Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

[Hicksm]

Got a Boat from my Girls Dad unknowing to me It would be a big Project. I enjoy it though haven't ever done a "Build Project" I get to Spend time With my Grandpa and learn About Boats, Tools and More so that's the Big thing behind it.

Here's How she Looked when I got her
1988 Stratos 1700 XLS there's NOTHING about this boat online
3.0 OMC Cobra Outdrive
Props to iBoats for Having the OMC Stuff available

At that Time the Boat hadn't ran in about 2 years.
I knew it had a Bad Seal which caused a Leak but went ahead and took the boat

After Towing it to the Shop We got to Working on it The next Weekend.
With anything that hasn't started in awhile we had to do some tinkering and Fighting

2 New Batteries later we got her Running. I was Ecstatic like a Kid at Christmas because we Worked on it All Weekend and couldn't get her to Turn over
https://flic.kr/p/fTLZfX (Excuse My Goofy Expressions but I was Pumped)

Her Dad Told me it had a Leak that was in between the Outboard and Hull but he didn't know what or how to fix it

That Excitement came to a big Crash after seeing that the Block was leaking
Previous Owner Failed to Winterize the Boat

https://flic.kr/p/fTN28W Video of the Leak^

 

[Hicksm]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

As you can see it was Repaired before (Unknowing to me or The Previous 2 Owners)
Thankfully there wasn't any Water-Oil Mixing so it was just a small exterior crack

After Talking to some Shops and Looking online If no water/Oil mix and the crack isn't deep you should be fine to repair with JB Weld

Pulled the Exhaust Mani off and Got to working

Cleaned the Area with A Wire brush and Paint Thinner
Drilled 2 Holes One on Each Side of the Crack then You get a Dremel to "V" or Groove out where the Crack is

 

[Hicksm]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Filled it With about 6 coats of JB Weld

Found a New Gasket online and Installed it on the Mani

After doing this Both of us Forgot all about the Leak (Fail i know) but we worked so hard and got Excited

So Take it to the Lake and Don't even get off the Trailer water is coming in more than the bilge pumps can pump out
So back to the shop and Getting down to the Hand at task



Pulled the Outboard off

Had to Remove the Engine (We didnt Plan on that at first)

 

[Hicksm]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Once that was Removed (Took 30 Minutes TOPS) Removed the Transom plate
and Found the Seal that was Broke (Not a Good Picture but you get the idea)

A new Seal is $10

Once pulled off Noticed that the Transom was wet as All get out
So a $10 Part has Caused more Issues in the boat

Original Plan was to use a Filler like Seacast or Nida Bond
Got to Digging out the Old wood and dug out as far as the Longest Screw Driver we had would allow
Seeing that sealer wasn't going to be a cheap or reliable fix we did the next best thing
CUT Er Open

Im Crying on the inside ha

Glad we Didn't Go with the Filler cause it was DONE for (Anyone need mulch?)

We Ensured the Rest was Solid wood and it was still good
So a $10 Part Caused all this. Needless to say Not too happy but I'm already in it this far why not just finish it. I get to Spend Time with My Grandpa who wont be around all my Life

Waiting on the Lumber Yard to Order me 2 Sheets of Marine Plywood so We can get Started

Got tired of working on my Boat the Weather was AMAZING in Middle Tn went and Took his boat out for a few hours

Other Plans
New Starter, Wash it Good, Rebuild the Back bench seat, Clean the Engine up, Rewire Everything since that's a Mess in itself, Replace All Bellows, and Gaskets in the Outboard
WINTERIZE it. Wait till Spring to have tons of fun (Hopefully)

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

A partial plywood transom repair isn't remotely ideal, neither is cutting the exterior fiberglass skin of the transom.

W/ the engine out of the way, REPLACING the transom plywood entirely would be a substantially better plan, and you already have the engine removed.

 

[sphelps]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Yep ^^ and you should check the stringers/motor mounts also . With the transom looking like that chances are.....

