Waterlogged foam

[kevinbentley]

tl/dr: I have a boat with water logged foam and a rotten deck from the gas tank back. Stringers don't look too bad (yet). I plan on pulling up the deck and the foam, then replacing. Am I crazy? Is it likely that I can get this back on the lake with gutting and rebuilding?

I found this boat, and loved it! It had the right configuration and a decent outboard, came with outriggers, etc. It had some electrical issues, but had no issues with rewiring the thing, which I did right away. I thought I got a great price.

From what I can tell so far the stringers seem pretty solid, as does the transom I have scraped as much of the foam as I can get to so far with a screw driver, and the fiberglass feels intact. I know I won't be able to tell for sure until I completely excavate though.

The deck forward of about a foot from the gas tank doesn't feel soft and is solid enough that it doesn't give when I tap it with a screwdriver with a hammer, whereas it went right through the soft spots.

I feel like I don't have any choice but to pull up the deck back there and rip all the foam out. But is there any chance that I will be able to 'just' rip out the old foam and replace the part of the deck that is soft/rotten?

Any advice is very much appreciated. I have found myself in a similar position with cars and airplanes before. I don't mind and slightly enjoy a moderate restoration, but I want to be on the lake more than the garage!

 

[GA_Boater]

Howdy.

None of your pics made the trip. Click on the Forum Help in the sig below and read the photo attaching tutorial.

 

[kcassells]

Bummer... but that's what happen to these old boats. It wil end up being a total rehab.Take a pic on your cell phone the em to yourself. It wil resize so you can post.

 

[Scott Danforth]

cant post until your 4th post.

post a few more times

if your deck is soft and foam is wet, your stringer have long since rotted

BTW, what are you working on? depending on the boat you could be carrying up to 2000# of water on board

also, if you havent done so, go to the stickies at the top of this forum, sticky #4 is the DIY..... then go thru linkes 14, 18, 2, 3, 4a, 4b, then the remainder in that order..... look at every video, picture, link etc.

 

[kevinbentley]

The boat is a 1984 Bonito, 16'. Evinrude 115 outboard.

By full restore, are we talking about gutting the entire hull, new stringers & transom, new foam? Ugh.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The boat is a 1984 Bonito, 16'. Evinrude 115 outboard.

By full restore, are we talking about gutting the entire hull, new stringers & transom, new foam? Ugh.

yes. BTW, your boat originally had a 15 year design life. its now year 35...... so a major restoration is in order

 

[kevinbentley]

If I do a total restore and add a decade to its life, it still has an old 2-cycle engine that probably will also need a rebuild before very long.

It's hard to figure out how to tell if it's worth putting the time and money into it or not. I have to weigh that against what a newer used boat will cost and how much *that* boat will end up costing me. And trying to avoid the sunk cost fallacy.

 

[kevinbentley]

I've watched quite a few restoration videos and I feel pretty confident I can do the work. I don't have a good idea of how much work it will be (e.g. 200,500,1000+ hours, etc). Any WAGs on the cost of the materials? I have done very little fiberglass, so I'm not sure how long that stuff takes.

 

[Scott Danforth]

this came up the other day

here is a cut-n-paste from here: https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...rnative-deck-options-in-fiberglass-boat/page2

this will cover the cost:

Im lucky now, as there is a fiberglass and resin store between work and home so I pick up resin as I need it. when I was in Wisconsin, I would order resin in 5 gallon cans and hope I didnt run out..... and pay shipping and EPA handling fees

depending on where you are, when mixing resin, watch the temperature. I have had resin kick so fast and hard it melted the bucket, even at 1% MEKP

about 25% of the resin you buy will become trophies (bucket with a puck of resin and a brush hanging out of it). about 25% of the resin and glass you buy will be ground out as you re-grind for next layers.


if you want to break it down to expenses for a typical 19-21' boat:

PPE and incidentals - estimated
$75 on tyvek suits (full with hood, etc)
$30 on tyvek booties
$120 on a good 3M full face particulate mask
$30 on gloves
$30 on masking tape
$40 on shop vac bags
$100 on saw blades
$150 on a grinder (your going to burn one up)
$50 on grinding discs
$50 on mixing cups
$75 on brushes and poly rollers
$10 on trash bags
$75 on various cup brushes and extensions
$50 on aluminum bubble rollers for fiberglass

Wood, Glue, etc - estimated
$250 for 6 sheets of plywood
$100 for stainless screws
$10 for tite-bond III glue

Resin, Glass, foam, etc - estimated
$750 on resin (6 5-gallon buckets at $125 each)
$100 on CSM
$200 on 1708
$300 on foam
$100 on ground fibers, milled fibers, cabosil, Q-cells and fillers, etc
$30 on PVA
$200 on gel
$120-180 on EPA hazard fee
$250-500 on shipping

Solvents:
$130 worth of acetone


add 10% for misc

you can save a small amount by using 2-part paint vs gel

from there, add for your interior. estimate up to $3k for interior

as for the time, depends on how quickly you get thru the itchy portion..... could be as quick as a few weeks however more likely 6 months to a year. Im on 2.5 years of a re-power/re-gel, new interior, etc. of my boat namely because i have to work outside and fiberglassing or grinding in 90+ F at 95% humidity sucks.

 

[kcassells]

The engine is the last of your concerns. Being old means you can get parts and rebuild. The new stuff is a joke.

 

[Scott Danforth]

If I do a total restore and add a decade to its life, it still has an old 2-cycle engine that probably will also need a rebuild before very long.

It's hard to figure out how to tell if it's worth putting the time and money into it or not. I have to weigh that against what a newer used boat will cost and how much *that* boat will end up costing me. And trying to avoid the sunk cost fallacy.

unless the 2-stroke has over 2000 hours, it will probably outlast the hull

 

[kevinbentley]

Thanks for all the advice/info. I'm going to start opening things up tonight.

Any opinions on this hull/boat in general? I have had a hard time finding much info on this hull, other than I've been told it's very similar to a Boston Whaler in it's design/construction. I can get behind a full restoration as long as I know it's a decent boat to restore.

 

[Scott Danforth]

hundreds of Boston Whaler clone manufacturers..... some only made one or two boats.

 

[kcassells]

Cool...Looking forward to your new endeavor!