GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sinking

[smokeonthewater]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

that isn't a stringer.... stringers run front to back... reach toward the middle or side of the boat to find them

If it were me I'd measure the thickness of the floor and set a circular saw up to cut at about a 30 degree angle just a hair under the thickness of the floor (so you don't cut into the stringers) and make one cut the full width of the floor about 2 feet forward of the existing hole and then cut as close to the back as possible at 90 degrees... then I'd pull up that section and make a decision based on what I found.... leaving the angle in the front makes it easy to seam a new piece on if the front and stringers check out ok

 

[Lukelona]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

ok sorry, stringers run length ways down the boat? i can see there is a spot that the floor meets the hull i can see past, it is covered in fibeglass... i thought this was the hull itself. Is this the striger? if so i dont see how it would rot or how you could check it.

how do you patch the floor back up after you cut this section out?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

looking at your pics I've made a GUESS as to where the stringer may be.... Looks like an outline visible on top of the floor and looks like a couple of screws into it holding the floor down..... again to I am guessing, you need to feel or look under the floor.

You check it by drilling holes and looking at what comes out... hard dry wood chips or wet mushy bits of rot.

There are a few different ways of joining the new floor to the old... all are simple and not important at this point.... to do it right you will need plywood, screws, and fiberglass supplies.

 

[Lukelona]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin



i belive that it is a few inches further toward side. it is fiberglassed over right? this is a underneath pic of each corner.
i thought these "higher parts of hull" was just the 'shape' of the bottom. They have to be the stringers cuz there isnt much room left before the sides.

so just cut a little further until this area, and then drill holes in the stringer?

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

I may be wrong but if I were a gambling man I would put odds that there is rot in the stringer from looking at that pic, if that hull fractures it will sink like a rock, I also see no emergency flotation foam.

 

[Lukelona]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

I may be wrong but if I were a gambling man I would put odds that there is rot in the stringer from looking at that pic, if that hull fractures it will sink like a rock, I also see no emergency flotation foam.

in the second pic the wood looking board is the one that runs across and starting to rot near drain holes, the back of the pic where there is that " wall " is that the stringer?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

i can't tell looking at the pics... go to the restoration forum and search "soft floor" or "rebuild stringers" and look at the pics.... the stringers will be glassed to the hull and the floor will set on top of them and likely be screwed to them too.
do some reading over there and then you'll understand.... really this thread needs to be moved there too... You'll get more help there from folks that have done lots of these.

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

how do you patch the floor back up after you cut this section out?

Not to be a dink but if you do not know how to patch a simple hole in the floor I think if there is any chance that the stringers & transom are soft you should just scrap it, You will be in WAY over your head in no time. Although it has been said that the only way to learn is to do the work, Just read through some of the re-build threads and you will see what you could be up against and see if you are up to it.

Buy a tinnie and get that on the water.

LK

 

[Don S]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

In reply to the title of your thread, the Titanic didn't have soft spots in the floor.

Now, on to the problem, it seems you are now wanting to fix things, so I am going to move this thread over the the hull repair forum where this kind of thing is discussed quite often.

 

[Lukelona]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

how can i move it to the other section?
and yes if it needs a full rebuild, im gonna junk it
Im very mechanical with cars and trucks, boating is a different world.
but i can do just about anything after i try it once.
Im hoping the stringers are ok, im gonna check them as soon as i get down to the marina.
i just bought this boat so i dont wanna throw my money away, but at the same time im not gonna put $1000+ into it

so again, how can i move this thread? thanks for all your input

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

It's already been moved for you

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

A boat is like a bottle .. it will not sink because of rotted wood as long as the Hull underwater is Sealed.

It will most likely cost you more than a grand just to get tools and materials ..

However .. Your boat will not sink as long as the holes are sealed.

Kinda like asking if I put 3 fat guys on my boat will it sink . .. not unless they weigh more than your 3 cases of beer and loads of inventory ..

Now if your asking if something blows out due to a failure of my hull .. they yea .. it can sink fast.

Any hole in your bottom if failed will sink your boat. .. A faulty pump can make your boat low in the water .. but the marina should be telling you fast about that. ( or your in the wrong marina/slip ).

YD.

 

[Lukelona]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

A boat is like a bottle .. it will not sink because of rotted wood as long as the Hull underwater is Sealed.

It will most likely cost you more than a grand just to get tools and materials ..
YD.

Its on the trailer stored at marina. ; )
I have no holes, but do have a couple chips im the gel coat, which shouldn't leak right?