 

[Celtichawk]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Wow this is the first to see someone rip out part of a transom but not from the inside first!!! . I don't know if that is bad or good but hopefully your grandpa has lots of wisdom come to finish the job. Good score but these guys are right that much rot in transom might as well replace it whole. While your at it pay close attention to your stringers for rot????

 

[Hicksm]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Yeah I cried inside when he cut the hull. I wanted to do the inside but his shop his ways I trust him.
Excuse my ignorance but where are the stringers located at?

 

[matt167]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Under the decking. If your transoms shot like it was, stringers are likely shot too... Transoms have been done from the outside in for a quick repair. It's not the right way of doing it ( and a grinder wouldn't be the tool I would choose either ) but it can work. Just make sure your repair is structural from both sides or your boat will go down.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

She's 25 years old. Just like going to the Dr. she needs a complete Physical Inspection.

Have you been inside the boat and "Stomped" around on the "Floor/Deck". I'm Betting you'll find Soft spots. Does the boat have flotation foam under the deck? I'm betting it does, and I'm also betting it's saturated with water. If it is it could add up to 500# in additional weight to your boat. You really need to do a thorough inspection of the boat to ensure you're doing the restoration properly. The cut in the transom can be repaired if you don't cut any more!!!!


"Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

(Click the pic to download and view the PDF file)

View attachment MaterialsList.pdf

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

This should help:
"Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

The cut has been made, it can be repaired, the larger problem is actually the transom patch, rather then replaced entirely.

The transom is a critical component of the structural integrity of your boat. I'd read thru the info in WOG's fabrication link I posted. Ask as many questions as you need to, until you understand the details. The cut has been made. Moving forward, you want to make sure the transom is repaired in a safe & sound manner. Unless the transom plywood is removed & replaced entirely, the current repair/patch is likely to be a problem

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

With a transom that rotted, I have little doubt that the stringers and bulkheads are also shot. Not trying to rain on your parade, but you're seriously heading into a big...

Fixing this boat right is going to take some effort and a good amount of money.

 

[Hicksm]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Making Slow Progress..

Any tips for putting the hull back on?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Uhhhmmmm, is that piece permanently attached? Has the wood been coated with resin? Are you planning on putting any Thickened resin in between the two layers? Any CSM?

 

[Celtichawk]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Wait are those ply your transom? OMG!!!! Those should not be two pieces. A transom ply section should be one solid piece with your key hole cut out for the specific measurements of your stern drive. I would highly recommend you do some research. Please for the love of god you got to be kidding! I hope I'm seeing this incorrectly.

 

[Celtichawk]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

Did you even clean down below the transom, those grooves below your fresh ply look like they have all kinds of debris. Then again there is a lot going on in those photos I do not care to see. Hopefully you will make a turn around and a solid finished product.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

The outside skin is the least of your issues at this point. And while I'm no expert, I can see that the new wood you have installed needs to come back out. New transoms are installed from the inside, not by cutting the skin off in back, and certainly not with two pieces of wood as shown in your pictures. Now is the time to stop and regroup about repairing this boat the right way. Until you check your stringers under the floor and the floor itself you really are only fixing one small part of the potential rot on this boat. Trying to continue down the road you are on will result in a unsafe boat in the end. Everyone here just wants to help you end up with a safe and good repair on your new baby. I would take some time and read many of the other "like" transom replacements that are here, to get the facts about how to finish your job. There are a ton of experts here that guide guys like us through this task, I'm replacing my transom stringers and decking too. Good luck on getting her back on the water.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Project Stay Afloat 88 Stratous

I think that you need to direct your grandpa to this site to do some research or take over the repairs yourself. Honestly, repairing the transom from the outside made me cringe and I can see no advantage to doing that. If someone like WOG had gone this route, then I'd accept that he knew what he was doing, but seeing the repairs so far really makes me question the end result.

Not trying to be critical, just wanting you to get the best end result possible.