get all the Materials needed to put her back together and then rip her apart this winter and put her back together in the early spring? Any thoughts on that? I'm pretty handy but I have no Idea what I'm doing, does anyone have an outline somewhere? what should I avoid when I'm taking her apart? What will I need to put her back together?