I hope the stringers are ok n I can just fix the floor again and run it for at least this season . Ill junk the hull take motor &trailer for another hull.
It didn't look any where near as bad as the other boats in this section.
So I'm trying to stay optimistic

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

$1,000 is only $20.00 in boat dollars.

Good luck with your project.

LK

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

Using a Skilsaw set on shallow cut, enlarge the hole until you expose half the width of the stringers on both sides and do the test holes on the stringers. This way you have a rectangular hole with good attachment points for a replacement of deck board. IF the tests are good, seal the test holes, seal the underside and edges of the replacement board, as well as the edges of the hole cut, screw it down, glass it over and enjoy the season. IF the test holes aren't good, it's a good time for boat shopping.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

Its on the trailer stored at marina. ; )
I have no holes, but do have a couple chips im the gel coat, which shouldn't leak right?

I should hope not

Again .. A boat will not sink unless it has a hole in it ( or a faulty pump that does not remove water for a long time from rain ).

Good luck.

YD.

 

[Lukelona]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

Using a Skilsaw set on shallow cut, enlarge the hole until you expose half the width of the stringers on both sides and do the test holes on the stringers. This way you have a rectangular hole with good attachment points for a replacement of deck board. IF the tests are good, seal the test holes, seal the underside and edges of the replacement board, as well as the edges of the hole cut, screw it down, glass it over and enjoy the season. IF the test holes aren't good, it's a good time for boat shopping.

finally someone that is helping me instead of just putting it down. i get it its a p.o.s i just want to safely use it for a season
im looking for help, not opinions of what yall would do. obviously someone with a gorgeous big a** boat would junk my liittle bayliner...who wouldnt?
thanks a lot. im gonna try this as soon as i get some free time to go to the marina again.
will post again asap.

any other input is still appreciated!

 

[Triangleboater]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

look, I am rebuilding/restoring my boat right now. I have a little 15ft skiff that is a tad bit simplier than yours. I had a few soft spots in the deck. Turned out that everything that wasn't just fiberglass is rotten. I have dove in and you can too. My total rebuild will be around $1000. maybe a tad more because I wan't to paint and add goodies. Just think, if you were to rebuild it, your boat would be better than new.

As far as I can tell. Almost all older boats within my budget are need repair of somesort. Boats just weren't built to be waterproof (kind of an oxymoron huh?). IF the boat was properly taken care of, they might be fine. But people are lazy, and at some point in the 20+ years it's been around water has been left in the bilge and gotten to the wood. How often do you see boats out in driveways without cover and bow is down.

All I am saying is, think twice about what you want to do. Scrap this hull and end up with another rotten boat. Or rebuild this one to better than new( or buy a tinnie where only wood on it is a transom). You do the work and we will help. I am getting so much help from the experts here, I wouldn't do it without them. Do some core tests and post the results. Just don't do anything unsafe, when I knew my boat was all rotted out, i still used it, but I only motored with my electric trolling motor to the middle of the lake and used it for a floating party barge.

Anyway, whatever you decide, your boat/your choice. Good luck!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

finally someone that is helping me instead of just putting it down. i get it its a p.o.s i just want to safely use it for a season
im looking for help, not opinions of what yall would do. obviously someone with a gorgeous big a** boat would junk my liittle bayliner...who wouldnt?
thanks a lot. im gonna try this as soon as i get some free time to go to the marina again.
will post again asap.

any other input is still appreciated!

You have asked your question ..and you have answers to that ..

Yes its probably a POS Bayliner dead in the water .. but nobody can tell you what it is beside yourself !

Inspect the thing.

Your the first and last inspector for your boat period ..

We are here to Help .. not to Tell matter of Fact.

YD.

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: GENERAL CURIOUSITY...Would a boat with a soft or rotten floor have any chance sin

finally someone that is helping me instead of just putting it down. i get it its a p.o.s i just want to safely use it for a season
im looking for help, not opinions of what yall would do. obviously someone with a gorgeous big a** boat would junk my liittle bayliner...who wouldnt?
thanks a lot. im gonna try this as soon as i get some free time to go to the marina again.
will post again asap.

any other input is still appreciated!

We are trying to help even if you don't think so. There is no way a rotten boat can "safely be used for one season" - If it's rotten, it's rotten. There are no "patches" to fix a rotten boat. YOU need to inspect the boat and YOU will make the determination if it is safe or not. Just make sure you have a life jacket on and a waterproof way of communicating if something does happen on that "one season" of safe boating if you decide to patch it.

LK