Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

[JNormV163]

First off the boat is a 1972 16' Glastron v163. I love the boat and with the help from others I gained the confidence to restore the boat. (was on the edge of getting rid of it but after getting the motor to run as good as it does I want to keep the boat.)(75 115 Evinrude) I have a few concerns about some areas of the boat before I dive into replacing the deck. I know the transom has been repaired. I dont know much about boats so Im not sure if this is a common way to repair it or not. Please keep in mind that this is a low as possible budget restoration and If i can save money I'm going to do it. I pulled the boat from TX to CO and the motor bounced on some good cracks in the road and it didnt phase the transom but I still want some more input. Ill try to describe these pics as good as possible. FYI Glastron max motor size for the V163 is 115hp.


Below are pics of the transom looks like steel plates and silicone? Is this normal? I tried to provide as many pics as possible so you can have a good understanding of what I'm looking at. The boat comes from the desert so rot is not something Im worried about. I believe the steel plates are because the original motor that came with the boat was a 72 evinrude 125hp larger than the factory recommendation. I traded a guy for his 115 and a little cash and bolted it on and runs great.

 

[JNormV163]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

I could only post 6 photos so here is the rest of the post. Plus a pic of the boat the day I bought it, for what its worth.




Below is a picture of the hull and if you look closely youll see the indentation from the trailer support. Will this kinda "pop" back out once the boat is in the water? This is the only side that looks like this. The other side is sound.



Lastly below is a picture from the bow that the trailer wench hooks to. This also makes me nervous. Looks like its about ready to rip away from the hull. Thanks for all your help guys!

 

[12thManFalseStart]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

I wouldn't think a whopping 10 horsepower is going to make much a difference, in pulling/pushing, sitting on the transom. It's the possible insurance problem with what's posted on the boat, and going over from what I get.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Metal transom plate isn't a sound repair. If the boat was overpowered, the transom may have been fatigued/strained by the weight/torque, but even in the desert, water intrusion & a weakened transom can occur (w/ possibly worse condensation below deck).

If it got wet, it may even develop into dry rot in a desert environment.

What was bolted to the transom @port side of the engine, behind that current Yoder plate & the port transom eye?

Is that huge plate pulling away from the hull above the plate & eye in the question above"? It sure looks like it.

Can you see the interior side of that bow eye? Is it thru a piece of plywood, & is the nut being pulled thru the plywood backer? It appears to have been over cranked by the trailer winch. The bow stop is degraded & not fitted properly to the bow allowing the boat to ride up further & has begun to pull the bow eye out.

How do you know the transom was repaired:

I know the transom has been repaired.

Do you mean repaired by the addition of the plates?

There looks like a tube & 1/2 of silicon along the starboard side of the motor along the plates that were added & the splashwell/transom/gunwale union.

I'd consider how lucky you are that you made it back to Colorado w/ the motor still attached & w/ no damage to it or the boat.

Depends on how, why & how long it's been that way @ the hull deflected above the port roller, not a good sign for the conditions below decks.

What history do you know about the boat? Covered/uncovered for how long? Evidence of water filling & sitting in the interior of the boat? It does rain in the desert. Is the interior intact but in poor general condition, or does it look like a family of Meerkats have been living in it?

Cheap & sound repairs aren't the same, nor are cheap repairs generally considered safe.

You may be fortunate & have fiberglass only stringers below decks. My 1960 Fireflite has no wooden cores in the stringers. IMHO, you would do well to take a few days & read thru some resto threads. As many as you can possibly stand to read. Then read another equal amount. The work you have 'decided' to do, replace only the deck, is 35% of the problem & about 50% of the work (if you have no wood core in your stringers). If you choose to proceed w/ just the deck, you are missing the more important 65% & 50% of the work. That 50% supports 80% of the 'value' of your boat: The motor.

The pix of the transom & plate that's been added, the bow eye & hull deflection aren't confidence inspiring that the work was done well & will serve you & the boat for many trouble free years.

You can repair this boat reasonably, if you choose to. You will have a boat that's safe & sound for your & your family's use for a long time. Doing 50% +/- of the necessary work, is a gamble. IMHO a BIG gamble.

What's that motor weigh & how much torque does it produce?

None of that ^^^ is a condemnation of the boat or whether you should rehab it. If you want to & are able to properly repair it, it will be a great boat & will serve you well. Glastrons have a strong following, and I tend to like most of them.

Add the costs you've paid for boat, motor & trailer to your rehab costs & you probably wouldn't be able to find a better boat for the same money.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Interesting...

Hull damage question PICS :grumpy:

If you choose to proceed, the crew @ the iboats dry dock will help you get it done, and done well.

