Winter Ice in Hull

[maineboat]

Hey folks, It's been a long time since I've posted, as I had sold my aluminum Starcraft 16ft Bow Rider, but I am seriously thinking of buying it back, and contemplating a full restoration. I have a serious question, and am in hopes of some input. The boat was stored for two or three winters, uncovered, and I was wondering about ice building up in the hull, and having enough "freezing power" to spring the hull, as in push it apart at the gunwales. I went and looked at it today, and when I closed the walk-through windshield, I noticed that there was about a 1/2" gap at the top. When I compared pictures from when I owned it, the middle window was aligned perfectly, with an even gap all the way down
My question is this: Is it possible for enough ice to build up in the hull to push the beams apart? Or am I being overly paranoid. I am wondering also if it's possible that the outer panes have simply spread slightly and just needs to be re-aligned when I put it all back together after I rebuild the interior.
Also, is it possible to draw them back together if they are in fact spread.
Any input is greatly appreciated!!

I'll post pictures as soon as possible

 

[Bondo]

Also, is it possible to draw them back together if they are in fact spread.

Ayuh,.... If the plug was left in the hull, or the hull was nose down,...... Anything is possible,....

The good news is,.....
Once ya gut the hull for the rebuild, it's flimsy enough to pull back into shape, for the rebuild,.....

Btw,.... Where abouts in Maine,..??
I'm a Maineiac in exile, born, 'n raised in Old Town,.....

 

[maineboat]

Thanks, Bondo, and greetings fellow Maineiac; that's what I was thinking, but yes, the plug was left out and it is tipped enough so water was able to drain out. I am in hopes to run it a little bit this summer and start some work in the fall and if I can find a place to put it in for the winter, so the floor.

I am renting a small place in Newport, but am in hopes to find a place of my own before the fall...

 

[Bondo]

I am renting a small place in Newport,

Hmmmm,..... A high school Bud used to run the wastewater plant there,.... Dan Stevens,.....

Also knew a family there named Aires,..... Dad was a local cop in the '70s/ '80s,... older gal was Charlene,....

'n of course I stop by the truckstop there when runnin' from here to Old Town, leavin' rte 2, 'n jumpin' onto I-95,....

Good luck with the boat,.......

 

[maineboat]

Well, today I went and bought back my old boat. I decided that the reason the windshield didn't seem to line up was because of water under the floor, causing it to buckle up, pushing up both consoles near the center of the boat. I plan on ripping all the carpet and plywood out and replacing it with plywood and vinyl, so the damage to the plywood is irrelevant at this point. The more I think about it, the shape of moat any boat would not lend itself to buckling from water/ice, as the shape of them really doesn't allow the ice to get any leverage; time will tell.....
I am in hopes to register it and run it for the summer, and start tearing it down in the fall. The motor has a few bugs in it; i'm hoping a cracked fuel hose or a damaged o-ring. I am not afraid of the problem stated to me by the PO, as this is the same motor that came to me quite literally in 4 or 5 cardboard boxes, and the crankshaft wrapped in a wool blanket. (https://forums.iboats.com/forum/eng...tboards/538063-1986-johnson-70-hp-vro-rebuild)

~more later~

 

[GA_Boater]

I am not afraid of the problem stated to me by the PO, as this is the same motor that came to me quite literally in 4 or 5 cardboard boxes, and the crankshaft wrapped in a wool blanket. (https://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...hp-vro-rebuild)

~more later~

Getting the motor together and running after unrolling the blanket with the crank says you can fix the motor and boat.

Was the deck protected with epoxy, paint or any waterproofing before covering it with carpet? Or original wood which had nothing added by the factory to protect the wood?

On your original question about ice - The hull would have to be filled up pretty high for ice to expand the hull, but you found the problem. One thing the ice can is crush the foam and break the closed cells. Take a good look at the foam for ice damage.

 

[maineboat]

Getting the motor together and running after unrolling the blanket with the crank says you can fix the motor and boat.

Was the deck protected with epoxy, paint or any waterproofing before covering it with carpet? Or original wood which had nothing added by the factory to protect the wood?

On your original question about ice - The hull would have to be filled up pretty high for ice to expand the hull, but you found the problem. One thing the ice can is crush the foam and break the closed cells. Take a good look at the foam for ice damage.

Thanks for the encouragement GA_Boater! It's nice to get a little positive reinforcement once in a while!

