My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

[fish46]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

still trying to upload pic

i think i got it ill post more pics soon

 

[fish46]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

Here's a link for an outboard motor stand, if your interested. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=266975

Don't be intimidated by any means. One step at a time. I was feeling the same way as you but it all came out okay. Your better off making sure everything is sound now while you have it apart. Your de-construction looks really good so far. Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming. You doing great.

Here's some more pics if you want a pic of something let me know and I'll try to get it to you. keep at it my boat looked just like it but instet of brown it was blue. what ever i can help with

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

Signal- nice project you've got there, looks like that will keep you busy for a while.

I've got the same Merc 800 only mine is a '71. Nice outboards for a 16' rig. Mine is aluminum and I've just gotten it torn apart as well.

Good luck with the rig

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

still trying to upload pic

that is a nice boat, what is the name of it? It looks identical to my boat.

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

So I finally gave up denying that I will eventually have to remove my motor so I decided to tackle that project this weekend. Yesterday I built a outboard motor stand using the directions posted on this site. Its not that pretty and I made it using hand tools in the rain, but it works. I bolted a 2x6 to the studs in the cealing of my garage and hung a come along from a strap. After alot of yelling and screaming (I did this all alone with no help) I got the motor off the boat and on to the motor stand

Got the motor off the boat, nothing was scarier than watching this thing dangle from a small strap hanging from a 2x6

thanks to Iboats again for the motor stand idea and directions.

 

[fish46]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

that is a nice boat, what is the name of it? It looks identical to my boat.

the boat is a Dart. But everybody that I know nobody has hear about that boat. That's what the title says i have looked on line and can't fined anything on it. But it looked just like yours before I change everything on it.If I can help you with anything just ask

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

the boat is a Dart. But everybody that I know nobody has hear about that boat. That's what the title says i have looked on line and can't fined anything on it. But it looked just like yours before I change everything on it.If I can help you with anything just ask

So i do have a question for you. Since your haul looks identical to mine and I never really got mine on the water before my project began how does it do on the water in any kind of chop with that tri hul design? and how shallow of water does the boat float in? I have heard a lot of stories about how these old tri hulls will beat you to death in any kind of chop. I also do alot of flats fishing here in Florida and I'm curious to see how shallow i can go in it. Any in put would be awesome

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

I've been doing alittle work here and there, mainly just scraping out wet foam and filling garbage can after garbage can. Finally this weekend I got some good time to work on the boat and I had a buddy come over with his brand new Hitachi Sawzall. I got the stringers cut out (which werent more than some mushy wood) and really vacummed out the boat with the shop vac. I'm gonna try and pick up some plywood this week and start measuring and cutting stingers. Hopefully I dont have much more time until I can place my close to $1k resin and fiberglass order

So you can see there is still alittle wood that wasnt completely rotten through the the channel of the middle stringer. I will have to grind this out. Anyone have any suggestions to the best way to do this?

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

Oh yea, almost forgot to add. Thanks to everyone that told me not to be tooo confident about the transom...as I was removing fiberglass and foam closer and closer to the transom I slowly realized that the transom is not as solid as I thought, only the fiberglass skin was. I dug into the transom with my crowbar and found that whatever is left of the transom core material is like a potting soil consistancy either way, just gonna be alittle more work and time but I'm glad that I need to do it. Would have been stupid to do all this work and NOT redo the transom while its all apart.

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

I started working on the transom today and found it to be more rotten than i expected...the wood core had the consistancy of potting soil. I cant believe how bad it was.

I even found a nice little colony of ants (possibly termites.,....yikes)

After about 2 hours of digging and scraping with the crow bar

 

[SBTOM]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

Sorry to hear about your transom... In response to your question about how to remove what is left of the stringers, I would go with a 36 grit disk on that angle grinder you have in the photos there.... as you get into the corners, a flap wheel would probably be nice. Good progress!

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

There is still a good amount of just nasty wet dirt like residue covering the area around the bottom of the transom as well as the inside of the grooves where the stringers were. My friend gave me the idea of using a pressure washer to blast out the stringer grooves and maybe the area around the transom to get rid of all the dirt easily and leaving it out in the sun to dry up. I felt like for some reason its not a good idea, I dont want to get the inside of the hull wet after doing all that work to remove all the wet wood and foam. But now thats its just bare fiberglass is that still a bad idea??? or has anyone done it before with success or failure?????

