new member lots of questions but will search for a while

[J. Mark]

Howdy,

I'm not new to boating, but have been without a boat for the last 7-8 years.

I just bought an old Marlin Ski Magnum 19" inboard with a mercruiser 350 the other night and I'll be searching the forums and asking lots of questions as it has rotten stringers and transom, and the engine is going to need some work. I paid a price that I considered fair for a hull and the galvinized trailer though and am looking forward to the project with a tentative goal of getting the boat on the water by Memorial Day 2009

Stringers are rotted out well past the engine mounts and the top of the transom is pretty crumbly.

I've started to remove the floor and I've found lots of makeshift repairs like 2x4's sistering the stringers alongside the engine, expandable foam under the floor on the sides (not the proper kind) and a nice rochester automotive carburator with a shiny coat of black paint that has plugged vacuum lines that look like heck. They even ran a vacuum line to the electric choke heat tube!

Trailer look like new and the exterior is in nice shape though, so I have high hopes. I've worked on car engines and boat hulls before and do a fair amount of carpentry, so mostly I have the tools I need and at least some of the basic skills.

I'm in the tear down process and with the interior removed and half the floor out, it looks bleak and I doubt I'll be able to salvage a piece of wood on the boat. Oh well at least when I am done I'll know what was done, how it was done, and hopefully with the information here, that it was done right.

With a little luck I'm going to see if I can get far enough along to pull the engine over the weekend and get it on an engine stand to try and see just what it is going to need. Thankfully Chevy 350's are not totally unfamiliar and though I might need a lot or memory refreshing, I think I can get it back in order. If not . . . I'll beg for help.

I'm in Nashville, Tennessee and if any members are in the area, I'd be glad to trade a hand on your boat from time to time for help on mine.

Anyway, thanks for listening/reading my ramble, now I'm off to do research on your most excellent site.

 

[drewpster]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

Good to see a fellow Volunteer. Best of luck on your project. Welcome to the best boat forum on the net!
Drewp

 

[J. Mark]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

Thanks for the welcome. I'm planning to pull the engine Saturday as the overall condition of the wood is so damn bad. Looks like it will sit in my basement over the winter, but on the plus side I'll pick up an engine stand and try and get the engine straightened out before dropping it back in the boat, hopefully this spring.

Been reading a lot, learning a lot, but I still need to figure out plenty of stuff. I figure I'll keep tearing down until I know what all I will have to deal with. It would be easier to be made of money, but I'd miss out on all the fun huh?

 

[J. Mark]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

Well I have done a little more tear out. The wood in the stringers and transom is all so rotted and shot that I will be starting from scratch. The good news is that it is so rotten removal is going very quickly.

I considered using seacast to make new stringers, but I believe I will need something like 10-15 gallons and the budget is not going to allow that.

So I will be using something more traditional-wood. After all the rot I have seen, I am going to do everything I can to make the wood as waterproof as possible and to eliminate any and all leaks Sounds pretty basic.

Time I asked a question I suppose.

What are my choices in terms of wood and which offers the best combination of strength, rot resistance and availability?

 

[oops!]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

welcome to i boats.....

rotten wood is a lot of fun huh?

3 basic choices....(theres more but ill keep it simple)

pressure treated plywood......marine ply.....and exterior grade ply.

1...... pt ply......needs to be dryed for over a month...it also tends to warp when drying.......once wrapped with glass it will out last you.....it cannot come into contact with aluminum....aval any where

2.....marine ply.....expencive but good.....less voids between the plys than pt or ext......waterproof glue....very dry.....good product...harder to find...can be ordered from home store

3......extreior grade ply.......very good all around....cheap.....waterproof glue....still needs to be dryed....but with a fan on it and some heat....it can be done in a week....once wrapped iin glass....it can last over 20 years (when sealed properly) available any where

4 composite board.....like penski board.....expencive ...@$10 a sq foot.....strong....waterproof....will never break down.
specialty product.....can be purchased thru a quality fiberglass shop
hope that helps

there is a lot more technical matters to it and many different grades and types of wood. but those are the very basics

theres lots on here about wood...and how to dry it....just hit search and get your reading glasses on

cheers
oops

 

[J. Mark]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

Okay, I understand my options with ply for the transom.

Do you mean to say that I should build my stringers out of plywood as well?

Since my engine lag bolts into the stringers, the thought of laminating plywood into beams just seems counterintuitive. Does laminated ply have the necessary strength to withstand the engine torque?

I am assuming that the stringers are laminated vertically as opposed to strips laying flat and stacking up.

I've read a lot of the posts and Douglas Fir has been mentioned as well as White Oak and dimensional pressure treated. I am inclined toward a rot resistant wood and was considering cypress or mahogany if I could find large enough pieces-but that may be difficult and expensive too.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

pressure treated is not compatible with metal fasteners, cypress is too soft. yes laminating on edge, then make a metal mount for the engine mount, 'L' bracket and side bolt it thur the laminations, and bolt the motor to the mount. lag bolting a motor is not a good mount, even though the Mfgrs do it.

 

[J. Mark]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

Thanks. Pulling the engine as soon as I get time. Ran a compression check and it looks like I have a rebuild of the heads at least and possibly more

Well the good news is whenever something breaks after I get done, I'll know where to look since it looks like this is going to be a complete tear down and rebuild of just about everything.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: new member lots of questions but will search for a while

Welcome J. Mark, your in the right place !!! were all here to help , god knows if i didnt have all these guys here helping mine would be still sitting in the garage !!
yours sound a lot like mine [ except of the I/O ] It was a lot of work but well worth it !! If you can get some pics post , we all like looking are other guys messes !!! hahah Ok this really is the best boating forum on the net !! and again welcome !! John