1979 Kingfisher leans to R rear.

[Caddiehack]

I have a 1979 Kingfisher bass boat that was riding somewhat low in the water the last 2 years, but now it's become almost unusable. I had the boat on a trailer but left the plug in. When I drained about 30 gallons of water from the boat 3 months later then put it in the water, it's riding very low to the right rear whether I'm moving or not. I have no water that I can see, but when it's in the water the carpet in front of the drivers seat slowly starts getting wet. I do not have a second drain valve that I've been able to find. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: 1979 Kingfisher leans to R rear.

Yup. Waterlogged foam. Probable stringer and transom rot also once that happens. Sorry to hear that, but it won't fix itself. You'll be pulling the aft deck out to remove it and survey the extent of the damage. The Retoration threads here will be of great help.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1979 Kingfisher leans to R rear.

Welcome to iboats.


Oh, so it leans to the Starboard side

I agree it may be a waterlogged foam issue and it will need to be explored. You can do some quick exploring with a piece of PVC and or a wooden dowel.

You will need to drill a hole to insert a piece of pvc and see if you can withdraw a core sample of the foam or insert a dry wooden dowel as deep into the hole as you can w/o punching through the hull and leave it there for a day.......... when you withdraw the dowel it will show evidence of water.

I will move this topic to restoration.

If it is the foam being soaked then we can proceed to a plan to fix it.

 

[Caddiehack]

Re: 1979 Kingfisher leans to R rear.

Er, Starboard, that's what I meant. Busted, I'm a newbie. Thanks for the bad news. So where should I drill for the core sample w/o going through the hull? How extensive a project are we talking about? I'm a weekender with limied time, and prefer to spend my time ON the boat, not under it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1979 Kingfisher leans to R rear.

Not an "EASY" fix. If it is indeed waterlogged you will have to remove the deck, remove the foam, check for rotted stringers and transom replace if needed. Could be up to $1,000 to $1,500 dollar fix and if you can only devote Nights and weekends, then it could take a month or two of hard work to get her back on the water. Not trying to be a Nay Sayer here, just a realist at what you MIGHT be looking at. Do a search on the forum for "Replacing the Foam in my Boat" and see what you get.


I'm just sayin...