newbie with hull question

[rubberduck]

Forgive my ignorance if this is a stupid question but I'm new to boating and beginning to plan my restore job. Funny how the more time I spend poking around the bigger the project gets.

Is there any wood in the hull and side walls like the transom? Or is it just fiberglass with the floor singers built on the hull?

 

[dmarkvid2]

Re: newbie with hull question

There is no wood in the hull and side walls

 

[Solittle]

Re: newbie with hull question

Mr. duck - Me bets you will be comming here from time to time with questions. You will get a lot more and a lot better responses if you tell us something about what you have and what you want to do. Also posting pictures saves a lot of typing.

 

[rubberduck]

Re: newbie with hull question

OK sounds good, I can use all the help I can get. This is my 1st time posting pic so lets se if his works.

I purchased this boat for probably more then I should have ($1300). I now more know more after a week of reading posts here then my entire life. Well I learned a lesson and am now looking at my choices.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n195/rubberduck_49/BOAT_start001.jpg

Here's what I found after a few days of poking around:
Part if not all of the transom needs replacing.
Floor needs replacement.Was able to but a screwdriver easily thru the plywood.
Haven't cut in to see the stringers but assume they are rotted also.
Pulled some of the foam and it is water logged.

Here's a shot of some stress cracks in the outside transom

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n195/rubberduck_49/BOAT_start006.jpg

I figure once I epoxy a new piece of plywood from the inside the cracks shouldn't be much of an issue. Am I correct to assume this?

What do you think, is it doable or sell it out for parts? I consider myself handy and have done many home improvement projects myself but this will be my 1st fixer up boat. As my wife says "jack of all trades master of none".

My plan is to winterize the motor next weekend then pull the motor and remove the drive. Once these are off I can begin tearing it apart.

I figure I'd start from the transome and move forward until I hit dry wood. The bow sems solid so I'm hoping I won't have to touch the consoles.

How's that plan of attack sound?

 

[stevieray]

Re: newbie with hull question

Hi, rubberduck....thought I'd impart a little of my hard-won wisdom. I had a boat very similar to this one (my first back in about 1989 - 19ft VIP cuddy). Engine coupler went up & I took it to a very good mechanic. He pulled the engine & found rot just like you're finding. Stringers & floor would no longer hold the weight of the engine & he could not get it to align properly. His advice was "patch it up cosmetically & trade it in on a newer one". Fixing that kind of structural damage can get VERY costly. Even if you do it yourself, you may never get the dimensions just right to get the alignment correct. I followed the advice I was given & was not sorry - still have the same boat I traded up to. My best guess is the old boat was never properly stored in the winter, water froze in the bilge & cracked thru the glass coating the stringers & the rot door was wide open. I can see many similarities to what you have there.
Just sharing an experience - you can take it as you see fit.

 

[strizzy]

Re: newbie with hull question

rubberduck, it looks like you got a little project on your hands! By the end of it you will know quite a bit!

If you know you need to do a transom (just do the whole thing), and floor, I would tear it all apart, see what else you have to do. Make sure there’s not a surprise waiting for you. So I would, tear interior out, floor, inspect stringers, and then start working on the transom and stringers if need be. But I would get everything ready to work on at once, so you can see just how much you have to do, and I also like to prep everything at once, sense this will take the longest, and probably the most important thing, I just like to slam-dunk it all at once.

As far as worry about rotted motor mounts, if you rebuild them you just need to line the motor back up, which a shop should be able to do in about an hour. This really isn’t a big deal at all. I had to do it myself.

But if you getting nervous, you could always buff the hell out of it and clean it up and sell it.

 

[rubberduck]

Re: newbie with hull question

It has a floating Volvo engine. No engine mounts, bolts directly to the transom shield. Will this make alignment easier or more difficult?

 

[strizzy]

Re: newbie with hull question

Much eaiser, but more of a reason to do a really nice transom. I should have known that from the picture...

 

[tmh]

Re: newbie with hull question

OK, I know nothing about fixing up boats, but I DO know something about time vs. value! Unless you find that type of work a great hobby, don't do it! The value of a rotted out boat is $0....or less.

ALL the cost of these older boats is in the engine and drive unit. Are you absolutely certain the engine and drive work great? If not, then you'll be spending lots of time and money to fix up a boat that is still worthless! Don't throw good money after bad. If you did overpay, lesson learned for the next time.

I would most certainly find out the true condition of the engine (why expect it's in good shape on a boat that wasn't cared for?). If it's good, I'd see what the engine and drive are worth. You'd even be better off finding another boat that IS in good condition with a bad or removed engine to put your engine on. Boats with no working engine sell for next to nothing if you look around!

Good luck.