Stephen.G.Fiddes
Cadet
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2019
- Messages
- 17
I recently got what I thought was a good deal on a great boat. Was told it was kept inside, it looked like it was kept inside, and hardly used. Motors were in great condition, interior of the boat was mint.
Seller mentioned he found one leak, and had patched it with JB weld, and put a piece of flex-tape over to keep it in while it cured. I looked, and the patch area looked to be where a rivet could have been. I thought nothing of it.
Get the boat home, and my buddy notices a weird leak. I look and there's a corrosion hole. Interesting. Look a few other places, and find a few other small corrosion holes. Take part of the decking off, and they all seem to be randomly isolated, not a widespread issue. Cool, not the end of the world.
Later on notice some corrosion on the transom skin. No surprise there, pressure treated plywood from the factory, Known issue before I purchased.
Decided, Screw it, I'll tear this boat apart, replace the transom the right way for my 60HP (it came with a 30), replace the floor the right way, check the foam, if it's wet, replace it too, put it all back together and be done, and have a great boat for a good long time that I will maintain properly, should give me no issues. So I thought....
What I discovered is some pretty serious damage...
1:some pretty serious stinky brown muck under the fuel tank, indicating it was stored outside, and that was all organic material composting in the hull. Thankfully, the metal under there looks good (except the leak the P/O patched)
2
pictures 1, 2, 3) Under the rear starboard foam, there was some very serious corrosion, and severe damage to the ribs. Looks like Salt Water plus an electrical issue. Fairly thin material (Hitting it hard with a stabbing motion with a pair of needle nose pliers, I could not stab through the thinnest material however). Area in the middle of the rib is also corroded, and it was packed full of white paste. (Aluminum "rust")
EDIT: Pictures are after some very very very agressive pressure washing with a turbo-nozzle. I figured if 3000 PSI took away any metal, I didn't want it there anyways, it was doing nothing but deceiving me and hiding bad.
3ort side under foam, some smaller areas of corrosion, a few holes as well as more ribs with holes or missing chunks... (Pictures 5-6)
4: Not pictured is the few other random corrosion holes I'm not concerned about and will be a fairly simple fix with an external patch inside or outside with Marine Tex or slow cure 5200 and backing plate
I'm really concerned about the widespread areas at the stern, and the bad corrosion inside some of the ribs. It's going to be hard to get to those areas to stop the cancer, and keep it gone because the ribs WILL get water in them again. I'm also not sure on patching that large of an area due to the high chance of water intrusion and starting crevice corrosion, especially at the stern where it's CONSTANTLY in the water.
For the most part, I think everything else can be patched either from the
I am not set on repairing this boat at this point, unless something simple will safely gain me at least a year or two of use, and allow me to resell it down the road.
I called a few places, and got quotes on re-skinning, and was told $5,000+, and Smoker Craft told me "that is IF we can even manufacture the parts". If I could find a trashed boat that had a solid hull skin, I would consider re-skinning that way. I selected this particular hull based on personal experience, and the numbers on the USCG plate, it's the perfect boat for my needs and in my price range. Just wish I had known what to look for with the corrosion. I now know for next time.
Seller mentioned he found one leak, and had patched it with JB weld, and put a piece of flex-tape over to keep it in while it cured. I looked, and the patch area looked to be where a rivet could have been. I thought nothing of it.
Get the boat home, and my buddy notices a weird leak. I look and there's a corrosion hole. Interesting. Look a few other places, and find a few other small corrosion holes. Take part of the decking off, and they all seem to be randomly isolated, not a widespread issue. Cool, not the end of the world.
Later on notice some corrosion on the transom skin. No surprise there, pressure treated plywood from the factory, Known issue before I purchased.
Decided, Screw it, I'll tear this boat apart, replace the transom the right way for my 60HP (it came with a 30), replace the floor the right way, check the foam, if it's wet, replace it too, put it all back together and be done, and have a great boat for a good long time that I will maintain properly, should give me no issues. So I thought....
What I discovered is some pretty serious damage...
1:some pretty serious stinky brown muck under the fuel tank, indicating it was stored outside, and that was all organic material composting in the hull. Thankfully, the metal under there looks good (except the leak the P/O patched)
2
pictures 1, 2, 3) Under the rear starboard foam, there was some very serious corrosion, and severe damage to the ribs. Looks like Salt Water plus an electrical issue. Fairly thin material (Hitting it hard with a stabbing motion with a pair of needle nose pliers, I could not stab through the thinnest material however). Area in the middle of the rib is also corroded, and it was packed full of white paste. (Aluminum "rust")EDIT: Pictures are after some very very very agressive pressure washing with a turbo-nozzle. I figured if 3000 PSI took away any metal, I didn't want it there anyways, it was doing nothing but deceiving me and hiding bad.
3
ort side under foam, some smaller areas of corrosion, a few holes as well as more ribs with holes or missing chunks... (Pictures 5-6)4: Not pictured is the few other random corrosion holes I'm not concerned about and will be a fairly simple fix with an external patch inside or outside with Marine Tex or slow cure 5200 and backing plate
I'm really concerned about the widespread areas at the stern, and the bad corrosion inside some of the ribs. It's going to be hard to get to those areas to stop the cancer, and keep it gone because the ribs WILL get water in them again. I'm also not sure on patching that large of an area due to the high chance of water intrusion and starting crevice corrosion, especially at the stern where it's CONSTANTLY in the water.
For the most part, I think everything else can be patched either from the
I am not set on repairing this boat at this point, unless something simple will safely gain me at least a year or two of use, and allow me to resell it down the road.
I called a few places, and got quotes on re-skinning, and was told $5,000+, and Smoker Craft told me "that is IF we can even manufacture the parts". If I could find a trashed boat that had a solid hull skin, I would consider re-skinning that way. I selected this particular hull based on personal experience, and the numbers on the USCG plate, it's the perfect boat for my needs and in my price range. Just wish I had known what to look for with the corrosion. I now know for next time.
