Bowrider Floor replacement

[Phone Guy]

Floor question

I was given a 1980 MFG Royal Bowrider. The deck and all stringer materials are complete mush, including the decking underneath the bow. The fiberglass portion of the bow appears to be all one piece, including part of the center console. How do you replace the decking under the bow fiberglass and how do you replace the ski well area? The only thing I can think of is cutting the top off, but that sounds like much more work than this old boat is worth. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Bowrider Floor replacement

Some pics would help greatly. From what I can tell, it sounds like you need to take the cap off the boat. Usually, boats will have a rub rail with a rubber insert that goes all the way around the outside of the boat. To separate the cap from the hull, take the rubber insert out, drill out the rivets, or take out the screws if it has them, then the cap should be free from the hull. Be sure to unhook the shift cables, wires, etc. that may be connected. Like I said, it's easier to help if you can show pics, but that's what it sounds like you need to do. Hope it helps.

 

[Phone Guy]

Re: Bowrider Floor replacement

BigBoatinOkie,

It does have a rub rail all around, I'll check that out. Thank you very much

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Bowrider Floor replacement

any luck?

 

[Phone Guy]

Re: Bowrider Floor replacement

Yes as a mater of fact the rub rail is held in with screws. My other question is when you pull the cap off, does it come right off, or is there a seam of fiberglass that you need to grind open? Then how do you re-seal the cap back on when your done? My real problem is that I will more than likely greatly exceed the value of the boat, even with it being fixed. I'm still determining if I will tackle this or if I'm money ahead to find another that is solid and needs a motor. Jury's still out but thank you for your help.

 

[BigBoatinOkie]

Re: Bowrider Floor replacement

I haven't had my cap off, but it isn't sealed or fiberglassed over. I'm not sure if they are all the same though. Check some of the other threads, lots of people on here have taken their caps off, and most say it's not a big deal. A bunch of folks on here have way more money in our boats than they are worth. You just have to decide if you like this boat enough to do the necessary work. If you have a good motor, get after it if you like the hull.

 

[Phone Guy]

Re: Bowrider Floor replacement

I like the hull, the 70's looking interior had to go, and someone had chopped up the bow rail before I got it. So it was decent looking and it rode nice, but it wasn't my favorite. It was just a run-of-the-mill bowrider. There's far too many other ones out there to go nuts on this one. Now if it would have been a classic 50's throwback with giant wings or something like that .....

 

[Robert4Winns]

Re: Bowrider Floor replacement

I don't think you shoudl need to cut a seam between the cap and the hull. There may be caulk or something like that but not fiberglass. Mine just had a foam strip, like weatherstrip. Once I removed all of the screws, it cam e off pretty easliy. I took mine off by myself using cargo straps to hoist it up.

I am also sure that when I am done I will have more $ in my boat than I could sell it for or would be able to buy another one for. But the way I look at it by spending the time and money to fix this one, I will be certain that it is sound. If I were to dump it and go out and buy another boat, it would probably also have a lot of rotten wood under the deck. Heck, until I started removing carpet I had no idea the amount of rot in this boat. I have learned a lot about what to look for by dissecting this boat and next time I buy a boat I will have a better idea of what to look for, but you can never be sure it is solid unless you pull up the carpet and drill core samples, which I can't imagine a seller will let you do before you buy a boat.
Sure I could reduce the risk of buying a rotten boat by spending a lot more money on a much newer boat, but I'm cheap.