New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

[P10 WRC]

Hello All,

I picked up my first boat this month and have a few questions. I have a 1991 Maxum 1800xr with the force 90 outboard. Overall, it seems to be in great shape. There are two concerns i have though, so I thought i would ask.

I bought the boat from the original owner who only had it on the water 20 or so times. I live in AZ and it's not a humid area, but it can rain in the summer months heavily. we recently had a rain storm and i had to turn on the bilge pump after a day of rain to drain it out.

The windshield is not aligned and does not close unless you lift up on the port side glass. once i do this, i can close the windshield and lock it in place. I am worried that there might be something wrong with my deck and it's sagging but am not sure. If the left console is sagging, can i just prop it up and screw it together at a higher spot? I have read threads on here about rot but am not really sure how to check. The deck seems solid with no soft spots other then right by the ski stowage area. The console is loose though

Here is a pic

The other concern i have is with the hull. There seems to be some damage, but am not sure if I am okay leaving it or if i need to get it repaired. We had the boat on the water and it ran fine, but just want to check. It looks like it was patched by someone at one point

here is a pic of that damage

Thanks Guys,
and sorry for my ignorance on boats

 

[Bondo]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

we recently had a rain storm and i had to turn on the bilge pump after a day of rain to drain it out.

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,....

Pull the garboard plug, 'n raise the front of the wagon, so's it Drains naturally, by gravity...

The windshield is not aligned and does not close unless you lift up on the port side glass. once i do this, i can close the windshield and lock it in place. I am worried that there might be something wrong with my deck and it's sagging but am not sure.

You've gotta figure out Why the consoles are failin',...
It rarely is just the need for a couple more screws,...
Usually, Somethin's Rotten,... Somewhere...

The other concern i have is with the hull. There seems to be some damage, but am not sure if I am okay leaving it or if i need to get it repaired.

Yes,... It appears Serious, as I can see the Fiberglass...

If you wanta fix it,.. We can walk ya through it... or hire it out...

But get it Fixed...

Btw,... The previous repair looks Worse than poorly done... barely a bandaid...

 

[tpenfield]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

By the looks of the hull, the boat has been in the water more than 20 times. . .

As far as the windshield, check for soft spots or unevenness on the floor and below.

 

[produceguy]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

Welcome to i-boats.
Bondo is correct on all points.
As tpenfield has mentioned you need to check the deck.
Myself, I wouldn't put it in the water with the hull in that bad of shape. If water gets in throu that glass, shurely it will soak the foam and then more time and money to fix it.

 

[oops!]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

the maxims ware basialy a high end capri.

the windsheild lining up is a common problem.

but each boat was different, it could be that the sides are loose sliding toward the rear of the boat, causing mis alignment or the centre has dropped due to rot...

unfortunately, there was no one sure cause or one fix that works on every boat.

when i get a little more time i can give you more info.....

but please post pics of the windsheild.....the sides, the front side corners....the walk thru and how it is mis aligned....and the padded supports under the console walk thru.

also the floor of the boat right in front of the ski locker and between the walk way.

as far as the keel......that is a repair right now situation....
if the guys have not chipped in with full instructions by the time i get home form work.....ill type it out for you.

cheers
oops

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

Thanks for the replies guys. Instructions on fixing the fiberglass would be good

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

How handy are you you with Sanders and Grinders? Do you own one or the other? Have you ever done any glass work? Asking so we will know how much detail to give.

 

[sjohnson44]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

Check your side panels to see if the fiberglass is broken out where they mount to the side. Although it may not be the case with your Maxum, my Bayliner seemed to use them as supports for the sides.

There are about 10-15 bolts that hold it to the fiberglass top side and just wood screws on the bottom screwed in from the back side.

You wont find any better help than you will here, the people here have been there, done it, and got the tshirt.

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

How handy are you you with Sanders and Grinders? Do you own one or the other? Have you ever done any glass work? Asking so we will know how much detail to give.

I am pretty handy and can tackle most any job if I have the right instructions. I have a grinder and I also have a sander. I have never done any glass work though. I understnd th concepts though

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

bump, any advice on the hull repair

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

Ok, How long is that damaged area on the Chine? Where exactly on the hull is it located? Starboard or Port side? You'll need to grind the damaged area down to where you can see glass, both on the bottom and on the side of the hull. You will have to wrap the edge so it will be a little tricky to get this done without getting air bubbles in the glass and you cannot have any air bubbles!!!! Doing this upside down on your back will not be as easy as it would be if she were flipped but it can be done. You will need, 1.5 oz CSM Mat, 1708 Biaxial cloth Laminating Polyester Resin, gelcoat, rubber gloves, respirator, goggles etc... 4-5 hours of work since you've never done it before and you'll be done. Maybe longer if you have issues.