I have concluded that the windshield issue is due to water under the floor, pushing up on the consoles and causing the mis-alignment. I had also come to the same conclusion about actually warping the hull due to ice. It would have taken a tremendous amount of ice trapped in the hull. Luckily the plug was out, so at least water could drain as the ice and snow melted.I'll revisit this once the ice and snow has finished melting out of it. For the last two winters the PO didn't even throw a blue tarp over it...... :grumpy:

The deck is still all original underneath, so I'm not sure how Starcraft protected them before laying the marine carpet on it. My plan is to strip it down completely and redo the inside, most likely with vinyl flooring, and removing the foam padding in the main part of the boat, which will in essence increase the space by 3" or so. I intend to re-do the bow seats and cushions pretty much as they were before. I'll take some pictures soon.....

~more later~

 

[maineboat]

It's been a while since I've posted, and I though today would be a good day to update a little, even though there has been a lot happening.
First of all, I have splashed the ol' girl, and at first was quite disappointed. The motor started and ran "ok," but it definitely needs a more precise tune-up so that it will start and idle a little smoother. I used to troll with this motor for hours, and it always ran smoothly and flawlessly. But it obviously had a bigger issue, and a serious problem with the carbs, as it would not accelerate above 4000 rpm. Though her “sweet spot” is 3.8-4K, I just didn’t feel comfortable running her very long or trying to push her any further than that, for fear that the leanness might melt a piston. When I jammed the throttle to wide-open from 4k, it would just respond with that “throaty” nothingness and no additional power. If I pushed in on the key (primer), it would respond favorably, which told me that it was not a fuel restriction in the lines, filter or failing fuel pump, though I couldn’t get it to topple my cooler over like it used to. It would power above 4k, but only until I stopped pulsing the primer.
Although the interior is trashed due to neglect and poor storage, the floor rotted through out, I wanted to “test” it on my week-long family camp-out, and see if I had made a foolish purchase, so I ordered 3 carb kits and a couple of other misc. gaskets, and figured worst case, I could rebuild all three carbs if necessary, while on vacation with my siblings.
I launched her the first afternoon and tried to get a good video of what it was doing, but the lake was so rough that it just wasn’t happening. The next morning I pulled her out of the water and went at it. The first carb I pulled off, I found the problem. The PO had “cleaned” the carbs (due to an issue that he thought he had, but I believe now that it was water in the fuel first, and then an air leak in the fitting on the gas tank) and upon re-assembly, had dropped, lost or simply over-looked the gasket that seals the emulsion tube between the bowl and the carb base/body. These little gaskets are critical, and seal the emulsion so they can pull the prober fuel/air mixture from the bowl through the main jet, especially at high rpm. In fact one place I found the gasket described as the “High speed gasket.” Huh, go figure…….
Anyway, for those looking for a solution to a similar symptom (I found VERY little related to this problem, even though I imagine it’s a more wide-spread issue than just me), eliminate all the obvious issues first. Fuel quality, water in the fuel, spark plug condition, fuel line/filter restrictions, cracked fuel line and fittings. If you are running a fuel filter, which you should, suspect the condition of the carbs last, and don’t mess with them if you encounter an abrupt change in how a preciously great running motor runs. These 3 cylinder engines, IMHO, are bulletproof, dependable, and with proper care and good fuel will give years of trouble and maintenance-free service. There are no adjustable jets, so there really isn’t much to get screwed up once they are properly link & sync’ed.
Well, the end of the story is, I replaced only the one missing nozzle gasket, and she is her ol’ self again!! I even got 43mph @ 5500rpm!

 

[GA_Boater]

Told ya back in April that if you can unwrap a crankshaft in a blanket and make a running motor, this was no problemo!


So a gut and re-do is coming up?

 

[maineboat]

Told ya back in April that if you can unwrap a crankshaft in a blanket and make a running motor, this was no problemo!


So a gut and re-do is coming up?

Thank you for the vote of confidence! I didn't really doubt my ability to find the problem, it was more, how much money and time would I have to invest. So thankful for the God given talent that helped me find it quickly!

Yes, I'm hoping to do a gut-out and rebuild this winter, but a lot is going to ride on my housing situation; I don't have a place of my own right now, and renting a really small place.

I attached a couple of pictures showing the location of the gasket, and one of it missing.

I had to upload the video to YouTube since I can't upload videos here; here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeiBqFWYZaY&feature=youtu.be

 

[MTboatguy]

Glad you found it, it is one of those little problems that can drive you crazy unless you know what you are looking for, now a days when I have a carb problem, that is one of the first things I check, it is amazing how many I have found over the years that causes the exact problem you described.

Look forward to following the restore thread.