Will my boat drop in value?

[alldodge]

Its my understanding the deck is one piece, all fiber glass and gelcoat. I'm thinking of cut a hole large enough to replace tank. Then grind and sand edges so new fiber glass can relay the deck in place. Feather it out so it looks good then gelcoat or paint floor as needed.

I think cutting a piece out and making it so it sits back in place isn't a good way for the boat

 

[JimS123]

Instead of refinishing the floor, why not get a piece if star board and screw it in place. Get some nice trim molding for the edges and it'll look like it belongs there. Kinda like a lid on a ski locker. Lots less trouble, lots less work, and then you have the added benefit of easy access to the tank.

 

[frustratedboater]

JimS123- That is a great idea! Will consider... It has to come out with the lines I measured out due to the size of the big square 52 gal). I still have the original showroom brochure (pic-attached) and the specs list the 1860: boasting a 52gal tank. They also listed the 2050EFS with a 70 gal! "Time to fill her up in this economy!"
Pic:

 

[frustratedboater]

Had two guys look at it today :faint2: (very interested) actually had a good idea. Don't touch the floor and turn the bait well (under seats) into the tank area and install leaning post over it; just by-pass it. Seemed like a decent option and it would take almost 200 lbs of fuel out of the equation. We'll see over the next day or so if I can 'catch a few fisherman!'

 

[72fj40]

There's One question I've not seen asked in this conversation and you can only answer it.
Its your boat, you have taken care of it while you've owned it. What are you going to do if you cut open the deck and find saturated floatation foam or compromised stringers?

 

[frustratedboater]

Well, that's a great question. There's no telling until I get it open to see, but do know that the floor feels really strong and solid. Saturation of gas could be a issue in the foam, but if so, I'd do the best to replace it. I don't think I'd take too long to cause a major concern, but it did just start over this winter.

 

[frustratedboater]

Well, my tank problems were too much for the interested party. Almost!! That drove me to get this thing done! Started to mark off the floor and almost purchased a fein (spelling) saw, or an angle grinder at H.freight, but need to save as much $$ as I can. Had asked about a full suit, but they had donated all of them to the local hospitals. Great thing to do, but now I had to think about how to protect. Being a chef, I had a 1000' roll of plastic wrap and my daughter wrapped me up! Kinda funny..

I worked my thin little metal cutting blade attached to my 3/8 Craftsman Drill, working slowly across the line, surprisingly, it followed that track nicely. Had a couple of jump outs, but all together, it performed quite nicely. It had to go through at least 1/2" of flooring and ended up using two blades for the job. I finished up the corners with a reciprocating saw. I have a link showing a portion of the cutting process.

Link: HERE

 

[alldodge]

Hang on to the pics and post later. Your link didn't work but good to here your making it work

 

[frustratedboater]

We'll do. I'll try to explain what I'm seeing. The tank looks rather easy to remove and seems to be encased in foam from the sides, about 2-3" all the way around. I'll start removing that and clean up the hull the best I can. Once I can get the depth and space I need to work with, I'll order the tank and start the installation process and take pictures along the way.

 

[kcassells]

This link?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzDi...ature=youtu.be

Good for you. You are all in now.

 

[frustratedboater]

Yup, that's me.. I figured I'd just upload to YT so it's easier. Once the blade hit the floor, I was committed!

 

[tpenfield]

Wow . . . just catching up to this thread.

Looks like you are committed. It will certainly work out if you can do a quality job on the repair. I think it will cost a bit more than what you were thinking though.

I would have taken the $6K offer in a heartbeat, knowing what is involved once you cut into a boat.

 

[frustratedboater]

tpenfield- I made an excel spread on all the materials I need and I don't need much!. I did pick up a used aluminum tank (FMT's) yesterday for $100 and the tank looks like it came off the shelf! I couldn't pass it up. Yes, I'd like it to be at least 30+ or more capacity, but it is a 25gal, and that's what I'm putting in!!

The repair is incredibly easy and strait forward. Wahoo Boats made an elevated belly just for the fuel tank and it did not rest directly on the hull. Having this separate area, makes the fabrication nice. (I will post all the pictures when it is finished). The tank area is washed out with bilge cleaner and looks great. I'm going to start glassing the supports for the floor cut-out piece next. Once these supports are fabricated, I will set it in and check for level.

Question: since the floor will be screwed down into the glassed supports, can you recommend a finishing strip to cover the 1/8 blade cut mark that will be present? Yes, I'm planning on using 5200 to seal that seam, but should I lay in a "T" moulding strip into that groove, if you know what I mean? Since I can't upload pictures in this post (for some reason), I'm sharing everything from my Google folder. HERE. This is an image of the floor and what I'm trying to describe that should have a decor strip, ya know, something other than visible sealer squeezing out!

 

[JimS123]

Google "aluminum T molding" (or SS or vinyl as you prefer). Cut the corners on a 45 and install with 5200. If you don't want a gap, go with a flat finish molding and attach with screws.

 

[frustratedboater]

I think I understand by your description. THANK YOU so much! I'm not a resto guy, but very handy.., just not familiar with those type of finishing products. Who carries these products? Is it something that I can get locally? It should be wrapped up here in a few days. I appreciate it, it will look nice..

 

[JimS123]

Just google it. Here is one of the first ones that came up...

https://www.amazon.com/Smooth-Push-...ords=aluminum+t+molding&qid=1589156181&sr=8-1

Home Depot and Lowes carry many types of carpet edge molding. It just depends on how fancy you want it to look. Personally, if it were my boat it would be polished 316 stainless steel, but that's just me.

 

[alldodge]

but it is a 25gal, and that's what I'm putting in!!

Sure hope you tell any buyer it only has a 25 gall tank

 

[frustratedboater]

Thanks for the link, and found some. Pretty common stuff I guess I was envisioning something else.

The buyer's going to receive a start to finish binder of pictures of the repair so they know whats under the floor and the kind of materials I used. No short cuts... (just the tank size)

 

[chevymaher]

Big tank bigger the better.