1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

[ou18]

Hi All,
Ive been a member of the Iboats forum for quite some time. Now Im here for what appears to be a long haul. Well I decided this past July 4, 09 to clean out the boat, in the process noticed a few softspots. Well, my curiosity, much like the cats, got the best of me, just glad my fate was not the same, well at least not yet. I started poking around. Much to my shagrin, the recliner seats pulled right off the floor. Thinking to myself, is this some new release mechanism for boat seats, um no Steve its not, thats a bad sign. So, I started pulling back carpet. Even worse. You all know what comes next with this post. ROT and lots of it.

So I start pulling up what appears to be a really bad floor job. Even for a novice like myself, I know when something is done half....., well you know the rest. Plywood, over another plywood floor, which was screwed down to the original fiberglassed plywood floor. Well, Im no egineer, but screws through fiberglass create wholes, wholes through wich water can work its wonderous powers and seep into things, therefore causeing ROT. Who was the idiot that did this. Im thinking SLINGBLADE. Anyone else, anyone. Maybe Charlie Brown. So in my dismay, i start ripping out floor. The further I go, the deeper I notice Im getting into this project. Thinkinn like most novices this is gonna be an easy fix, i soon realize, HOLY CRAP, this is rediculous backbreaking, sweat inducing work. I mean 95 degrees, south florida sun sweat inducing weight losing work.

Sorry I digressed into my own misery. In any event, i have actually committed myself to this project and figure if Im going to do this, Im gonna do it myself, (obviously recruit some friends to help with some labor intensive work, ie heavy lifting) and Im gonna do my best to do it right. Since I am tearing out the floor and almost every peice of wood looks rotted, its probably a great time to fix the leak by the transom, and probably worth it to do the stringers as well. If im gonna do this, I wanna do it once and only once, considering I plan on keeping the boat for a while longer, being it is paid for. Well i guess Im paying for it again.

In any event, in reading most of the posts about stringers and transom repair, it seems as these are the two most important things to fix on the boat. Hmmmm who would have THUNK It. Outside of having a good solid powerplant, which in actuallity seems to be pretty good. 4.3ltr OMC, with Cobra leg. I think the toughest part is gonna be getting the engine out to be honest. The rest is just time consuming and labor intensive and taking my time.

So with that said, I look forward to hearing from all of you as I report back with each passing day that this project goes on for and each pound i lose in the process.

Oh the joys of boat ownership. What would I do if i didnt have some project to do.

Pics to follow.

Thanks in Advance everyone.

 

[lowkee]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Welcome to the resto section! I don't think many of us make it out alive, hehe. The more you follow other resto threads, the more confident you feel about digging in. There are even planty of threads on how to pull an engine.

Just be sure to take PLENTY of before photos, as once the boat is gutted, nothing will look as it used to, and grinding the hull means any seams will be gone, too. I've found myself staring at mine wondering what went where and what ended where. Concentrate your photos on seams and transitions, as positioning is pretty important towards the transom.

Check out ebay for fiberglass deals and uscomposites is the goto place for materials beyond that (although living in FL, you will be changed sales tax AND shipping, so you may want to try finding a local boat building supply house).

 

[jonesg]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

I bought an engine hoist off craigslist for $125, if that doesn't have enough reach you might try talking to a tow truck driver.
Or someone with a backhoe or forklift, we all keep one of those around the house right?

Or do like Erik and build your own extended hoist.

Or assemble a 4x4 A frame gantry, get a chain hoist and lift it clear then pull the boat out from under it.

Foam belongs in the bathtub, carpet is best left in the house.

