Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

[Bob_VT]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

That Donzi hull is very well made. They only installed what the designers wanted.

Just replace the rotted stuff in the same place.

 

[salty87]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

pretty obvious to tell things weren't done as good as they could have been, huh? that's not uncommon, cutting costs where they could.

lots of boats have the stringers notched for cross-supports. the notches always rot first, bad design in my opinion. these are your chances to build a boat that will last longer than you probably will use it. won't necessarily cost more and will probably be even easier to just run the stringer the whole length and not notch them for cross-supports.

there are few straight lines, no 90 degree corners, and no flat surfaces in a hull. you don't need 100% accuracy, you just need to show more fore-thought and care than the factory to build a better boat.

stringers that aren't sacrificed for cross-members, drainage so water can't collect ever again to rot things, properly sealing your new floor when you install seats n stuff....the little things really make a difference.

 

[AJSVFORCE]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

Have a new problem! How do i get to the part of the floor thats under the bow?
The whole bow from the dash area or consoles forward are one piece and taking the whole top of the boat off is not an option,i have no way to do it and it would probably get destroyed.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Andy

 

[92excel]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

i know you said it wasnt an option to take the cap off but thats the best way to do it.. your only other option is to cut out the fiberglass to get access to the decking area. but your rebuild will look like a patch job when you try to flow your new deck into your old cap.

 

[AJSVFORCE]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

There is no way i can remove the front,sides,and rear of the boat.
Its all one piece,i would just end up destroying it,and i have no place to put it.
Hasent anyone run into this before.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

Yes it is common. People remove the cap of the boat quite often when doing the deck and stringers. You are just slightly intimidated by the thought and I am here to tell you ........ it's not that bad.

A boat such as your's with an I/O is actually easier than a boat with a regular outboard.

Here it is in a nutshell. wiring needs to be marked and disconnected.
Steering needs to be disconnected.
Everything associated with the top of the boat will be lifted off and can actually be lifted by as few as two people..... it really is light.
There is a "rub-rail" around the outside of the boat. When that is removed you will see rivets or screws under there. When they come out (either drilled out or ground away) the cap has to be coaxed but it will separate.

It is best to have a place to put this down where it will not be disturbed in a safe place.

Once the stringers and the deck is done.... it goes together faster.

Your other alterantive is to do it in pieces and work around everything.

 

[AJSVFORCE]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

I have nowhere to put the top of the boat and things can and do go wrong,gelcoat cracking or just getting dropped.
Also, im not sure but i would think that the hull would flex more when the cap is removed. And the boat sitting on the trailer wont help the cause.
I dont want to redo my floor only to find out the hull has flexed slightly,and never be able to get the cap back on without breaking it.
Is there any tips or methods for doing the floor replacement with the bow intact?
Thanks,
Andy

 

[JaSla74]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

Can you post a pic of the situation under the bow. You may be able to redesign your stringer layout without removing the cap.

Yes, your hull can flex if your remove the cap. You'd have to make sure it was properly supported before glassing in anything. If you haven't already check out oops' hull extension thread. There is a lot of good information in there, one of which he addresses this issue.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

The hull will flex and it is desiged to flex...... happens every time you are on water. There are ways to maintain the dimensions and the flexibility actually helps when you re-assemble it.

 

[jonesg]

Simple

Simple

A grinder with a steel diamond blade ( masonry) , cut the fwd deck out, leave 2 inche lip of deck all around to glass it back.
Fix the sub deck and reinstall the decking, carpet over it if its ugly.

I would definately drill a couple of holes in the transom, at the bottom and near the top, look for water or wet wood pulp on the drill.
Its a lot simpler to fix those 2 holes now than tear everything out later when a wet transom comes home to roost. You can drill it from the backside if you don't want to mar the exterior gel coat.

Tapping the transom with a mallet , I don't know, thats subjective...
I heard mine when it was rotted and compare it to now that its been replaced and solid ,
you'd need a rather educated ear to know the difference.
Wood pulp on the drill bit will not lie.

 

[salty87]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

foam is another concern, if it's wet...it needs to be removed. even up front.

what sort of room do you have to work with? got more pics?

 

[AJSVFORCE]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

Well,first of all I am not going to tear up the bow and rig it back together.
I wont be removing the bow,its just to much of a risk. I dont want to create more issues that need to be fixed.
I will be removing all the plywood stringers and bracing along with all the foam.
I am going to try and figure something out for the bow,but for right now I just need it to warm up so I can get back to removing the rotten stuff.
Here are a few more pics of what I am dealing with.
Thanks for the help,
Andy

 

[RyanSS]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

well, you can do it right the first time or do it halfway now and hope for the best. Your call.

Removing the cap and doing the entire guts (stringers, floor, foam) now and the putting the cap back on is the RIGHT way to do it. Once that is all done, it's like a brand new boat structure wise.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

man what year is that boat? A sad sight

 

[sschefer]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

Another option is thick carpet. Fix it as best you can and carpet it so only you know how bad it looks.

 

[AJSVFORCE]

Re: Ideas On The Cost Of Rebuilding Floor???

Well sangster,the plan is to do it right the first time,as you read I will be removing ALL stringers and bracing,and ALL foam.
It will make it harder for me but it will ALL be replaced.
Might be laying on my back doing the under bow stuff but it will get done,I am not doing all this work only to have it all rot again.Where theres a will theres a way.
The boat is a 1988 DONZI RAGAZZA.