 

[osborn159]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

I did it after i got mine gutted with no repercusion to this point, id be careful if there is a lot of oil/gas waste in the bilge as you could drive it into the fiberglass you are going to try to bond to, i have not had any problem bonding to the hull "yet", see what some of the more experienced rebuilders say before proceeding, and ask about using cleaner with the p/w some leave a residue.
good luck, looks good so far.
D

btw where is Parrish, im in chuluota tween orlando and titusville

 

[fish46]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

So i do have a question for you. Since your haul looks identical to mine and I never really got mine on the water before my project began how does it do on the water in any kind of chop with that tri hul design? and how shallow of water does the boat float in? I have heard a lot of stories about how these old tri hulls will beat you to death in any kind of chop. I also do alot of flats fishing here in Florida and I'm curious to see how shallow i can go in it. Any in put would be awesome

I dont know if I send you a pic but I had a tunnle mayed I and I can run in about 12 inches the boat will float on about 16 inches. I've been in 4 foot waves in it and you can't compair to a flatbottom or bay boat. I also do alot of fishing in the flats her in Texas. if you need more pics to get ideas let me know what you need.

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

I did it after i got mine gutted with no repercusion to this point, id be careful if there is a lot of oil/gas waste in the bilge as you could drive it into the fiberglass you are going to try to bond to, i have not had any problem bonding to the hull "yet", see what some of the more experienced rebuilders say before proceeding, and ask about using cleaner with the p/w some leave a residue.
good luck, looks good so far.
D

btw where is Parrish, im in chuluota tween orlando and titusville

thanks for the input I dont think I have much fuel and oil waste in my bilge area, it was more very very rotted wood that was like wet dirt

and Parrish is near Bradenton in Manatee County.....Im about 30 minutes south of Tampa and 15 minutes north of Sarasota

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

I dont know if I send you a pic but I had a tunnle mayed I and I can run in about 12 inches the boat will float on about 16 inches. I've been in 4 foot waves in it and you can't compair to a flatbottom or bay boat. I also do alot of fishing in the flats her in Texas. if you need more pics to get ideas let me know what you need.

check your PMs

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

I just placed an order from US Composites and Fiberglassite. I ordered the following.

5 Gallons Standard Layup Polyester Resin with hardener
50" x 10 yards 1.5oz Chopped Strand Mat
6" x 10 yards 17oz Biaxial Tape
50" x 10 yards 18oz Woven Roving
5 quarts of Aerosil-Cabosil
4lb tub 1/4" Chopped Strands
5 quarts 3M Glass Bubbles
2.5lbs of Wood Flour
2oz Surfacing Wax


I also got misc stuff like plastic containers, spreaders, mixing sticks and those bubble buster rollers. I figure I can pick up rollers, paint brushes and acetone at the local Lowes or HD.

I'm thinking I will probably need alittle more resin and glass down the road but that should be a good start to things.

Not mention I also picked up acouple 1x6x10s and a 1x10x12 for stringers and a sheet of 1/2" plywood that I will make the transom out of.

 

[osborn159]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

havent heard anything in a while how you comin along?, curious, thats all, hope things are going well for you,
D

 

[Signal 20]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

havent heard anything in a while how you comin along?, curious, thats all, hope things are going well for you,
D

thanks for checking in I just got my whole above order from US Composites yesterday. I also jumped in the boat yesterday and started grinding. I got the whole transom area ground up nicely and I started grinding out the small amount of left over wood in the channels for the stringers. I had to stop because I only had 1 36-grit flap wheel and I burned through it pretty quick.

I'm going to lowes today to pick up some cheap brushes, more 36-grit wheels for the grinder and acouple tubes of PL Poly adhesive for bedding the stringers.

I know it seems like I am taking a long time with this project. I work 40 hours a week and I have a 4 month old at home. So I only get about 3-4 hours on the boat a week as long as I'm done by my deadline of July 1st so I can get on the water for some scalloping this year I'll be happy

 

[osborn159]

Re: My 1981 Malibu 16'8 CC restomod

10-4 had not heard any thing was wondering, noticed when you cut thru thru the deck your cut are really nice and tidy how did you get them so nice?
understand life happens and these things take time.
where do you scallop homassassa? when i was a younger we used to camp at natures resort and scallop, unfortunatley i have an ear condition now that keeps me from getting any deeper than about 5 ft, without really bad pain, would like to do it again just gotta stay shallow i guess.
keep at it it will get done in time, good luck, keep us posted,
D