 

[NoKlu]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Pulling the engine will be the easy part if you have the right equipment.A good hoist of some sort will be needed. As lowkee said a good high resolution camera will be your best friend during the job. If you use a low res camera the pics get blurry when you blow them up to get a closer look. Take pics of the engine before compartment before you unhook anything as well. Lots of pics of the wiring from all angles will be a great reference down the road when you can't remember where that strange purple wire too. Don't forget just because you found it that way it does not mean it's the way it's supposed to be. Label everything. Start shopping for parts deals and other supplies well in advance as this will save you from running out at the last minute and have to pay full price from the local guys in the high season. If you are unsure of anything ask here first before you go ahead and do it wrong. Good luck.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Lowkee,
Your post is one I was reading today during down time at work. SHHHHHHHHh, dont tell anyone. Actually your posting on your project has kind of made me think, although it will be time consuming and backbreaking, in the end, ill be able to blame no one but myself, I mean, ill be able to say i did it. Im a big do it yourself kind of person. If you cant fix it yourself, you shouldnt have it to begin with.


A buddy of mine has a lift, as he just did his engine pull and what not. Im actually looking forward to getting it all gutted. Ill salvage most of what i have actually. The boat is in great condition for its age actually. I mean what should i expect for 19 years old. Right. Seats and what not are decent, ill rebuild the backs on two of them, no big deal there, might be a good side project for the misses actually, Pulling staples from the vinyl and putting it backtogether. Dont need to spend money where i dont need to. Most of the vinyl is in pretty good shape, and i already rebuilt the dog house about a year ago. Not perfect, but a hell of alot better then the way it was that is for sure.

Well heres to happy rebuilding, maybe if i put in enough hours i can have it back in the water by labor day weekend. WISHFULL Thinking right. LOL.

Thanks for the encouragement guys, Lowkee, I look forward to more pics and progress reports from you. Nice job so far.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Sorry NoKlu,
You posted as i was typing.
The Camera thing, no worries, got a great 10.1 megapixel camera, Cannon Digital Elph. Best damn camera on the market. If you cant take a pic with this thing, you shouldnt have a camera in your hand. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a camera. 175 on sale i got it for about 7 months ago.

There will be plenty of pics. Considering Im a technophile, that part will be very easy.

Given the fact I have this guy feeling stringers need replaced. What would be the best type of wood to perform this function. Ive also read that some boats have foam encased in glass as its really the glass that gives the structural integrity the boat needs. Is this true and what are the draw back.
Is wood better. I would gather it is better when you get to the back near the engine and what not.

Sorry for the abosultely basic questions?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Sorry NoKlu,
You posted as i was typing.
The Camera thing, no worries, got a great 10.1 megapixel camera, Cannon Digital Elph. Best damn camera on the market. If you cant take a pic with this thing, you shouldnt have a camera in your hand. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a camera. 175 on sale i got it for about 7 months ago.

There will be plenty of pics. Considering Im a technophile, that part will be very easy.

10.1 megapixel camera You need to limit your photos that you post to 640 x 480 for sizing. Someone band aided that deck and it caught up with the boat. Consider it a good thing that it was found now and not while in area with 3-4 foot swells.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

No worries on the pic sizing. Ill keep originals on my mass drive, I think 1tb of space on that will be plenty for all these pics. For uploading, have no fear they will be shrunk to the proper sizing as to facilitate fast loading and not **** anyone off that maintains the site.

I agree, the boat was bandaided when it came to the wood portions. Pics to come tonight of what it looks like with out everything torn out.

Im kind of glad im doing it, the seats will actually be about and inch and half lower now, my knees what be crushed under the wheel anymore.

Alright all, pics to follow sometime this evening.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

It should perform better after the weight loss too.

 

[blot101]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

oh man, not just pictures, but measurements too. that is... if you want it to be the same. i'm glad i'm not the only one here doing fiber glass... i'm hoping you're good at it, and will post pictures of the actual process..... that's what i think i'll do.... that way i can get some real critiques in what i'm doing, and not just for the finished project...

 

[fishseeker]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Enjoy the fun. Just think of the money you will save not having to go to a weightloss spa. I'm doing the same on a 30year old boat. Here's how I found shade.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Bob VT, i hope so. When I had the boat in TN, fresh water, i could put it in during the early morning hours with just me, and get up close to 50 out of it. That was perfect water, smooth as glass. or as smooth as glass can be.

Blot,
Ive never done fiberglass in my life, aside from itching from it. But have read a few things on how to prevent that as well. But patience, patience and did i mention patience and maybe do a few scrap pieces before the actual remodel. No sense in rushing the process if its gonna turn out crappy.

