It has begun!

[lowvlot]

I know it's summer and the 4th of July weekend, and I should be getting the boat ready for the water however i have chosen to start the restoration. I spent most of last summer reading the threads on this forum about deck replacement. I have no garage so doing this in the winter is no good. When i bought this boat a few years ago i had to repair the deck right by the ski locker (Bilge hatch) immediatly. I have the itch to do it so I peeled up some carpet today and pushed my hand through a soft spot in the floor only to discover water and wet foam. The good news is the stringers look like they were glassed real good and as far as i can tell in that spot are solid. My question is the seat bases. I know they are glassed in but has anyone ever cut them out? Is it worth it and is it neccesary? Maybe I should tell you that this boat is a 17' cuddy cabin. Any input is appreciated.

 

[chargerboy]

Re: It has begun!

Are the seat bases glassed over top of a plywood floor? If so, I would cut them out and replace the plywood underneath, and fiberglass them back in.

 

[jonesg]

Re: It has begun!

If the stringers really are good then you saved a ton of extra work.
And its likely the transom will still be ok.

 

[JAFO1]

Re: It has begun!

Good luck brother, I'm right there with you. Just started a resto myself. Keep us posted.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Okay. So today I continued ripping the deck up. I found more water and wet foam and the fuel tank. The Transom indeed looks to be fine. It is well glassed and bone dry. I have decided to cut out the seat bases and rebuild them. I took the measurements so I would have them for the rebuild then knocked a hole in the top of one to see what was in there. I know now where the bulk of the foam is. I had no idea until today that they filled the entire seat base with foam. I was thinking about putting some doors on the side of the bases and using the cavity for storage but would then have to leave out the foam. What is everyones take on foam? To foam or not to foam? that is the question. Does anyone know where to find reasonably priced seats? Would it be cheaper to reupholster what I have?

 

[chargerboy]

Re: It has begun!

You can get an idea of how much the seats will cost to replace by shopping on the internet. Whatever you do, make sure there's foam in the boat! It's coast guard regulation to have enough foam to keep your boat floating when swamped. 100 dollars in foam to save how many thousands of dollars of boat if something goes wrong? Money well spent.

If you're positive that the stringers and transom are in good shape, then you're lucky. I would drill a couple core samples first though and see what's in the middle.

Also, back to the seats, if you have the money and can afford to replace them with new, it might cost a little more ( I have never priced out having old ones recovered), but IMO it's a better way, you're getting nice smelling new seats that don't have mildew growing in the old foam. Boat seats aren't meant to last forever.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Chargerboy, you seem to be a wealth of knowledge when it comes to this. I appreciate all the input from everyone and anyone. Continued removing the deck today and realized that the seat bases in the rear of the boat would have to come out at least partially as well as the front. It's strange that only one side has water in it and the other is bone dry at least this far. I guess this is the part of the project when I ask myself what the hell I have gotten into. looks like alot of rebuilding not only the deck but seat bases as well. I guess if your going to do it do it right. Does anyone know if I should do anything with the fuel tank while I can get to it? Any maintance of such?

 

[jonesg]

Re: It has begun!

Unless you are a boat mfger you don't HAVE to install foam, some do and some don't.
But wet foam is junk for sure.

Clean the tank, if its fiberglass its pure junk.
Replumb whilst you're in there, old fuel line is outdated for todays fuel.

The best idea for foam I've seen is to spray it under the gunnels to prevent it going turtle if swamped.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

jonesg, thanks for the input. The tank is metal. If i spray foam in the gunnels will there be enough to keep the boat floating in case of trouble? This boat is only 17' and will never in my time of owning it see the Ocean. It is going to simply be a lake boat for fishing or tubing. Hopefully it will not get swamped in that sort of arena.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

The question of the hour is. I f there is foam in your boat that is dry can it be re used?

 

[oops!]

Re: It has begun!

the totally dry foam (like in the seat bases)
can be reused....i stuffed the pieces into the cavitys that i was going to fill with new foam....the new foam will surround the old and cut your costs.
some people use pink closed cell insulation foam.

as far as the foam under the gunwhales.....if you dont need that compartment for cables...ect. yep....fill em.....every little bit helps.

 

[redfury]

Re: It has begun!

If there is wet foam on only one side of the boat, I would be highly suspect of water intrusion from either a crack in the hull, water that is entering from the rub rail seam or ???. Check the hull out thoroughly. It is very easy to miss a crack or small hole that is letting the water in, but that's all it takes, so you'll want to become familiar with the entire hull of the boat personally. No point in doing all this work for it to only start the process again immediately after hitting the water.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Redfury, you bring an excellent point to the table. I know that when I bought the boat the port side at the ski locker was busted out a bit. I did a quick repair on it as I was anxious to get floating. Also The port side was the side that had the soft spots in the deck. The starboard side is solid and dry. A couple winters ago I forgot to remove the drain plug and my boat cover failed when spring came i noticed about 4 or so inches of water on the deck. Needless to say I removed the plug quickly and drained all the water. I am really hoping that is why there is water in only one side. Question. Once the deck is removed can I put the boat in the water to see if it is leaking? Or could I put water from the hose in the boat and asee if it comes out? What if there is a crack and it only opens with pressure against it while moving in the water?

 

[chargerboy]

Re: It has begun!

You could try filling the boat with water and see if any water leaks out, on a fiberglass boat you're likely to just find a leaking thru hull fitting though. There is a chance that there is no crack in your hull, don't panic yet, but could there have been a chance for water to penetrate the deck on that side and get in the foam? If there is a crack in the hull, and it's big enough to let water in, you'll see it on the hull.

 

[redfury]

Re: It has begun!

finding a leak that isn't obvious is going to be a chore, so I'd look for an obvious leak first. Could be from a seat base, could be a thru hull fitting ( as previously mentioned ).

Can you float the boat without the deck? Sure! As long as the stringers are intact. But it's going to depend on what is under the deck whether you'll be able to see anything. If they dumped foam in there, it'll need to be scraped clean, or the foam left behind may make it difficult...y'know what I mean?

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Found some light spots in glass. You can see daylight through them. Best practice here? I'm thinking mat and resin in the hull and a repair outside aswell. What to use on outside? Looks like the boat was beached one to many times. When it comes to laying in the new deck do they go down in one piece or do you put down two or three?

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: It has begun!

May the iboats force be with you....and welcome to the club of RA. (Restorers Anonymous)

 

[Doernuth]

Re: It has begun!

Good luck and keep us updated on the progress.

As for Restorers Anonymous... Anyone knoe of a 12 step program?

 

[nuboat2me]

Re: It has begun!

May the iboats force be with you....and welcome to the club of RA. (Restorers Anonymous)

When and where is the next RA meeting...
I am jonesin' bad....
Sorry... couldn't resist...

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Sorry I havn't updated in a bit. I have not been working on her as I have been busy at work. It seems that in a sluggish economy my work as a security/accesss control technician is in high demand. As if that isn't enough I got a Kidney stone attack on Friday evening, so have been laying low this weekend. Depending on how I feel this afternoon I may get back in there and finish up the grinding. I will keep everyone who is interested in the progress updated. I know there are alot of us doing the same project right now but I find it interesting to follow the individual progress of others.