Got the floor out!

[2broke4this]

After letting the boat sit and wait (school keeps me busy), I've been able to work on it the last couple days. I've finally got the floor and the nasty foam out! I can already see myself out on the lake with her, so I'm excited.

Fiberglass all cut out.. still have a lot of foam to pull out... and some cleaning to do.

Cleaned out fiberglass, foam, and wood, front view.

Cleaned out, rear view.

Rear, Starboard

Rear, Port

Okay, I'm done.... I just had to share.... She's no work of art like some of the amazing boats on here, but she's mine!

 

[sourbsted]

Re: Got the floor out!

Looks like you cleaned it up well. must have been a lot of work pulling that foam out...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Got the floor out!

Looks great. Can't wait to see the finished product. It's a beautiful boat and well worth the effort.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Got the floor out!

you are total on the right track. refrigerator boxes make good templates for plywood, and much cheaper than the wrong cut. or also pulling a line down the center, and taking measurements square to the line, every 6 inches out to the sides works pretty well.

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Got the floor out!

Thanks guys! It's always nice to hear some encouragement! I had thought about using cardboard for the patterns for the front seats, but hadn't thought about using it for the floor... I should go hit up some stores for some boxes...

The plans for this summer are pretty basic, just gonna put the floor in, slap some cheap carpet down, and put in my new lounge seats. Then I've got to make new cushions for the bow and the interior will be done!

In the meantime, I've got my mechanic going through the engine and tuning her up. The only major obstacle left is the steering... we've got to figure out what's wrong, it feels like the steering cable is locked up, but I'd love any suggestions for other things it could be. I'd rather not replace the cable only to find out it's something else!

Thanks again,
Carl

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Got the floor out!

disconnect the cable at the helm, if the helm turns, the helms ok, the cable should slide in the sleave fairly easily. hit the appliance store, is you steering rotary or rack? the top is a rotary helm, the bottom is rack. if you have rotary, there is a trip for getting the cable out.

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Got the floor out!

TD, I have rack steering.. anything I should know before I start looking at it?

The plan for tomorrow is to hit up a couple appliance stores in town for some boxes and then attack the floor... I'll post pics of what we get done tomorrow!

Thanks again,

Carl

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Got the floor out!

Okay, got the boxes and had every intention of at least making the patterns for the floor... but I got a late start and I got distracted with prep work... I dug some more rotted wood out from under the console (that rotted wood is sneaky!) so now I'll be able to slide my new cut piece under the console the same way it was from the factory. I am getting so anxious to get her finished and in the water! As a testimony to Ebko, they did a pretty decent job of sealing up the stringers.... all I have to do is tab in where it has broken away at the very front on the port side. They buddied the stringers with 1x2 most of the way back (where the seating is) but didn't seal the buddied boards up very well, so they were rotted like crazy! I'm going to run treated 1x6 from the front to the back alongside the stringer on the outer sides, and sandwich the stringer toward the front with another 1x6 board on the inside of the stringer in the area forward of the gas tank. This may seem overboard (no pun intended) but I'd rather add some weight and gain strength than have a boat I have to worry about. Although, even with the floor out, the Ebko feels sturdier than the near-perfect Bayliner that the Ebko replaced.

Thanks again for the encouragement and keep the comments coming!

-Carl

 

[Windykid]

Re: Got the floor out!

It has been made mention that treated wood contains chemicals that rot hardware and screws. Just something to think about.

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Got the floor out!

I can see what you mean, a lot of the original fasteners were rusted as I pulled them out, but the stainless screws all seemed to be okay... I intend to use all stainless fasteners, would this prevent/delay the problem? To be honest, longevity isn't a major concern at this point because I intend to pull it all this winter and redo the floor properly... I just want to get her in the water for the summer to see how she runs!

-Carl