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

it's about 15 inches long right on the bottom of the hull where it make the bottom of the "V" shape. it looks like the previous owner did some repair along the entire length of the bottom V part though. this is the only part that has worn away and you can see the glass. The rest of it is still covered up by that grey colored patch material. Do you have any idea what that stuff is? Should i just grind it all down and fix the whole thing?

What do i grind it down with? I have a grinder and a polisher and a sander. does the mat go directly on top of the gel coat on the parts i don't grind down?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

It looks to me in the pic like the damage is on the edge of the boat where the side of the hull meets the bottom. Am I seeing this wrong? Is the damaga actuall on the very bottom of the boat dead center (Keel)?? I the pic it appears I can see the roof of your house along side of the boat and the damage is righ there on the chine.

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

it is the keel, the very bottom of the boat. looks like damage from beaching or something. I took the pic from underneath with my phone.

Where do i get the supplies i need? I watched a few vids online about repair and it seems rather strait forward. Do i need any filler after the glass but before the gelcoat? is the gel coat roll on or spray on?

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

I found this video online. is this a good guide to use for my repair?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz5WCfipaNw&feature=related

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

Not a bad video. Pretty close to what you'll need to do.
www.uscomposites.com is where I get all my stuff

1 yd of 1.5 oz CSM (Chopped Strand Mat)
1 yd of 1708 Biaxial Cloth
2 qts of 435 resin
1 qt of white Gelcoat. ( You can Spray, Brush Or roll it on)

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

edit because i am an idiot

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

Okay Guys,

I spent about 3 hours sanding down the keel today. The stuff the previous owner used was really crappy. I was able to get it all cleaned up with some 60 grit sand paper and my sander. After inspecting the damage, i gotta say, the fiberglass looks fine. It seems to be just damage to the gel-coat. like the guy beached it too many times and used that grey stuff to patch up a bunch of cosmetic damage to the gel coat.

Would i be okay just using some filler and then some gel coat or do i need to throw some glass down first? I found a local shop to get all of my supplies from. As for the gelcoat, If i brush/roll it on, how many coats do i use?

 

[P10 WRC]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

here are a few pics of the area cleaned up.

 

[oops!]

Re: New owner of a 91 Maxum 1800 have a few questions

hi P10

your not done yet bud......more grinding.

go get a 24 grit disc with a rubber backing pad. you can grind that whole area in about 15 minits.

to glass the area (yes, it does need it) you need to bond the fiber glass to the old glass. not the gelcoat.

so if the repair area is only a total of 3 inches wide......your grinding will be 9 inches wide...
3 inches on either side of the repair.......the same with those spot repairs on the lower surface.

once you have it all ground off so you are looking at glass wide enough to get a good layer on.

in your pics, it looks as if some of the areas are glass strands and exposed need some type of filler.
for that you can mix up some structural filler (look in the index in the link below for oops sooper dooper structural peanut butter v 2.1)

cat the resin at 1.5% mekp. and mix in the fillers.....work fast and make sure its fully mixed...
then take a bondo spreader and spread that into the area. make sure you fill the bad areas.

using unwaxed resin....apply the first strip of csm to the hull.....make sure there are no air bubbles in the layer.
then using a strip of 1708 the same size as the csm.....apply the 1708 with the matt side touching the csm you just layed. then roll that on.

applying 1708 on your back is really tricky.....the cloth gets so heavy with the resin it wants to fall off....so several short strips will make it easier for you to glass.

if you mess up and turn the csm first layer of csm into a gnarled mess of hair-ish stuff.....it is better to remove it and start over rather than to leave a big bump of glass that you have to grind off later.

after you get the 1708 on......apply a wider last layer of csm over the 1708. the wide layer should contact the hull around the 1708 and kinda wrap it on....like a band aid covers a wound totally.

roll out the air.

on thing about cutting the 1708......you will see the 1708 has a kind of direction of the weave.....do not cut across the weave......cut it so that the weave goes down the keel...not across it.

if you cut it wrong.....you will have a frayed mess on the edges when you glass it.

apply every thing all in one shot when the resin still wet. dont wait for on layer to cure...and do the next....just do all three layers in succession.....wet on wet. this will give you a good chemical bond to the hull.

as for the gell coat......this is a decision point....
when you lay the glass, if you do a good job....you can apply the gellcoat when the resin starts to get hard but is still really tacky.
if you need to grind off a few bumps or air pockets.....then wait till cure....(about an hour) then grind it smooth.

as far as gellcoating......roll or paint on your first layer. let tack.....then take a bondo spreader and swipe the next layer on......the spreader will fill any ridges or pin holes you left with the first layer.

roll or brush on the next layer.....wait till tack and swipe it with the bondo spreader again.

do that 3 times....and then spray with pva. let cure.