What came of this:

Probably going to have someone who knows more than I do to take a look at the boat and tell me what I got before I give it away. Sorta already attached to the boat so It would be hard to let it go.

 

[JNormV163]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Interesting...

Hull damage question PICS :grumpy:

If you choose to proceed, the crew @ the iboats dry dock will help you get it done, and done well.

What came of this:

Thanks for your opinions. That previous thread was the bow and after looking at it further its damage from animals eating away at the wood so they could live inside it. All the evidence was underneath but with help from others its not a job I cant handle. I waqs going to repair that and the deck/ stringers. The transom was the last area I was unsure about. Seems much more difficult to repair. Yes the boat has been uncovered the last few years and I want to rescue it. I love everything from the early 70's. I really dont know much about restoring boats but I got this boat to learn. I learn best from doing exactly what Im doing now. IDK if it was repaired but with the plates being on there and the silicone I figured it was. I will take a photo of the inside of the transom and post. Thanks again.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Hi and welcome to the Iboats dry dock, Fiberglass division, JNormV163,
This sounds a lot like the same boat from you previous thread...as jbcurt00 mentioned above^^^...
A quote from that thread..."So I got into my first boat a 1972 16' Glastron V163 and Its a project that's for sure."
Irregardless, what you have is exactly what you originally thought you had...a Project, for sure...
The fact that it sat in the open for how ever many seasons, even in dry conditions with only an occasional rain shower, means absolutely nothing when it comes to rot...it only take some moisture to migrate into the wooden substructure of a boat and the fungus that causes rot will take hold if there is air available...once there, it will continue to spread like rust or cancer...
The only way to get rid of it is to completely eradicate it.
The only way to completely eradicate it from the structure of a boat is to completely gut it and replace all the wooden structure and encapsulate it in fresh, new resin...you can also remove all the bad wood and sister in new wood, but in most cases it is best to start from scratch.
No ifs, ands or buts about it...
The clearest indicator that the transom is rotten is all of the aluminum plating that has been added to it...
A perfectly good transom will be able to handle most any engine you can hang on it without needing reinforcement.
The reasons for the engine HP limits are many...one of which is insurance considerations, another is US Coast Guard regulations and recommendations for Safety, AYBC regulations and recommendations, etc...You could hang a 500 HP motor on a solid transom and not have any structural problems until you actually tried to put it in the water, where the boat would probably try to to do an endover when you hit the throttle, or swamp itself from the weight of the engine, not to mention how ridiculously overpowered it would be...
The point being that even though the boat was rated for a 115HP, and the previous owner decided to put a 125HP engine on it, IF the transom was solid, there would be no need for adding all of that metal to it...
The only reason all of that aluminum is currently on there is to hide the fact that the transom is probably mulch and if it decides to let go on you out on the water with your family on board, it could get real ugly, real fast...
I can only think that if they filled the rotten transom with something like Sea Cast, you may have dodged a bullet, but even a 1000 mile road trip, even over rough roads, will NOT impart the stress on a transom that the motor puts on it when trying to motivate over a thousand pounds of fiberglass, wood, gear, gas, people and itself over the water...
You are in the same boat [pun intended] most of have been when we get our first pride and joy...which is denial...
After you come to the realization that if you want to keep this boat and use it safely, you will need to restore it...
We will be here to help and guide you along the path to a better than new built boat for a lot less money than a new one that you and your family can enjoy for many, many years and you will be proud to own...
End of sermon, Carry On and Best of Luck...
GT1M

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

The other thread has pix that weren't part of this 1. Helps get a better overview of the general condition of the hull, that's all.

The info in the other thread would indicate that the boat was stored bow down and water collected in the bow area where your feet would be. Which would cause similar damage. Critters could have done it as well.

My main question @ the other thread was did you have someone actually put eyes & hands on your hull?

Transom is more involved, but AT LEAST 50% or more of the primary structure of your boat, as the motor to boat interface.

Compared to a similar boat by a different maker, you may have dodged the rotten stringers, so you 'could' look at that as a cost savings, or any money that might have been needed for stringers can be used for transom replacement.

You wouldn't want to put new floors, walls & a roof over an unsound foundation on a house.

 

[Watermann]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Looks like you have your work cut out for you on this one. It's clear to me that the guy who did the transom work didn't know what he was doing at all. It's not the correct way to repair by "splinting" the area that's damaged. Seeing the rot in your other post means only one thing to me, the whole boat it going to be the same way. Every piece of that 40+ year old wood is going to need replaced.

So why is the starter hanging in the splashwell anyway?

