Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

[Arizona2ride]

OK i got the rub rail off and loosed all the rivetts or tapped the ones that would go through, in out what ever you want to say. The top cap is loose and pulled away from the boat. All is disconnected that needs to be. I am doing this project alone. Any advice on how to get this top half off, alone?

Jaime

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

You will need a couple of lifting devices and and overhead structure to support the weight of the cap assembly.

Where is that sky hook when you need it?

 

[Arizona2ride]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

No joke! Not sure if I could round up a few folks to help take the cap off. UGH!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

Is the boat still on the trailer? Got any trees? Rope? If not then building one of these would prolly be your best bet...

 

[logan944t]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

I built a gantry from double 2x6's and a 2 ton hoist from harbor freight to lift a 305 out of my 20' cobia.. I also used it to lift the cap off my 15' trihull. I couldnt get by without it.

 

[Arizona2ride]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

Is the boat still on the trailer? Got any trees? Rope? If not then building one of these would prolly be your best bet...

Woodonglass. looks great. But how how would I need to attach it to the boat to lift it up? I can get a hold of 2 cherry pickers from a freind of my dads. I might can wait until sunday and then I will have a crowd of folks here to help pick the cap off. From the looks of the transom from the inside of the boat replacing the transom will be the easy part. The transom stops before you get to the top of the transom area. So I am thinking all I need to do is cut the top piece of the transom off, clean it out and fill it back in. I am choosing know Seacast. The only way to know if my stringers are bad is to take up the floor. UGH! not something I was looking foward to doing. Is there any other way?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

No other way to get to the stringers except remove the floor. Lift up one end of the cap and slide a 2x4 under then do the same on the other end. Use straps to lift the cap. Why r u using Seacast?

 

[Arizona2ride]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

No other way to get to the stringers except remove the floor. Lift up one end of the cap and slide a 2x4 under then do the same on the other end. Use straps to lift the cap. Why r u using Seacast?

Seems like a good option. Heard alot of good things about the product and havent found any negative things about it. HOWEVER now that I think about it, since you mentioned it. I will be able to access the whole transom. In the beginning I was hopeing to get access to the transom without having to removing the cap. Then as I started removing the RR, I found that I will be able to cut the top piece of the transom area off ( which doesnt go to the top of the transom itself, it stops an inch from the transom aluminum cap) clean it out and fill it back in with secast. In the pic below the transom stops right under the cut area. But now I guess I could use wood. would be cheaper, But I do not want to have to do this again, nor if I pass the boat down to the kids do I want them to have to do it again if wood is used, in 30 years. what kinda wood should I use and what do I need to do to the wood to prep it for the transom???

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

My boat is 50 years old and still has the original WOOD transom. If you fabricate it properly and maintain it correctly over the years your's should last the same. Ext. Grade plywood totally encapsulated with Resin, Glass and installed properly will do the trick. Arauco Plywood is some really good stuff or you could use MDO.

 

[Arizona2ride]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

Is the boat still on the trailer? Got any trees? Rope? If not then building one of these would prolly be your best bet...

Woodonglass, I woke up with a genuis idea. I can try and see if a floor jack will work. Put it in the boat the the back near the cap lip on the inside, use a 2x4 on top of the jack and lift it up enough to get a 2x4 under the cap. repeat for the other. This way this evening when there are 4 adults here we can pick the cap up and all the way off. Do you see any issues with this idea?

Jaime

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

Good idea. Just make sure the cap is completely cut free of the hull, go slow and make sure you don't crack the cap and/or deck (maybe a towel folded up on top of the 2 x 4 ?). I agree with WOG on the wooden transom and stringers too. Done correctly, they will outlive us all. Seacast isn't bad per se, but it's a lot of work, not exactly inexpensive and if it goes wrong you have a giant and very durable mess on your hands. Plywood is a lot cheaper, more forgiving and easier to get. You may have to order some glassing/epoxy supplies, but that's not a big deal and WOG is the man when it comes to all that stuff. She's looking good. Coming right along........

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

WOG is the man when it comes to all that stuff.

I would suggest that the collective of Iboats is the when it comes to all that stuff..

If you have a few peeps over there you can pull that deck off and shore it up or flip it over and brace so it does not distort much..

YD.

 

[Arizona2ride]

Re: Help, taking the top cap off ALONE! advice please....

I would suggest that the collective of Iboats is the when it comes to all that stuff..

If you have a few peeps over there you can pull that deck off and shore it up or flip it over and brace so it does not distort much..

YD.

At the longest time, the cap will be on the ground for about week-2. Just long enough to round up the same folks who ehlped take the cap off. LOL I am sure they will want a fishing trip when its all done with.. I think I can swing that. Thanks so much for the insight, help, and advice on boating repair. I will have to have the motor maintenced before I go out and I think the carbs need to be adjusted, because it wont stay in idle for very long before it goes dead.

How do I take up the floor??? Its a plywood under the carpet and I do not fill any soft spots when standing or lightly jumping on the floor in the area of the stringers.