Potential for complete loss?

[Pink-Panthered]

Good Morning Everyone,

I am new to this site. Just joined today. A guy I work with generously gave me a 1978 Crestliner Apollo 660. It has a 40 ft. lb. trolling motor on the front, and a Evinrude 115 on the back. Here is the story on the boat, and probably the reason it was given to me.

Summer of 2012
The guy who gave it to me was trailering it to a lake when the hub snapped off the trailer doing 70 MPH. The trailer slammed to the ground and the impact caused the bolts on the front bottom roller to shear He got a new axle on the trailer and proceeded to the lake. He backed the boat in the water at took the trailer out to examine it. No damage besides the roller and axle. . in the meantime the front hull of the boat has a hole in the in the very bottom of the ?V? where it hit the trailer. He did not notice it. Anyway, when it filled up with water he pulled it out of the water, then he parked it. That was two years ago.

Fast forward to today. The boat is in my garage off of the trailer to gain access to the hole. The boat is in pretty fair shape (excluding the hole) I got it all washed and vacuumed, the outboard ready for summer and the trailer cleaned. Now lets pretend you are a betting person, what is the chance the structure of the boat is still SAFE. It does not have to be pretty, but it does need to be safe. I will try to post pictures of the boat and damage shortly. I don?t want to invest time and money into a hunk of junk.

My Current Plans:

-Go over trailer (Pack the bearings, bearing buddies, a few new rollers, new wiring, a few lights, and maybe a quick paint job)
-Fix the hole in the front
-Put it in the water


What I think I SHOULD do:

-Go over trailer (Pack the bearings, bearing buddies, a few new rollers, new wiring, a few lights, and maybe a quick paint job)
-Fix the hole in the front
-Put the boat on the trailer.
-Rip out the floor
-Inspect the inside for damages
-New floor and interior
-Put it in the water.



Am I overthinking this? It is just a 16? boat. Think it would be fine? Thanks for all the help!

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?



You can see the hole where the front cross member on the trailer lies perpendicular to the tongue.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

The hole probably has less to do with its condition now than how it was built, used and taken care of for the prior 30+ years. Old boats weren't really made to last that long, so they rotted away, sometimes from poor designs, sometimes from poor workmanship, sometimes from how they were cared for, but after 30+ years most succumbed to the elements and need a complete rebuild even without a hole in the hull.

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Like the cap needs to come off and do a full on redo?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

at the vary least, drill test holes and inspect every inch of the boat, stringers, and foam

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Like the cap needs to come off and do a full on redo?

Welcome to iBoats!

Good Possibility!! At the very least cut some exploratory holes to see the condition of the stringers, some core samples of the Transom, A Flex test of the transom by bouncing on the motor. All of those would be a good thing. Does the floor have soft spots when walking around? Is there a ski locker Where you can see under the floor?

 

[GWPSR]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

...when it filled up with water he pulled it out of the water, then he parked it.

If it indeed filled up with water, then everything below that level got wet. Depending on what kind of drainage each area may have had, some of it probably stayed wet for an extended period of time. If he made no attempt to strip absorbent materials like upholstery and carpet from it and make sure it had really good air circulation, it may have even grown molds or fungii in places.

If he 'parked it' uncovered and level for two years, it most likely also accumulated whatever the seasons had to throw at it as well.

If these things are the case, then you can't declare it safe unless you examine all structure belowdeck.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

"What you think you SHOULD do" should be your "Current Plans".

At 36 yrs. old I'm sure your boat is overdue for a restoration... stringers, transom, foam, and decking. Your boat may have been pecked at and patched, but I doubt anyone has ever worked on it with the intention of restoring it the right way.

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Alright. Here is a little update. I pulled all the wooden panels that supported the front wrap around seating area, the drivers and passengers console, removed the carpeting, and finally the decking. I think we are in Okay shape. That is the progress I made last night. I will post pictures soon. The front part of the deck looked to be original, as there was a layer of fiberglass over the plywood securing it to the sides of the hull. I cut the glass and removed a very rotten piece of the deck. The stringers look intact from first inspection, but there is one section where the glass has separated from the hull. As far as foam goes, there was two chunks of foam, maybe 6x6x36. It was the expanding style of foam, cut in two long blobs. That was it. I pulled the foam, swept the bottom, and then vacuumed it out. I need to inspect the transom. What is the best way to do that? Thanks for reading!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

the stringers will rot before the deck does.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

For the transom, use a drill and masking tape a 1/4" bit at the 1" depth. Drill into the transom on the inside of the boat down low around the drain tube and out towards the sides @ 6" intervals. Check the shavings. They should be light in color and dry. If dark and wet then it should be replace. If light and dry, fill the holes with 3M 5200 sealant and you're good to go.

Can you see the hole in the Bow?

It would be nice to have pics of the Demolition work you have done so we can see the stringers etc...

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

I will have pictures up by 1:00. I forgot my phone on the boat this morning (went to look at it before work He is another question. I am mechanically inclined, but removing the outboard will be something new to me. I am not concerned at all about the actual separation of boat and motor, but more so how to disconnect all the hoses, wires, and lines going to the outboard. it can't be that hard can it?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Nope, Take plenty of "Close Up" pics with Flash so you can SEE and REMEMBER where it all goes. It will be a while before you put it back on and you'll need the pics to help you remember where everything goes and how to route it around the motor. Not hard just tricky.

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

This site is such a confidence booster. After a few hours of reading, I don't think I am that far from having an almost new boat! Pics to come soon.

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

I have done some looking, but does anyone have a link to transom replacement on a boat like this? I would like to find out if the transom can be replaced without taking the cap off?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Only way to get the transom replaced on an outboard boat is cap removal. I wouldn't want to have to make cosmetic repairs after cutting the boat splashwell off, but you could just cut it off, and only have a small portion of the cap removed:

Pick somewhere w/ lots of FLAT area & no inside outside corners. W/ a wooden backer, & new fiberglass laid over the cut, IMO, flat areas would be much easier to fair & make look 'right'. Don't forget, you'll be grinding a taper back 6-8" from the cut surfaces, so try to keep that in mind when you look for a place to make the cut.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Does your splashwell look like this...

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Does your splashwell look like this...

That looks like a picture of my boat! Same outboard, same wood pattern vinyl on the sides, same carpeting, so ya, just like that!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

Is the Wood Vinyl Easily removed?

 

[Pink-Panthered]

Re: Potential for complete loss?

I have not tried yet. I figured that was the least of my concerns at this point. I will let you know how it goes though!