 

[JNormV163]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Looks like you have your work cut out for you on this one. It's clear to me that the guy who did the transom work didn't know what he was doing at all. It's not the correct way to repair by "splinting" the area that's damaged. Seeing the rot in your other post means only one thing to me, the whole boat it going to be the same way. Every piece of that 40+ year old wood is going to need replaced.

So why is the starter hanging in the splashwell anyway?

lol thats the old starter. Didn't notice it was there when I was snapping the photos. You can have it if u want.

 

[Watermann]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Too funny, thanks your a very generous guy!

So are you going to dive in and make her like new again? You know you want to.

Edit: I see in your pic that there's a for sale sign in the windshield, your not planning on bailing out over the side now are you?

 

[JNormV163]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Too funny, thanks your a very generous guy!

So are you going to dive in and make her like new again? You know you want to.

Edit: I see in your pic that there's a for sale sign in the windshield, your not planning on bailing out over the side now are you?

Ha yeah Im going to. I was very skeptical at first but i've learned alot over the months. I didnt know if the motor ran and now that I do Im ready to tackle the boat. I have a goal to have it on the water by labor day. The only thing that scares me now is the transom seems so difficult to repair. But I really believe I can fix anything if I learn enough about it. From where I was 3 months ago till now is night and day. I didnt even know the difference from Bow and Stern lol. Oh and that photo was before I bought it. I took pics of it to show family back home and see if it was a good deal. Cant go wrong for $300.

 

[chconger]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

....I have a goal to have it on the water by labor day...

I hope you make it. But my experience is to estimate the time and multiply by 3.

.....Then add 2 ;-)

Cheers
Chris

 

[JNormV163]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Here are some photos of the transom from inside the boat. I'm watching videos and replacing the transom seems way out of me league. Got some more thinking to do. Going to pull the deck today to see what the underneath looks like.

Not sure whats going on here. That bolt goes to the secondary motor mount. Looks like some shotty repairs.



Heres the transom. Looks like some bare wood is already showing :/ Don't mind that bolt sticking out I wanted to replace the hardware but that bolt has so much silicone on it I cant pull it all the way out.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

If you were to lose a boot up the behind of the PO, nobody would blame you. :facepalm: There is some really ugly, questionably sound, halfassed kludgey patching there.

Nothing you do, regardless of your existing skill level, will be as bad as what you are starting with. The folks here will provide guidance that prevents a repeat of any of that.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Yes, not sound work

Is that un-resin'd fiberglass cloth in the last 2 pix. What? PO ran out & just never bothered?

If you can remove & replace the deck (floor) you CAN replace the transom, but yes it is more involved to demo & put back then the deck.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

At first everything you have to do to this boat will seem like trying to climb Mt.Everest with just the clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet...but if you are willing to give it a go, with the help of the awesome guys on this forum, you will get to the point where climbing Mt.Everest is like riding a bicycle...well sort of...

 

[JNormV163]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Part of my issue is I work out of my driveway and all I have is a shed. Im gonna start by cutting the outisde fiberglass off to reveal the wood underneath?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

NOT the outside skin of the transom.

The inside. If you wanted to, you could just score a 1/8-3/16" kerf along all 4 sides, and remove a large 'sheet' of fiberglass from the center of the transom. Then when you decide to proceed, you could trim it back to the edge @all 4 sides.

Where the splashwell attaches to the transom, the plywood extends up into that cavity. Makes removing the splashwell more difficult then is seems it should be.

Is this graphic clear?

 

[JNormV163]

Re: Hull and Transom integrity questions. Several photos attached.

Well I know this post was originally about the transom but I pulled the floor. I had to know what I was dealing with underneath. It wasnt pretty. As much as I hate to admit it, the people of Iboats were right and I definitely needed to check the deck and stringers. I'm glad I listened. Below is what used to be nice wood before it rot. As soon as I pulled the fiber glass off the deck the soft spot i originally had crumbled. So i pulled the rest of the deck. Looked like the front section was sectioned in. The actual deck wasnt to bad but the stringers were rotten beyond repair and what was left of the foam. I have a few questions. Do the new stingers just get fiberglassed in? Thats how the seemed to be originally. Is this a hard job? Instead of using the Styrofoam I was gonna use that two chemical liquid pour foam. Is it bad to be doing all of this on the trailer? Lastly is it bad to be standing on the fiberglass hull while im inside the boat? Thanks!


Heres the deck after I pulled the carpet. The yellow is from the carpet adhesive.



This is when I pulled the old ****ty fiberglass job. The wood crumbled.



The section that I pulled first.



The rotten stringers



Toward the transom. Where the moisture settled.