Was replacing center floor enough?

[hibbert6]

I'm looking at an older Bayliner 19' outboard bowrider. I asked him if he had done any floor work, and he replied that the center of the floor has been replaced. As I know that older Bayliners had some problems with soft floors, is it likely that replacing the center 18" or so, bow to stern, was enough? (Assuming he replaced any rotten stringers, etc.) Any suggestions on where/how to see if repair was complete?l

Thanks,

Dave

 

[scott11]

Re: Was replacing center floor enough?

Im working on tearing my floor out right now and am finding out that there seems to be soft spots where i wouldnt even of noticed. After the layer of fiberglass was torn up in spots i found out that the wood was right rotten.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Was replacing center floor enough?

(Assuming he replaced any rotten stringers, etc.)

That's a pretty big assumption right there. I'd consider this one a project boat.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Was replacing center floor enough?

Any time you're looking at a boat with "only a soft floor" or where "a soft spot in the floor has been repaired" you might as well consider it a project boat. After what I've seen (I'm well into my second total rebuild/restoration) I just have a hard time believing that only a small section of the deck was bad. Only make the purchase if you're willing to accept the fact that it's likely going to take a lot of work to make it right, and only if you're getting a good enough deal that spending another $thousand or more for materials doesn't make you squeemish.

In this case I'd guess that if anything other than scabbing in a chunk of plywood had been done the seller would be talking about it. I'd have to assume that stringers need to be replaced, and I'd be skeptical about the transom.

Without cutting some holes in the deck with a hole saw about all you could do is look under the carpet to get a feel for the quality of repair. Maybe see if you can get to any part of the stringers through a ski locker, hatch, or in the bilge to see if they show any signs of distress. But really, I'd be real skeptical of this boat - wood rot is like cancer.

 

[hibbert6]

Re: Was replacing center floor enough?

Thanks, guys. Just what I needed to know. I've done a boat floor before. Took me weeks - mostly because I had to keep deciding to take out more. Fortunately, I made good decisions.

Dave