Good point on measurements. Ill have to take plenty of them.

Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

As promised here are the pics of my boat. Granted it is in the water and it is of the YACHT, i mean boat when i boat it over 4 years ago.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Good looking boat actually same color combo I am going for with my Starcraft .


Rick

 

[4runneradam]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

NICE looking boat!

Keep at it man, dont give up. I wanted to turn in the keys a few times on my project buy I finally got finished, and took it out on the water last weekend and it was all worth it!

Like everyone else said, take pics. Also, get a bunch of zip lock bags, and store and label ALL of the hardware you take off. I wish I did this, instead I had a pile of hardware that I had to guess where it all went.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Thanks 4runner and Rick. I like the boat alot. Ive had some good use out of it. I guess stuff like this should be expected after 19 years of service. I have a couple of mods in mind to the boat, but nothing drastic. Instead of carpet on the floor would love to gel coat, or rhino line it with a light color. Ive done some research and they now tint to whatever color you like. Ive actually seen ski boats that have rhino lining in the storage compartments and ski lockers and what not.. And maybe do two swivel chairs and take out the recliners. They arent very comfortable. We'll see what the budget allows for as the project progresses.

Thanks for the tip on the zip lock bags

So far i have

1 - Lots and lots and tons of pics
2 - Take a mess of measurements
3 - Zip lock bags and label everything
4 - Did i mention take lots of pics and measurements

Thanks for the helpfull advice all

4Runner, would love to see some pics of your finished product when you have time.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Okay everyone. So last night on my way home from work. Thank god I have a job to fund this project. I decided to stop at the boat where it is stored and start removing some things. Most of which is a pretty easy removal. Found out the Cap is held on with screws, so that is nice and easy. Just so damn many of them, but no big deal, it is what it is. In any event, removed the port side padding, the stern padding, the stern rub rail and a few other minor things. Now to store them.

Also decided it was time to have a look see under the foam. So i started chopping that out. To my surprise, the foam near the stern was very dry except for right down against the hull. That was mush. So I broke out my scraper and it peeled right off the hull. I do have a question. It appears that this boat does not have stringers all the way through from the stern to the bow area. It seems that this boat is merely a lattice of fiberglass boxes. The only visible sign of stringers seems to be where the engine mounts. When i began removed the foam from back in that area, I was surprised to find that it seemed there was foam encapsulate in fiberglass and then two large blocks on attached to the port side and starboard side of these "Stringers" also encapsulated in fiberglass that the engine is actually mounted to. Are these the stringers.

So, I still plan on pulling the cap off the boat to the do the transom. However, I think my lattice of fiberglass boxes has actually saved me quiet a bit of time and energy. Here is my thought. Rip the tops off the fiberglass lattice frame work, dig out all the old plywood, cut new plywood, bed in epoxy, and then re-fiberglass the tops as well as down the side and to the hull of the boat. What do you all think. no sense in reinventing the proverbial wheel is my thought. Especially if someone already took the time to do all this, ie manufacturer.

Anyway, here are the pics i took last night. Enjoy, any thoughts, comments etc are appreciated. Much the same as LowKee, Ive decided to post the pics to flickr. They are public so hopefully everyone can see them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40227813@N05/sets/72157621001607855/detail/

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

More pics

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

Here is my thought. Rip the tops off the fiberglass lattice frame work, dig out all the old plywood, cut new plywood, bed in epoxy, and then re-fiberglass the tops as well as down the side and to the hull of the boat. What do you all think. no sense in reinventing the proverbial wheel is my thought. Especially if someone already took the time to do all this, ie manufacturer.

It might not be the "right" way to do it but I know that's surely how I'd do it.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 FourWinns 180 Horizon HOLY CRAP You Have to be kidding

I hear ya EZ. Just dont want to get in over my head. I think the transom is gonna test my patience enough as it is. But we shall see once i get all the foam out what the fiberglass looks like all around. Still need to get all that wood out as well. Time to break out the power tools. that is for sure.